- Hyundai has unveiled a more track-focused version of the Ioniq 5 N.
- It features extensive modifications and was developed with input from Keiichi Tsuchiya, who promises it’s “incredible” to drive.
- So far, this special edition has only been confirmed for the Japanese and South Korean markets.
Keiichi Tsuchiya is a legendary Japanese race car driver and the man who brought drifting into the mainstream. However, even though the Drift King’s career stretches back decades, he is a star not only in his native Japan but around the world, and he has collaborated with automakers, but he’s never actually had a car named after him.
You would think that when that eventually happened, it would be a Japanese automaker that honored him with a special edition model. That’s not the case, though, because the first such special edition actually comes from South Korea.
Hyundai has unveiled the Ioniq 5 N DK Edition, where DK stands for “Drift King.” It’s more than just a marketing exercise, because he took part in the model’s development, and the modifications it features include his input. The Ioniq 5 N DK Edition doesn’t get any more power—not that it needed it—but the modifications should make an already fun and capable EV even better.
The first thing you notice is the bespoke carbon fiber exterior kit, which includes a front splitter, side skirts, a rear diffuser and a substantial roof-mounted rear spoiler that produces over 200 pounds of downforce at 87 mph (140 km/h). It also features “DK Edition” stickers on the C-pillars.
4
Hyundai
Completing the exterior look are special 21-inch forged wheels that also have wider tires than the regular Ioniq 5 N, which is an interesting choice in a vehicle designed to break the rear tires loose and hold long slides. The wheels save about five pounds of unsprung mass per corner and help improve handling.
The brakes have also been upgraded, and the front features beefy six-piston calipers. They are painted green to go with elements of the carbon body kit, which feature the same color. The hue was likely chosen since it’s the color of Tsuchiya’s iconic green racing suit, and it’s a refreshing change from the red that manufacturers usually use to symbolize extra performance.
Here’s what Tsuchiya thought about the Ioniq 5 N when he drove it around a track in 2024.
The car also sits lower than the standard Ioniq 5 N thanks to new H&R springs, which drop the front and rear by 15 millimeters and make the car better through the corners. Tsuchiya says these changes make for an “incredible” drive, and knowing how good the regular model is as well as the Drift King’s track record, we believe him.
There is one slight problem, though. The Ioniq 5 N DK Edition will only be sold in South Korea and Japan, with no current plans to sell it elsewhere. You can see it in the metal at the Tokyo Auto Salon starting today, and Hyundai released the first of a multi-part documentary to help put it in context.
