If you think electric cars lack soul, maybe it’s time to think again. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is arguably the first EV developed to be truly driver-focused, and it has clearly caught Porsche’s attention as the marque is benchmarking its upcoming all-electric Porsche 718 against it, Drive reports.
In fact, the Vice President of the Porsche 718 and 911 model lines, Frank Moser, was won over by the Ioniq 5 N after driving it several times.
“We learnt a lot from that. They made it really, really good,” Moser said in an interview with Australian media.
It wasn’t just Moser who praised the Hyundai. The car also caught the eyes of Porsche’s Director of GT Programme, Andreas Preuninger. Moser recalled driving with Preuninger, noting that his colleague’s reaction to the N Grin Boost mode was simply: “Wow.”
Turning that admiration into action, Moser hinted that Porsche may take a page out of Hyundai’s book regarding the ‘N e-shift’ function, which emulates the gear shifts of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the ‘N Active Sound+’, which lets drivers choose between three synthesised driving sounds.
However, Porsche will make its own changes to the setup if it decides to adapt the system for the upcoming 718 EV. Moser emphasised that drivers must be able to control the experience.
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“The customer could decide if he wants to drive in complete silent mode, or if he wants to be part of the game, feeling the virtual sounds of a flat-six and the virtual gear shifts,” Moser said.
The next-generation Porsche 718 was initially slated to be unveiled sometime in the mid-2020s. However, the timeline has shifted following Porsche’s realignment of its electrification plans due to a drop in global EV demand.
Stuttgart has also confirmed that the next-gen 718 will likely still be offered with an internal-combustion engine, though this will probably be reserved for the range-topping RS and GT4 RS variants.
Regarding the specific launch date, Frank Moser subtly revealed that the next-gen 718 EV is now due at the beginning of 2027.
The focus for the new model is on weight reduction. While Moser admitted the car is “a little bit heavier” than the current 718, he stated that by EV standards, the upcoming model is still considered “very lightweight.”
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