News
Gallery8
UPDATE: Compelling new renders offer a fresh look at a Kona N Electric
We couldn't resist. With fresh new images of the new-generation 2023 Hyundai Kona now available, we tasked our imaginative mate Theottle to craft a couple more Kona N Electric concepts in the digital realm.
Alas, Hyundai has effectively confirmed there will be no second-generation Kona N. We already know all future N models will be electric, so that rules out a full-bottle Kona N in petrol form.
8
To make matters worse, depending on what you want from an N car, the brand's performance boss Albert Biermann has also confirmed that the new Kona Electric's affordability-focused 400V architecture makes it unsuitable for full N tuning.
Still, there's room for a Kona Electric N-Line, which I detailed in my original story below. Keep reading and tell us what you think!
I'm off to Berlin later this month for our first in-person look at the new Kona, so keep an eye out for that report, and a walkaround video, soon.
8
The story to here
December 2025: Following last week's big pre-Christmas unveiling of the new-gen 2024 Hyundai Kona, we quickly got to wondering: Will there be another N hero?
So far, Hyundai has shown the striking new Kona in its petrol, hybrid and Electric forms, with a sporting N Line variant revealed in a group shot.
Conspicuously absent was a hero Kona N, but since the current N model was a latecomer to the range, we shouldn't expect to see it form part of the second generation's launch line-up.
8
The real question, though, is whether we'll see a new Kona N at all, and whether it will draw power from a petrol or electric motor.
Speaking with media at the recent N Festival at The Bend, Hyundai's global 'Executive Technical Advisor' Albert Biermann said that while there won't be another petrol-powered i30 N hatch, the newer i30 Sedan N will yet ride into a new generation with a petrol engine.
We also know, however, that Hyundai's all-electric Ioniq 5 will soon introduce a powerful N flagship. A new Ioniq 6 N, based on the RN22e prototype, is expected to follow.
And, with important markets like Europe and, increasingly, the United States pushing brands further towards electrifying their line-ups, it's likely we'll see more performance-oriented EVs in the Hyundai line-up.
Indeed, if the company wants to maintain its momentum as a leader in electrification and as a new king in the performance market, merging the two divisions is bound to be an ongoing conversation at Namyang.
8
Our impression of how the new Ioniq 5 N is likely to look, and the spy photos (linked above) suggest we're spot-on!
And so we come to the idea of the Hyundai Kona Electric N.
Comfortably more powerful than any existing N model, an electric Kona N would potentially prove popular as a more affordable alternative to the Ioniq 5 N.
Of course, we could also see Hyundai take a middle ground, introducing a Kona Hybrid N or even a Kona Plug-in Hybrid N, depending on what it needs and wants to achieve in balancing emissions obligations against an affordable but capable performance model.
But, to address the Betteridge's law challenge in this story's headline...
I previously wrote that a new petrol Kona N won't happen, so an electric version sounds like an easy enough solution, right? Not once you dig into the technical realities of performance-focused EVs.
As Biermann told Drive at The Bend, the Ioniq 5 benefits from a big battery and, more importantly, an 800V electrical architecture that allows faster charging and higher constant outputs without frying the battery and drive system.
The Kona Electric, as a cheaper model, will continue with a more common 400V system and a smaller battery pack, somewhat precluding its performance potential.
8
The Cupra Born offers a single-motor 170kW/310Nm package – which, in an EV, is more warm than hot
Even the new Cupra Born, a sporting EV from a new sports-focused brand in the VGA stable, drives as more of a 'warm hatch' than any sort of performance hero (nor is Cupra marketing it as one).
For now, all the fastest and most performance-oriented EVs are larger cars that can be sold at a higher price point to cover the technology costs, and even some of those are still using a 400V system, such as the Polestar 3.
The Ioniq 5 N is likely to cost upwards of $100,000 (as with the now revealed Kia EV6 GT), but it's unlikely buyers would pay a great deal more for an electric Kona N when the current model is 'only' $50,000 – no matter how much faster a Kona Electric N might be.
The Kona Electric doesn't need an N model, as long as it offers something along the same N Lines...
None of this means the Kona Electric can't be bloody fast – Biermann is simply saying its architecture isn't up to what he expects from an electric N car. Which really must be some epic numbers when you consider what a 400V EV can achieve.
After all, even a sub-N Kona Electric N Line could conceivably boast dual-motor outputs big enough to compete with the 300kW/660Nm Polestar 2 Dual Motor and its 4.7-second 0-100km/h claim.
That's on a 400V system too, you know, and its $69,900 price wouldn't be an unreasonable target for a comparable Kona. It'd still sit comfortably below the Ioniq 5 N, which will likely have power and a price similar to the 430kW/740Nm EV6 GT – which claims a 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds.
Sounds like a happy Hyundai N family to me. Come on, Albert, let's do it.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
COMMENTS