The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and the Ioniq 6 N are already well known for being a pair of EVs that can be quite fun toys for the driver, with their array of fake pops and bangs, and Hyundai is now reportedly stating that the next-generation replacement for their naughty duo will be even better at pretending they have an actual internal-combustion engine underneath their bonnet.
This comes from Hyundai’s global head of research and development, Manfred Harrer, speaking to Autocar, where he revealed that the company has plans to enhance the current system in the Ioniq 5 N and Ioniq 6 N to make it even more realistic, and claims the company is at the forefront of this technology.
“We are leading – we are not following – on this technology,” he said. “In the next generation of these cars, I want to make it even more realistic. I want to enhance it further,” Harrer said.
He also subtly teased that the next generation performance EVs from Hyundai will even come with “idling, exhaust backfiring” and “vibration in the car”, which would “bring in the next level” of engagement, all while aligning with the N division priority of providing a fun experience for the driver, rather than chasing outright raw technical performance.
Furthermore, Harrer, himself a former Porsche engineer, gently snubbed his old employer by noting that the N division are not trying to emulate Stuttgart.
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“We are not the serious Porsche guys,” he said. “We are fun to drive. We made a great movement, and over the years we will enhance it, and the next platform gets this. The demos are already running.”
This playground banter carries a heavy dose of irony, given that the technology has officially caught the attention of the very engineers in Stuttgart. Despite Porsche development drivers previously lambasting fake EV shifting as a useless gimmick, the updated Taycan lineup now offers an optional “E-Shift” system. The system mimics a conventional internal combustion engine by introducing a virtual eight-speed gearbox, complete with simulated rev limits, paddle-operated torque interruptions, and synthesised sound.
Nonetheless, Hyundai has big plans for its EV lineup with the upcoming all-new platform, dubbed by Harrer as the ‘IMA’ architecture, which is set to be introduced into the carmaker’s lineup of EVs and their subsequent spicy N-branded variants in the future.
The Hyundai exec is still keeping mum on the details, but he revealed that the IMA architecture will be a “huge evolution” rather than a “revolution” over the current E-GMP architecture that forms the basis of the Ioniq 5 N and the Ioniq 6 N. The new platform will boast next-generation 800V technology to unlock faster charging speeds and significantly improved thermal management.
