Both the DK-tuned Ioniq 5 N and the new Inster, priced at CDN$26,000, made their debuts at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon
- Hyundai’s new DK Edition take on the Ioniq 5 N promises even more slide-y fun
- Plus: the brand is expanding availability of its affordable Inster EV to Japan
- Don’t look for either car in North American showrooms—at least not yet
We’ll start with the latter, along with the information that DK was not just a character invented for the third Fast & Furious instalment. The name refers to, in fact, Keiichi Tsuchiya, a professional driver who’s been on this planet for nearly seven decades, spending much of that time sliding sideways in a car. In addition to a storied racing career, he served as a stunt driver and consultant in film, not to mention he’s literally the person on whom Initial D is based.
The special trim was fettled in collaboration with Tsuchiya-san and is, as yet, reserved for sale solely in Korea and Japan. How much cheddar the DK trim might add to the N’s sticker price – which is already about $80,000 here in Canada – is unknown.
On the other end of the spectrum, Hyundai also showed off the Inster, a small EV which, for reference, is bigger than a Fiat 500e, but not by much. The model is already on sale in Europe, equipped with either a 42- or 49-kWh battery depending on trim, which lets it provide an estimated 327 or 370 km of range, respectively.
We don’t expect to either to come to Canadian shores any time soon, but if we could get at least one of these over here, which would you prefer? If given the choice, would you ask Hyundai to introduce the Inster to our winters; or to slide the DK into our market?