- Hyundai has unveiled a extra track-focused model of the Ioniq 5 N.
- It options intensive modifications and was developed with enter from Keiichi Tsuchiya, who guarantees it is “unimaginable” to drive.
- To date, this particular version has solely been confirmed for the Japanese and South Korean markets.
Keiichi Tsuchiya is a legendary Japanese race automobile driver and the person who introduced drifting into the mainstream. Nonetheless, though the Drift King’s profession stretches again many years, he’s a star not solely in his native Japan however around the globe, and he has collaborated with automakers, however he’s by no means really had a automobile named after him.
You’d suppose that when that ultimately occurred, it will be a Japanese automaker that honored him with a particular version mannequin. That’s not the case, although, as a result of the primary such particular version really comes from South Korea.
Hyundai has unveiled the Ioniq 5 N DK Version, the place DK stands for “Drift King.” It’s greater than only a advertising train, as a result of he took half within the mannequin’s growth, and the modifications it options embody his enter. The Ioniq 5 N DK Version doesn’t get any extra energy—not that it wanted it—however the modifications ought to make an already enjoyable and succesful EV even higher.
The very first thing you discover is the bespoke carbon fiber exterior package, which features a entrance splitter, aspect skirts, a rear diffuser and a considerable roof-mounted rear spoiler that produces over 200 kilos of downforce at 87 mph (140 km/h). It additionally options “DK Version” stickers on the C-pillars.
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Hyundai
Finishing the outside look are particular 21-inch cast wheels that even have wider tires than the common Ioniq 5 N, which is an fascinating alternative in a automobile designed to interrupt the rear tires free and maintain lengthy slides. The wheels save about 5 kilos of unsprung mass per nook and assist enhance dealing with.
The brakes have additionally been upgraded, and the entrance options beefy six-piston calipers. They’re painted inexperienced to go together with parts of the carbon physique package, which function the identical shade. The hue was probably chosen because it’s the colour of Tsuchiya’s iconic inexperienced racing go well with, and it’s a refreshing change from the pink that producers normally use to represent further efficiency.
This is what Tsuchiya thought in regards to the Ioniq 5 N when he drove it round a observe in 2024.
The automobile additionally sits decrease than the usual Ioniq 5 N due to new H&R springs, which drop the entrance and rear by 15 millimeters and make the automobile higher by means of the corners. Tsuchiya says these modifications make for an “unimaginable” drive, and understanding how good the common mannequin is in addition to the Drift King’s observe file, we consider him.
There’s one slight drawback, although. The Ioniq 5 N DK Version will solely be offered in South Korea and Japan, with no present plans to promote it elsewhere. You’ll be able to see it within the steel on the Tokyo Auto Salon beginning at the moment, and Hyundai launched the primary of a multi-part documentary to assist put it in context.
