IONIQ 6 N wins top award

Hyundai’s IONIQ 6 N won the 2026 World Performance Car award at the New York International Auto Show on April 1. (worldcarawards.com) The World Car Awards said the result was announced live in New York as part of the show’s 22nd annual awards program. Hyundai said the win gave its N performance brand the same prize for the second time in three years, after the IONIQ 5 N in 2024. (worldcarawards.com) (hyundai.com) Hyundai said the award also extended the company’s streak at the World Car Awards to five consecutive years. The company did not publish the full judging breakdown in its release, but the World Car Awards named the IONIQ 6 N as this year’s winner in the performance category. (hyundai.com) (worldcarawards.com) The result lands as automakers use major auto shows to argue that electric vehicles can cover more than one job. Hyundai put an electric performance sedan in the awards spotlight while Kia used the same New York event to show a gasoline-hybrid compact sport utility vehicle, a battery-electric sport utility vehicle, and a wheelchair-accessible van concept. (hyundai.com) (worldwide.kia.com) Kia’s April 1 presentation included the all-new 2027 Seltos, the EV3 compact electric sport utility vehicle, and the PV5 WAV concept, with WAV standing for wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Kia said the Seltos adds a hybrid option, the EV3 targets up to 320 miles of range, and the PV5 WAV concept was developed with BraunAbility as an electric taxi for accessible urban transport. (worldwide.kia.com) That mix of reveals put New York’s show floor on two tracks at once: performance branding and broader model coverage. Hyundai used the awards ceremony to reinforce its N badge, while Kia used product debuts to cover internal-combustion, hybrid, fully electric, and accessibility-focused vehicles in one event. (hyundai.com) (hyundaimotorgroup.com) The World Car Awards are separate from the auto show’s product launches, but both happened in the same New York window. That gave Hyundai a headline from jurors and Kia a separate headline from new sheet metal and future-mobility concepts. (worldcarawards.com) (tsnn.com) For Hyundai, the closing image from New York was simple: an electric sedan wearing the N badge left the show with the performance trophy. (hyundai.com)