Hyundai N74 to become world’s first hydrogen supercar in 2026

The stunning Hyundai N 74 Vision concept revealed in July 2022 will enter limited production in 2026, according to two well-placed Korean sources.

Of course, we’ve heard that before – in December 2023 when ET News reported that just 100 examples of the retro-styled N74, inspired by the 1974 Pony Coupe, will be produced in 2026.

This week, however, two respected Korean news outlets have reported that Hyundai will manufacture at 200 units of the radical concept car over two years from mid-2026, citing inside sources.

“We were notified that the group plans to start mass production of the N74 in June 2026 with a schedule to manufacture only 100 units annually for two years,” an official at a Hyundai supplier was quoted as saying by The Korea Economic Daily on Monday this week.

In a separate ‘exclusive’ report published the same day, Korean website Hankyung said the Hyundai Motor Group on Monday approved production of the vehicle now officially codenamed N74, which will become the world’s first hydrogen-powered supercar – and the Korean car-maker’s first supercar – in 2026.

Hankyung said specifications for various components to be used in the vehicle have been sent to the first supplier, and that production of the first trial vehicle, or ‘T car’, will be completed in August for performance verification.

This information tallies with what Hyundai insiders have told us previously about the N74, and follows the trademarking of the ‘Hyundai N74’ nameplate in various markets including Australia in September 2023.

While a range of other car-makers have now ruled out hydrogen power for applications other than heavy vehicles in the near future due to the lack of refuelling infrastructure, a number of them continue to develop hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology for cars such as the Hyundai NEXO and Toyota Mirai. Toyota is also working on internal-combustion hydrogen cars.

But the Hyundai Motor Group – the world’s third biggest car-maker – will put a unique twist on hydrogen power with the N74, which will combine both battery-electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel-cell electric (FCEV) technology.

In the N74 concept, drive was provided exclusively to the rear wheels by a pair of axle-mounted e-motors drawing current from a 62.4kWh lithium-ion battery in low-speed and urban applications, while the fuel-cell stack – fed by a small hydrogen fuel tank – kicks in at higher speeds.

The production-spec N Vision 74 will reportedly develop more than 775hp (578kW) instead of the concept’s 500kW, and we also expect a torque increase over the show car’s 900Nm.

Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration for the concept was a supercar-baiting 3.0 seconds flat – making the N74 even quicker than the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N (3.4sec) and a genuine rival for fast EVs like the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, Tesla Model S Plaid and most other electric hypercars this side of a Rimac Nevera.

The N74 concept was based on a modified version of the Kia Stinger’s rear-drive platform and was said to offer a combined driving range of more than 600km.

The bad news is Korean media outlets are forecasting the limited-edition, gullwinged N74 coupe to cost about 500 million won ($A553,000).

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