- Hyundai has unveiled a extra track-focused model of the Ioniq 5 N.
- It options in depth modifications and was developed with enter from Keiichi Tsuchiya, who guarantees it is “unbelievable” to drive.
- To this point, 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, although 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 truly had a automobile named after him.
You’d assume that when that finally 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 truly 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 embrace 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 attention-grabbing selection in a car designed to interrupt the rear tires unfastened 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 along with components of the carbon physique package, which function the identical coloration. The hue was seemingly 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 concerning the Ioniq 5 N when he drove it round a monitor in 2024.
The automobile additionally sits decrease than the usual Ioniq 5 N because of new H&R springs, which drop the entrance and rear by 15 millimeters and make the automobile higher by way of the corners. Tsuchiya says these modifications make for an “unbelievable” drive, and understanding how good the common mannequin is in addition to the Drift King’s monitor report, we consider him.
There’s one slight downside, 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 may 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.
