The new Hyundai Ioniq 6 will join the Ioniq 5 in the brand’s all-electric line-up and our exclusive image previews how it could look
The new Hyundai Ioniq 6 will join the Ioniq 5 in the brand’s all-electric line-up and our exclusive image previews how it could lookHyundai’s electric sub-brand will follow up the impressive Ioniq 5 crossover with a low-slung electric four-door coupe in 2022.
Badged Ioniq 6, it will rival cars such as the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4, and will offer the most range of any Hyundai EV yet, thanks to continued development of the 800-volt E-GMP platform now used across the Hyundai Group’s various brands.
The new car has been spied testing ahead of its anticipated unveiling next summer, and rumours suggest that Hyundai has pushed the car’s debut back for some key engineering tweaks, which are intended to increase the car’s range beyond the 280 kilometres of the Ioniq 5.
These late changes include revisions to the car’s design and its size, with a slightly longer body being mooted by corners of the South Korean automotive press. Hyundai will now equip the Ioniq 6 with a 77.4kWh battery shared with the Kia EV6, rather than relying on the 73kWh pack in the Ioniq 5.
It’s a small difference on paper, but combined with the Ioniq 6’s aerodynamic design, which is closely informed by last year’s Prophecy concept, it means that the Ioniq 6 could achieve a range in excess of 500km, while adopting the 5’s 225kW all-wheel-drive dual-motor powertrain. We also expect the car to be offered with a smaller 58kWh battery and single-motor set-up, making a starting price of below AUD$7,000 plausible.
With late-stage prototypes now being spied regularly on the roads, we have a better idea of what the Ioniq 6 will look like, as seen in our exclusive image.
The car will have proportions similar to those of the Ioniq hybrids, with a longer bonnet, a low-set glasshouse and bigger front and rear overhangs than the Prophecy. The four-door coupe shape will be broken up with the addition of a rear spoiler set low on the bootlid for improved aerodynamics.
The new car’s interior will take less inspiration from the Prophecy than it will from the Ioniq 5, with a similar dual-screen infotainment and instrumentation system expected. It will also come with a conventional centre console with a tunnel-like armrest running from the dashboard through the middle of the cabin.
James Brodie