Hyundai has facelifted the Ioniq 6 and confirmed it’s getting an ‘N’ version

Hyundai’s having quite the week. After unveiling the wonderfully wacky Insteroid concept, it’s now facelifted the Ioniq 6 streamliner and confirmed a full-blown ‘N’ version is coming. It was only a matter of time, right? 

More on the N in a second; let’s begin with the facelift. The most noticeable change is to the lights, which retain the 'parametric pixel' design front and rear but they're now much thinner and the main headlights are hidden in the front bumper. Said bumper is heavily revised with a few extra air ducts and sharper styling cues than before.

The bonnet gains a bulge on either side, which helps the car look even more streamlined, and there’s plenty of black detailing along the lower sections. The rear end has also been tidied up and looks more coherent, with a simple extended ducktail spoiler. 

The red car above is the ‘N Line’ version, and its front bumper is slightly different to the standard grey car. It features diagonal sculpted vents like those found on the Ioniq 5 N, and the side sill is chunkier to give the whole car a lower stance. Dramatic diffuser round the back, too.

So, back to that 6 N. Look, you can actually see it in the background of that group shot up above! Peekaboo. Looks like it might get a wider bodykit and a whacking great spoiler. This is good news.

Hyundai’s keeping tight-lipped about the powertrain for now, but the 5 N gets a 641bhp twin-motor setup so don't be surprised to see that replicated here.

We wouldn't mind the ‘N Sound Plus’ technology from the RN22e concept too - that's essentially a 90dB speaker beneath the rear diffuser that pumps out a fake engine note a la Abarth 500e. We’re also expecting the manual ‘N e-Shift’ mode and paddles to make their way into the 6 N, given the 5 N already has both.

Hyundai has been equally quiet on under-the-skin changes to the standard Ioniq 6. On the pre-facelift car, you could have either a single-motor rear-drive setup (226bhp/258lb ft) or a twin-motor with all-wheel drive and 320bhp/446lb ft. Both were equipped with a 77.4kWh battery. We'll bring you more news on the updated version as we get it.

Hyundai has also taken this opportunity to freshen up the 6's cabin. There’s a new steering wheel and fancier materials. The climate control display has been enlarged to make it easier to use, and we're told that the centre console has been redesigned for 'improved functionality'. Proper physical buttons galore!

No word on when the new Ioniq 6 is coming to Europe just yet, but we do know that the N will be fully revealed in July this year. Excited?