Porsche could be inspired by an unlikely rival in the electric sports car segment. A Porsche executive who test-drove Hyundai’s performance electric car, the IONIQ 5 N, described the experience as “eye-opening” and hinted that they might introduce some fun features to their own models.

Hyundai IONIQ 5 N Was “Eye-Opening,” Some Fun Features Could Be Stealable!

Porsche’s Vice President of the 911 and 718 model lines, Frank Moser, described the IONIQ 5 N as “eye-opening” after testing it several times. “We learned a lot from it,” Moser told Australian reporters (via The Drive) during the Icons of Porsche festival in Dubai. “I’ve driven it a few times. They’ve done really, really well,” Moser told Australian reporters (via The Drive).

Hyundai’s electric sports car has also impressed Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche’s GT series, which oversees race-legal cars like the 911 GT3. “I remember driving with Andy Preuninger, he’s my GT dude. It was an eye-opener,” Moser said.

What particularly impressed Porsche executives were additional features like N Grin Boost, which unlocks the car’s full power for 10 seconds. “We got in the car and I pushed the [N Grin Boost] button, and he said, ‘Wow.’ They’ve done something impressive,” Moser told reporters.

With N Grin Boost activated, the IONIQ 5 N delivers 641 horsepower (478 kW) and 740 lb-ft of torque (770 Nm with NGB), accelerating from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in approximately 3.4 seconds (3.25 seconds in the US). The N Grin power boost is just one of the many entertaining features offered by Hyundai’s electric sports car. Other features like N e-Shift and N Active Sound+ mimic the jolting sensation and sounds of a high-performance internal combustion engine.

Moser said that virtual sounds and gearshifts like those in the IONIQ 5 are “the way of the future,” but insisted that drivers should be able to turn them off. “The customer should be able to decide whether they want to drive in completely silent mode, or whether they want to be part of the game and feel the sound of a virtual straight-six engine and virtual gear changes,” Moser told the media. “This should be the direction for the future.”

Following the launch of the electric Cayenne last week, Porsche is expected to introduce the 718 Boxster and Cayman EVs next year, as model year 2027.