Porsche “learnt a lot” from the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance EV, as it considers adding virtual sounds and gear changes to the electric 718.
Porsche has taken lessons from Hyundai in developing its 718 electric sports car, as it weighs adding virtual sounds and gear changes to emulate internal-combustion vehicles.
Frank Moser, the vice president of the Porsche 718 and 911 two-door model lines, said he has driven the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N “several times”, claiming it was an “eye-opening” vehicle for the brand.
“We learnt a lot from that [Ioniq 5 N]. I drove it several times. They made it really, really good,” Moser said in an interview with Australian media at the 2025 Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai, UAE.
The Ioniq 5 N also impressed Porsche’s head of GT vehicles, Andreas Preuninger, who leads high-performance, street-legal models such as the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS.
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“It was eye-opening,” Moser said. “I remember I drove it with Andy (Andreas) Preuninger, he’s my Mr GT [Project Manager, GT Vehicles].
“I said to him, ‘Come on, I’m going to pick you up in the Ioniq 5 N’. He said, ‘Leave me alone, I don’t want any of that electric stuff’.
“We entered the car and I pressed the button [N Grin Boost], and he was ‘Wow’. They did something which was impressive.”
The Ioniq 5 N delivers 478kW/770Nm combined in N Grin Boost mode, with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 258km/h.
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Its ‘N e-shift’ function replicates the shift speed of the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) in the i30 N, while ‘N Active Sound+’ allows drivers to choose between three synthesised driving sounds.
When asked if Porsche had taken learnings from the Ioniq 5 N’s virtual sounds and gear changes, Moser said “this is the way”, but stressed drivers should be able to turn it on or off.
“The customer could decide if he wants to drive in complete silent mode, or he wants to be part of the game, feeling the virtual sounds of a flat six and the virtual gear shifts.
“That would be the direction for the future.”
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Moser added Porsche is “always looking around at what other brands are doing,” which led to its evaluation of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
“That’s why we decided to have a deeper look at the car. That’s a nice car with that feature [virtual sounds and gear changes], and it was an eye-opener for us.”
The Ioniq 5 N also caught the attention of Lamborghini with CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirming to Drive earlier this year he has driven the car, but disagrees with adding “fake combustion [petrol] engine noises” to electric vehicles.
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“Personally – this is not something which has to be true for the future – I tend to disagree on having fake combustion [petrol] engine sounds on electric cars,” Winkelmann said.
The Porsche 718 two-door electric sports car is due “in the beginning of 2027” with a focus on weight reduction, however, Moser confirmed it is “a little bit heavier” than the current petrol-engined 718.
“We are working hard in order to keep the weight down. I cannot tell you the number now, but believe me, for an electric car, it is a really lightweight car.”
The post Porsche benchmarked ‘eye-opening’ Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance electric car appeared first on Drive.
