Hyundai Reportedly Building N Vision 74

by Matt Posky

Published: December 19th, 2023

Reports from South Korea are claiming that Hyundai will build a limited number of the N Vision 74, pegging the production figure at just 100 units. This comes after the company filed a trademark for the “N74” moniker, Till Wartenberg (vice president Hyundai’s N performance division) expressed interest in seeing the concept become a production model, and sustained rumors that the automaker was on the cusp of approving the model.

When the N Vision 74 debuted, just about every automotive writer soiled themselves with excitement. For a long time, invigorating automotive designs intentionally hearkened back to an era catered heavily toward older generations. Now, we’re starting to see vehicles modeled inspired by cars that were made after the invention of the personal computer.

Hyundai claims that the 74 was inspired by the brand’s 1974 Pony Coupe concept designed by Goigetto Giugiaro (above). While the resulting production vehicle failed to embrace the best elements of Giugiaro’s creation, the N Vision 74 absolutely does. But the vehicle also seems to borrow from the DMC DeLorean, Group B Rally Cars, and a smattering of other vehicles from the 1980s that many of us coveted in our younger years.

According to South Korea’s ETNews, formerly the Electronic Times, Hyundai plans on building 100 vehicles based upon the hydrogen-electric hybrid concept. The outlet said 30 of those were to be reserved for racing applications, with the remaining 70 to be sold to the public. Though, with such a limited production run, “the public” will probably be heavily vetted by Hyundai before they’re allowed to take ownership. The company reportedly sees the model as a supercar and intends on treating it as if that’s the case.

However, if the numbers being suggested are to be believed, it should offer supercar levels of performance while the hydrogen-electric powertrain will make it even less practical than one. When Hyundai showed off its N74 test mule to journalists, the vehicle was said to have a pair of 335-horsepower electric motors driving the rear axle. The production version is alleged to boast 800 hp in total.

Since we don’t speak Korean, some aspects of the report are likely to be lost in translation. But the outlet claims production is being targeted to begin in the first half of 2026. It’s also very bullish on Hyundai being serious about building it, despite the manufacturer staying quiet on making any formal commitments. Still, the company continues to hype the N Vision 74 and has a dedicated test mule. The vehicle serves some purpose for Hyundai that goes beyond showing off what the design team is capable of.

That said, putting a vehicle like this into production would be a pretty wild move or the brand to make. Hyundai has long been synonymous with affordable, high-volume vehicles and the N74 certainly won’t be either of those things.

But Hyundai has also been trying to broaden its image. Launching the Genesis brand proved it could build a competent luxury vehicle, the IONIQ nameplate got it into the world of EVs, and the N performance brand showed the world that the company could produce truly exciting vehicles. It’s also undeniable that Kia and Hyundai designs have gotten quite good in recent years. Leadership knows this, as it was part of the automaker’s master plan to enhance its credibility after achieving enviable production volumes.

The next step may be building a supercar. Honda did it with the NSX. Though Hyundai’s present trajectory is giving off more peak-Mitsubishi vibes — back when the Yamauchi Diamond Crest was known for putting out affordable automobiles that could absolutely rip, rather than forgettable crossovers for people who just need basic transportation.

We’ll have to see if Hyundai actually comes through with the production N74. While it feels too impractical for the brand to move on, it has already dumped a lot of time and energy into the project. The company is also trying to boost its reputation and building an ultra-rare performance vehicle based on a captivating concept would certainly do that.

[Images: Hyundai Motor Group]

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Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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3 of 33 comments

Undead Zed on Dec 20, 2023

This is a cool limited-production model so I doubt they'll have trouble selling the 70, but I would love to see them do a follow-up full production BEV based on this design. They've already proved they can make it fun with the Ioniq 5 N, just put that in a smaller, sleeker 2 door package.

1 Reply
ToolGuy on Dec 20, 2023

Take a lesson from Analog: Know why you are here; know why you are posting. (He doesn't lol)

Like Reply
- Analoggrotto on Dec 21, 2023
  
  Is that the best you can do?
  
  Like

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Bouzouki Cadillac (aka GM!!) made so many mistakes over the past 40 years, right up to today, one could make a MBA course of it. Others have alluded to them, there is not enough room for me to recite them in a flowing, cohesive manner.Cadillac today is literally a tarted-up Chevrolet. They are nice cars, and the "aura" of the Cadillac name still works on several (mostly female) consumers who are not car enthusiasts.The CT4 and CT5 offer superlative ride and handling, and even performance--but, it is wrapped in sheet metal that (at least I think) looks awful, with (still) sub-par interiors. They are niche cars. They are the last gasp of the Alpha platform--which I have been told by people close to it, was meant to be a Pontiac "BMW 3-series". The bankruptcy killed Pontiac, but the Alpha had been mostly engineered, so it was "Cadillac-ized" with the new "edgy" CTS styling.Most Cadillacs sold are crossovers. The most profitable "Cadillac" is the Escalade (note that GM never jack up the name on THAT!).The question posed here is rather irrelevant. NO ONE has "a blank check", because GM (any company or corporation) does not have bottomless resources.Better styling, and superlative "performance" (by that, I mean being among the best in noise, harshness, handling, performance, reliablity, quality) would cost a lot of money.Post-bankruptcy GM actually tried. No one here mentioned GM's effort to do just that: the "Omega" platform, aka CT6.The (horribly misnamed) CT6 was actually a credible Mercedes/Lexus competitor. I'm sure it cost GM a fortune to develop (the platform was unique, not shared with any other car. The top-of-the-line ORIGINAL Blackwing V8 was also unique, expensive, and ultimately...very few were sold. All of this is a LOT of money).I used to know the sales numbers, and my sense was the CT6 sold about HALF the units GM projected. More importantly, it sold about half to two thirds the volume of the S-Class (which cost a lot more in 201x)Many of your fixed cost are predicated on volume. One way to improve your business case (if the right people want to get the Green Light) is to inflate your projected volumes. This lowers the unit cost for seats, mufflers, control arms, etc, and makes the vehicle more profitable--on paper.Suppliers tool up to make the number of parts the carmaker projects. However, if the volume is less than expected, the automaker has to make up the difference.So, unfortunately, not only was the CT6 an expensive car to build, but Cadillac's weak "brand equity" limited how much GM could charge (and these were still pricey cars in 2016-18, a "base" car was ).Other than the name, the "Omega" could have marked the starting point for Cadillac to once again be the standard of the world. Other than the awful name (Fleetwood, Elegante, Paramount, even ParAMOUR would be better), and offering the basest car with a FOUR cylinder turbo on the base car (incredibly moronic!), it was very good car and a CREDIBLE Mercedes S-Class/Lexus LS400 alternative. While I cannot know if the novel aluminum body was worth the cost (very expensive and complex to build), the bragging rights were legit--a LARGE car that was lighter, but had good body rigidity. No surprise, the interior was not the best, but the gap with the big boys was as close as GM has done in the luxury sphere.Mary Barra decided that profits today and tomorrow were more important than gambling on profits in 2025 and later. Having sunk a TON of money, and even done a mid-cycle enhancement, complete with the new Blackwing engine (which copied BMW with the twin turbos nestled in the "V"!), in fall 2018 GM announced it was discontinuing the car, and closing the assembly plant it was built in. (And so you know, building different platforms on the same line is very challenging and considerably less efficient in terms of capital and labor costs than the same platform, or better yet, the same model).So now, GM is anticipating that, as the car market "goes electric" (if you can call it that--more like the Federal Government and EU and even China PUSHING electric cars), they can make electric Cadillacs that are "prestige". The Cadillac Celestique is the opening salvo--$340,000. We will see how it works out.
Lynn Joiner Lynn JoinerJust put 2,000 miles on a Chevy Malibu rental from Budget, touring around AZ, UT, CO for a month. Ran fine, no problems at all, little 1.7L 4-cylinder just sipped fuel, and the trunk held our large suitcases easily. Yeah, I hated looking up at all the huge FWD trucks blowing by, but the Malibu easily kept up on the 80 mph Interstate in Utah. I expect a new one would be about a third the cost of the big guys. It won't tow your horse trailer, but it'll get you to the store. Why kill it?
Lynn Joiner Just put 2,000 miles on a Chevy Malibu rental from Budget, touring around AZ, UT, CO for a month. Ran fine, no problems at all, little 1.7L 4-cylinder just sipped fuel, and the trunk held our large suitcases easily. Yeah, I hated looking up at all the huge FWD trucks blowing by, but the Malibu easily kept up on the 80 mph Interstate in Utah. I expect a new one would be about a third the cost of the big guys. It won't tow your horse trailer, but it'll get you to the store. Why kill it?