Hyundai IONIQ 5 N TA Achieves New EV Lap Record at Attack Tsukuba 2025
The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N has redefined electric vehicle (EV) performance by recording the fastest lap time ever by an EV at the 'Attack Tsukuba 2025' motorsport event in Japan on 15 February.
The iconic Tsukuba Circuit in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, is celebrated for its compact and demanding layout. This track offers an ideal platform for participants to demonstrate their vehicles' capabilities. The Hyundai N team participated with the IONIQ 5 N TA (Time Attack) Spec, piloted by the esteemed Japanese professional driver Nobuteru Taniguchi.
"I am privileged to have driven the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N TA Spec at Attack Tsukuba 2025, where I significantly surpassed my previous EV record," stated Taniguchi. "The IONIQ 5 N TA Spec offers excellent stopping power and handling. Despite its formidable power, the control remains exceptional, with superb cornering and smooth, stable exits from corners. I could confidently push the car to its limits."
The IONIQ 5 N TA Spec, a motorsport version of the award-winning IONIQ 5 N, is familiar with success. It claimed victory at the 2024 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in the modified production electric SUV category, setting a new record.
This vehicle is engineered to highlight the strengths of the standard IONIQ 5 N without significant alterations. The IONIQ 5 N TA Spec maintains the standard model's high-performance power electronics (PE) system. The TA Spec’s maximum output has been enhanced through software tuning to 687 PS, with a 37 PS increase in the rear motor's power compared to the standard IONIQ 5 N.
Additional enhancements include N Active Sound+ with upgraded speakers (over 120 dB), new shock absorbers, motorsport-grade brakes, 18-inch Yokohama ADVAN 005 slick tyres, a high-downforce aerodynamic package, a Recaro Pro Racer SPA Hans seat, a Sabelt six-point Hans safety harness, a PPIHC-specification roll cage, and an EV fire suppression system.
With a lap time of 57.446 seconds, the IONIQ 5 N TA Spec is now the fastest EV to lap the Tsukuba Circuit. This achievement was nearly two seconds quicker than the closest EV competitor, despite the IONIQ 5 N TA Spec utilising mainly production components in key systems such as motors, batteries, and control electronics.
This triumph underscores Hyundai’s advanced EV technologies and bolsters Hyundai Mobility Japan’s presence in Japan’s nascent yet expanding EV market. Hyundai Mobility Japan recently introduced the INSTER sub-compact electric SUV to the Japanese market, broadening its EV lineup.
"Today's record is proof of Hyundai's dedication to advancing EV technologies and delivering top-notch performance," declared Joon Park, Head of N Management Group. "The IONIQ 5 N TA Spec's new record, primarily using production components, not only marks a significant milestone that affirms our technological expertise but also illustrates Hyundai N’s commitment to integrating high-performance EVs into global car culture through events like Attack Tsukuba."
Hyundai Mobility Japan also presented the newly unveiled IONIQ 5 N DK Edition, a show vehicle equipped with a special high-performance parts package. Hyundai N developed this package in collaboration with Autobacs Seven, a premier Japanese automotive parts and service company, and Keiichi Tsuchiya, the legendary Japanese race car driver known as ‘Drift King’, after whom the package is named.
Hyundai N plans to launch the DK Edition N Performance Parts package, enhancing the road and track performance of IONIQ 5 N owners.
