Has JDM car culture lost its grip on the Drift King? Japanese racing icon Keiichi Tsuchiya has seemingly shifted alliances in a new collaboration with Hyundai N. Announced at this week’s Tokyo Auto Salon, the Ioniq 5 N DK Edition is an uncompromising performance hot hatch tuned by the slideways master himself.
“The Ioniq 5 N is an exceptionally well-built vehicle,” Tsuchiya says in a splashy multi-part docuseries about the vehicle’s development. “With each drive, it offered a sense of wonder and excitement… What would it be like to customize the ultimate high-performance EV to match my driving energy?”
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 entered the market in 2022 to rave reviews. But it wasn’t really targeting those into performance EVs. Then, it was handed over to Hyundai N, the company’s performance division, and the Ioniq 5 evolved into an electric hot hatch even an enthusiast could love. From Pikes Peak to the Nürburgring, the Ioniq 5 N proved it was more than a racer-wannabe. As for the connection with Tsuchiya, that’s actually not new.
The drifting icon teamed up with Hyundai at the 2023 World Time Attack Challenge, but that was merely to do demo laps in an Ioniq 5 N. This time around, Tsuchiya, who consulted on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (and had a not-so-subtle character nod in villain “DK” as well as a cameo appearance), tuned an Ioniq 5 N to his personal specs. Should the partnership be a surprise, especially considering Tsuchiya’s racing career with Japanese brands? Honestly, no.
Yes, the Drift King is a legend for his unique driving ability, which was ultimately responsible for popularizing drifting. But Tsuchiya wasn’t necessarily a follow-the-crowd kind of guy when you consider that drifting itself was infinitely so different from other racing that it became its own series. So, why wouldn’t a non-traditional pro driver partner with a brand that is different but passionate about building from-the-ground-up, original performance cars?
There are existing sports car partnerships, sure, but the products we’re getting are collabs that are a result of shared costs and resources. Toyota and BMW have the Supra-Z4 siblings. Toyota joined Subaru on the less potent but still fun GR86-BRZ small coupes. Who knows what the Honda-Nissan marriage might produce? Hopefully, something interesting like the Z-Leaf mashup. Get weird, guys! And Mazda, well, it’s keeping close, maybe waiting for another “wyd” text from Toyota.
The Ioniq 5 N DK Edition is a different beast made for different appetites. To say that any of its N vehicles aren’t fun, fast thrill rides is to say you haven’t driven one. This special edition Ioniq 5 N is no different, being an in-house developed, character-driven sports EV ready to take on tracks and togues worldwide.
“This is exactly the driving feel I want on these mountain roads,” Tsuchiya says in Part 2: The Winding. And who will argue with the alleged inspiration of Initial D hero Takumi? Too bad that, for now, the specially-crafted, carbon fiber-heavy DK Edition will only be available in Japan and South Korea starting this year.
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