Hyundai Ioniq 3 & Ioniq 3 N imagined: Small + quick = EV perfection!

Now that he's done building out the Ioniq 5 range with the rapid 5 N flagship, Hyundai's semi-retired 'consultant' Albert Biermann has set his sights on a smaller and more affordable-ish electric N hero.

An Ioniq 3 N, perhaps?

The company has already confirmed it won't do another Kona N: not in petrol form, because all future N cars will be electric – but not in electric form either, because those future N EVs will be exclusively 800V, and the new Kona Electric uses a 400V architecture.

Never fear, though – something's coming. Speaking with media in November, 'executive technical advisor' Biermann described a sub-5 N hero EV as a critical product to serve Hyundai's newly rabid performance fans.

“That small N-car EV – that is something we have to do,” Biermann told the UK's Auto Express. [↗] “Otherwise, we leave our customers in the dark. We have to come down with something smaller and more affordable.”

The trick, of course, will be cost. Speaking to N owners at last week's Hyundai N Festival in Australia, Biermann reiterated earlier comments that a 400V system is not appropriate for a fulfilling track experience, because the vehicle will not run long enough and will take even longer to charger.

Giving fans a lesson in electrical engineering, Biermann said that 400V "doubles the current, causing four times the heat dissipation. This is bad for efficiency," he said.

The advantage to 800V, Biermann claims, is that – in the Ioniq 5 N, at least – you can have a good track session, go charge for 20 minutes, and then get back out there.

Adding some important context, Biermann added that during testing, the 5 N completed a sub-8-minute lap of the 20.832km Nurburgring Nordschleife with its i30 N-inspired fake noise blaring in the cabin, charged for 20 minutes, and then did it again.

So, that effectively seals it: whatever compact Ioniq model is on the cards, Biermann's plan for an N model means an 800V architecture is a sure thing.

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That leaves a few questions, of course. It'll surely have to be more expensive than the 400V Kona Electric (which still has no Australian price at the time of publishing), but the big Ioniq 5 now starts from $65,000... so just where this smaller new Ioniq will fit in the line-up's pricing is unclear.

Still, pricing is Hyundai's problem. We're just here to imagine how that new model might look!

Imagining the new entry model as an Ioniq 3, we tasked our mate Theottle with stitching together the styling themes from the Ioniq 5 and the new Kona – which Hyundai says was styled as an EV 'first and foremost'.

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2025 Hyundai Ioniq 3, rendered for Wheels by Theottle | © Wheels Media

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2025 Hyundai Ioniq 3, rendered for Wheels by Theottle | © Wheels Media

One Hyundai insider has told us our imagined Ioniq 3 looks 'kind of freaky, very shark-like'. We're taking it as a compliment.

And of course, we've given it more of a hatch look – because, even though it'll likely be a small SUV (like the Kia EV3) rather than a conventional hatch, we just couldn't resist hoping for the best.

What do you think of the look? Tell us in the comments below!