2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 N and XRT mooted

The 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 9 looks set to dial up the excitement factor in a big way.

While the luxurious family SUV isn’t devoid of excitement per se, Hyundai executives have already confirmed there’s scope for adrenaline-pumping performance and mud-plugging versions of the new ion-frying EV.

Speaking to carsales at the IONIQ 9’s global reveal, newly appointed Hyundai design boss Simon Loasby illuded to both projects being entirely possible, if not already under way.

“We have two things going on alongside our normal cars: we have the N division, of course, and we have XRT,” he said.

“So with every car we do, we look at ‘is it possible?’.”

Loasby’s comments came in response to questions concerning the 2025 Kia EV9 GT, a high-performance relative of the IONIQ 9 due for release sometime next year.

“We never rule these things out,” he added when asked if an IONIQ 9 N was under consideration, refusing to pour cold water on another bananas electric N car.

Hyundai’s N division recently released its most hardcore product to date – the all-electric IONIQ 5 N – and is following it up with the IONIQ 6 N sedan.

Two e-motors feast on a specially-developed 84kWh battery pack with track-minded thermal management designed to withstand recurrent abuse, generating a combined 478kW/770Nm – enough launch the 2230kg crossover from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds.

Right now, the most powerful Hyundai IONIQ 9 is the twin-motor ‘Performance’ version, its 320kW/700Nm powertrain good for a claimed 5.2 second 0-100km/h run.

Hyundai’s rockstar N division may massage the IONIQ 5 N’s powertrain to create an even more potent system for the IONIQ 9 N, one that could even bloody the nose of the BMW iX M50, a $233,000 Teutonic proposition.

It’s entirely plausible the hypothetical IONIQ 9 N could even deliver a drift mode, which would be quite the spectacle for a 5.06-metre long seven-seat family SUV.

Upgraded suspension and brakes would be required to arbitrate the enhanced powertrain and a sportier design with road-hugging stance to tie it all together.

Earlier in the year, the Hyundai N division’s former chief-turned-executive technical advisor, Albert Biermann, said the skunkworks team would not be sitting idle in the EV space, despite setting a “very strong reference point with IONIQ 5 N”.

He added that the team was far from one and done and that “just being the same isn’t enough – you have to be better, even if it’s just one or two years later. You have to add more”.

In a completely different direction is the potential for a rock-crushing IONIQ 9 XRT fitted with all-terrain tyres and off-road suspension.

It’s admittedly a less-likely proposition than a go fast N car but clearly not out of the question according to Hyundai’s new design chief, or Kia for that matter which recently debuted an all-terrain EV9 concept.

Loasby said Hyundai sees its growing vehicle range like chess pieces, and all of them have a different role to play.

“You'll have a different move on the chessboard and that, for us, is like our customers – they are all very different,” he said.

“This gives us a refreshing differentiation in our portfolio, which is a huge portfolio worldwide.”

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