Not only will rumors of the Hyundai N Vision 74 concept not die, Hyundai is now officially a reason they persist. During the Hyundai Group's recent CEO Investor Day focused on plans to double the company's hybrid lineup, one presentation included the slide above, labeled, "EV Full Lineup: Provide customers with a wide range of options from mass-market to luxury/high-performance models." Under a subheading of "Launch 21 models by 2030, the examples shown included four models from two of the group's three brands. Two of the models are already out: The electric Hyundai Inster sold in markets like Europe and Australia, and the Ioniq N. Two others are imminent, the Ioniq 9 SUV and Genesis GV60 Magma. But one model in the high-performance EV category isn't shown — but is named: The Hyundai N (vision 74).
Hyundai showed the concept in July 2022 on its performance-focused N-Day, along with an Ioniq 6 N rolling laboratory called the RN22e. The N74 shared the same basic shape of the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, its mien modernized and sharpened for the 21st century. Blistered fenders could have come off an old IMSA racer, pixel lights, and Turbofan wheels gave it a look that 1980s sci-fi wanted, but didn't have the technology at the time, to be. Propulsion came from two electric motors on the rear axle, total output north of 670 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. Energy came from a 62.4-kWh battery pack and a 4.2-kg hydrogen fuel tank tied to an 85-kW fuel-cell stack. Hyundai estimated range at more than 373 miles.
After the first round of rumors about production kicked off in May 2023, we gave our opinion: "Pony up, Hyundai. Build the N Vision 74 concept." Hyundai denied the reports and said the N will not be a production car. The rumors continued to the end of the year, took a little break, then continued in May of this year. By that time, the street-legal version was expected to arrive in 2026, come with the concept's dual-electric powertrain, put out more than 775 hp, be limited to roughly 100 or 200 units, a portion to be campaigned in a race series in the U.S. and Europe, and cost around $374,000 apiece at today's exchange rates.
All we know about how close the company's actual plans for the car fit the rumors are on the above slide. We'd think it a shame if Hyundai really made a couple hundred of them that would sit in collector garages or Bonhams auction catalogs. However, if Hyundai sold a high-dollar technology showcase that turned into a pure battery-electric version at a welcoming price, we wouldn't complain. Or, since the concept was reportedly built on a modified Kia Stinger platform, we know a performance hybrid contradicts the title of the slide, but we wouldn't complain about that, either.
