Hyundai Motor Company gave a preview of a future where its "N" performance brand EVs would be much more configurable at Tokyo Auto Salon 2024. The Korean carmaker debuted the IONIQ 5 N NPX1, a customized concept with many enhancements from N Performance Parts that would be offered to consumers in the future, during the event.
Although they are still relatively new, Hyundai Motor's N and N Line performance sub-brands have already started the process of electrifying, much like their parent firm, to provide Hyundai EVs like the IONIQ series track-friendly designs and component improvements.
After months of tease, the N brand's first all-electric model, the IONIQ 5 N, made its formal North American premiere in November 2023. The N version EV outperformed its conventional IONIQ 5 predecessor in a number of ways. These included 42 extra welding sites and 6.9 feet of additional structural adhesives, which strengthened the EV's motors and batteries while adding increased stiffness.
New features like N Launch Control and N Active Sound+, which can produce fighter jet noises while you're performing a hot lap, were also unveiled on the track EV. Hyundai's N brand, which is already well-known for performance, is launching a new range of parts to improve drivers' tuning experiences—a segment of the automotive industry that hasn't fully transitioned to electric vehicles just yet.
Hyundai utilized some of these new performance components to create the IONIQ 5 N NPX1, a concept car that may be viewed below.
Hyundai to launch performance EV parts for N brand
N Performance Parts had been creating and selling tuning enhancements and is now transitioning to electric vehicles, just like Hyundai's N and N Line performance brands have been creating track-ready versions of its combustion cars for years.
Hyundai introduced a prototype N Performance Parts line today in Tokyo, based on the unique IONIQ 5 N idea that can be seen above, marking the start of that process. The carbon front splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser, rear wing spoiler, lightweight hybrid carbon wheels, high-performance brake pads, and lowering springs are all part of the all-electric NPX1 concept.
Hyundai N has added racing bucket seats and Alcantara upholstery to the EV's cockpit (not seen). Vice president of the N brand management group Joon Park addressed the latest generation of Hyundai performance parts:
As evidenced by the "NPX1" concept car, Hyundai Motor Company will advance as a pioneer in new tuning components appropriate for the high-performance EV age in 2024. Not content to stop at tuning components, we are also working on software customization, such sound and vehicle calibration through over-the-air updates. This will allow us to open up a whole new realm of EV customization and bode well for the tuning community in the future.
As it gears up for public sales later this year, Hyundai says it will keep refining the prototype N Performance Parts shown on and inside the NPX1 concept today. Those parts will soon be extended to all N-brand vehicles, but for now, they are only accessible for IONIQ 5 N tuning.
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