Hyundai tries to keep car culture alive with its two performance-oriented concepts for electric vehicles (EV), it calls ‘rolling labs’. The RN22e has a modified Ioniq 6 body, and the N Vision 74 is modeled after the never-released 1974 Pony Coupe concept — but both have a refreshingly sporty design that doesn’t look like some sort of futuristic pod (or, well… this thing).

The two concepts come from Hyundai’s “N” sub-brand, which focuses on high-performance vehicles. The more striking of the two, the N Vision 74 features a design that takes elements of the 2025 Hyundai N Vision Gran Turismo and the 1974 Pony Coupé concept originally designed by the iconic Giorgetto Giugiaro – the same man who later created the DMC DeLorean.

But this iteration swaps the gas-powered engine for a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell system that can push the car over 250 kph (155 mph). There’s also the 62.4 kWh battery with 800V fast charging capabilities, as well as a driving range of over 372 miles.

However, this isn’t Hyundai’s first attempt at making an EV modeled after the pony. In 2019, Hyundai showed off a 45 EV concept that should pay tribute to the classic car (but doesn’t really do it justice in my opinion). Hyundai later converted a 1970s pony hatchback into an EV and equipped with a lot of cool retro-meets-modern elements.

The RN22e isn’t as flashy as the N Vision 74, but it’s still pretty slim. It uses the same aerodynamic streamline design as the Ioniq 6 the company introduced last week, allowing for more efficient performance. According to Hyundai, the RN22e has a 77.4 kWh battery with a fast multi-charge capability of 400 or 800 V and a maximum speed of more than 250 km/h. And if you want to enjoy what Hyundai describes as an ’emotional driving experience’, you can take advantage of the RN22e’s N Sound Plus feature, which generates spurious engine noises as you drive.

Hyundai has recently launched some impressive concept cars, such as this tough EV restomod. We don’t know if any of these concepts will ever make it through the factory door, but anyway we know Hyundai N will release its first EV, the Ioniq 5 N, in 2023.