Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Goes On Sale in Australia – Malaysia Next?

The manic Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has made its debut in Australia at AUD 111,000. Is Malaysia next on the list?

Australia has been selected as the next right-hand drive (RHD) market after the UK to officially get the manic Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance EV hatch. Besides its boosted powertrain setup, the Aussie-bound Ioniq 5 N also gains several tweaks on its suspension setup to make this EV hatch more fitted with the road conditions in Land Down Under.

Similar to other international markets, the Aussie-spec Ioniq 5 N gets a dual-motor AWD setup capable of delivering up to 641 HP and 770 NM

Starting off with the usual bits, the Aussie-spec Ioniq 5 N gets the same dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain setup as we saw on other markets, capable of developing 601 HP (448 kW) and 740 NM in normal mode and 641 HP (478 kW) and 770 NM in N Grin Boost mode. In the latter driving mode, this EV hot-hatch can accelerate from nought to 100 KM/H in just 3.4 seconds, en route to its V-Max of 260 KM/H.

Energy is derived from an 84-kWh battery pack that grants the Ioniq 5 N with a decent 448 KM of WLTP range, which is not far off from the WLTP figure provided by the standard Ioniq 5, which boasts a smaller 77.4-kWh battery pack.

Special for the Aussie market, the Ioniq 5 N’s Electronically Controlled Suspension setup has been tuned specifically to cater to the Land Down Under’s roads, featuring over three damper modes. However, the bespoke tuning only applies for the Normal and Sport modes, as Hyundai Australia said, the N Mode for the Aussie-spec Ioniq 5 N is still the same with other international markets.

Elsewhere, the Aussie-bound Ioniq 5 N also gets all the trick N parts and features, including the N Active Sound+, N e-shift mode that stimulates an 8-speed manual transmission, N Launch Control, N Torque Distribution, N Drift Optimiser that allows the EV hatch to power slide easier, and many more.

Except for the RHD driving position, nothing much has changed as we get inside the Aussie-spec Ioniq 5 N’s cabin. Key N-specific parts present here include its sporty steering wheel with multiple controls and buttons, N Light sport front seats, illuminated N badges, N-specific graphics on its infotainment system and driver’s display, and more.

As expected in any Hyundai EV, tech amenities are abundant in the Ioniq 5 N. Here, you’ll find modern equipment like Hyundai’s latest ccNC infotainment system that supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, multi-zone A/C control, a cabin ambient lighting system, and a new Highway Driving Assist 2 semi-autonomous driving system.

As expected, the manic Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is more expensive than its bare-boned twin in the Aussie market

Tagged at AUD 111,000 (RM347,381) inclusive of on-road costs, the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 N costs AUD 27,000 (RM84,498) more than the standard, top-spec Ioniq 5 Extended Range AWD model on sale here in Australia. Notably, this N-badged EV hatch also costs more than its Kia-badged twin, the Kia EV6 GT, which currently retails at AUD 99,590 (RM311,708).

With the new Ioniq 5 N already debuted in key RHD markets like the UK and Australia, it begs the question whether this souped-up EV hot-hatch will ever make its landfall into the Malaysian market.

As for now, local Hyundai brand custodian Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has yet to reveal any plans to bring the Ioniq 5 N here, with the current top-spec Ioniq 5 on sale here being the Max AWD model, which retails at RM270,408 on-the-road.