That means Hyundai Ioniq 6 N will arrive in Australia sooner than expected, but in contrast its tamer electric sedan counterparts have been delayed.
“The 6N will be available in the first half of next year and we are still working on our plan for the rest of the 6 Series,” a Hyundai Australia spokesman said at the launch of the new Palisade large SUV.
Previously, the new Ioniq 6 N was expected to go on sale here in the second half of 2026, while the core Ioniq 6 range is expected to launch in a revised form in the second half of this year.
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
It looks like Hyundai is currently assessing what the updated Ioniq 6 range will look like in Australia.
It’s no secret that the sleek, battery-powered sedan – or “streamliner” in Hyundai parlance – hasn’t been a big seller locally, which isn’t entirely surprising given the general market trend away from sedans.
Hyundai Australia is still trying to shift its electric vehicle (EV) inventory for the 2023 model year (MY23), announcing less than a month ago that it was offering rebates of between $27,564 and $34,142 for metal haulage.
The Korean brand offered the Ioniq 6 before the facelift locally in Dynamiq, Techniq and Epiq trim levels. The facelifted sedan will be offered in sporty-looking N Line trim for the first time, although Hyundai Australia has not yet confirmed which variants will be offered here beyond the N.
The redesigned Ioniq 6 features a slimmer front-end design as well as rear and interior improvements via a redesigned steering wheel and center console, as well as a larger climate control display.
It is also available with a new, larger 84kWh battery, replacing the old 77.4kWh unit. This larger package is the only one offered in the new N flagship.
The electric sports sedan produces 448 kW (478 kW in N Grin Boost mode) and 770 Nm of torque and is said to complete the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds.
The redesigned suspension geometry is intended to result in a lower center of gravity and is intended to provide greater stability at high speeds and mechanical cornering grip with adaptive dampers fitted as standard.
Also standard are 20-inch alloy wheels with 275/35 Pirelli tires, which Hyundai says were developed specifically for the Ioniq 6 N, as well as upgraded brakes with four-piston calipers and 400mm discs at the front and single-piston/360mm units at the rear.
As of the end of September, Hyundai has delivered just 93 Ioniq 6 sedans this year, 71.8 percent fewer than the same period last year.
Not only does this put it well behind the related Ioniq 5 (535 deliveries), which is based on the same platform, but it has more of a crossover shape that has greater appeal for Australian buyers. In addition, the Ioniq 6 is overtaken by competitors such as the BYD Seal (2955 sales, down 44.3 percent since the beginning of the year) and the Tesla Model 3 (5416, down 61.5 percent).
It could be more than just the sedan’s body style that’s responsible for the Ioniq 6’s slow sales.
“I was so impressed that we made it look like it was always meant to be that way, and now I think, ‘Why did we do it that way before?'” Simon Loasby, senior vice president and head of Hyundai Design Center, told Australian media at the unveiling of the updated Ioniq 6 in April.
“Over time you can always find something to refine and optimize… When you take away elements you often get more, and that’s exactly what happened here.
“It’s more of an acknowledgment that we’ve had more time to just keep going and improving. It looks lower, wider and cleaner.”
MORE: The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 6 N is Korea’s first track-ready electric sports sedan
MORE: Hyundai admits its polarizing electric vehicle now looks the way it should
MORE: Explore the Hyundai Ioniq 6 showroom
