When Hyundai whipped the covers off its new Ioniq 5 N at the Goodwood Festival of Speed recently, hiding in a corner of its stand was a 21-inch carbonfibre wheel with N Performance and Dymag branding.

And now we know why. The rather fetching looking wheel is the work of Dymag – a UK-based performance wheel maker – and South Korean manufacturer Hankuk Carbon.

And although the one you see above remains a prototype for now, we’re told that it “marks the start of a relationship with Hyundai which will see carbon hybrid wheels become available on N Performance products". 

We certainly weren’t expecting that. But then, we weren’t expecting the Ioniq 5 N to have 600bhp and a ‘Torque Kick Drift’ feature that simulates clutch kicks and flicks you sideways. Hyundai clearly likes to keep us on our toes.

This new wheel is actually a carbon hybrid unit, meaning it combines a carbon fibre outer rim (stay away from those kerbs) with a forged metal centre and spokes. Apparently the end result is a wheel that’s between 40 and 50 per cent lighter than a traditional cast aluminium wheel. 

We’ll get full specs of the Ioniq 5 N’s carbon option in the coming months, but it sounds like Dymag has even bigger plans. 

“This is the start of what we hope is a long and fruitful relationship with Hyundai, which will bring our game-changing technology to a wider audience of global automotive customers,” says boss Tom de Lange.

“Carbon hybrid wheels from Dymag bring many benefits for high-performance vehicles, with very low capital expenditure for car makers thanks to our patented technology and lean production methods. We look forward to announcing further OEM agreements very soon.”

STORY Greg Potts