Hyundai spells out EV plans
All the details on Korean firm’s new Ioniq sub-brand
HYUNDAI has announced that it intends to launch a new pure-electric sub-brand called Ioniq, and has already confirmed a launch date for the first car, plus a naming convention for the sub-brand’s line-up.
The first Ioniq model will be the Ioniq 5, a mid-sized SUV that will be, in effect, the production version of the retro-themed 45 concept that was one of the hits of last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. It will make its debut in the first few months of 2021.
The second car, due in 2022, will be called Ioniq 6. It is also a production version of a well received concept, the Prophecy saloon, which Hyundai previewed earlier this year. Then in 2024 the firm will launch a larger SUV, called Ioniq 7; it has given a sneak preview of this model in the images released to accompany the announcement.
All three models will sit on a dedicated EV platform called E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform). Hyundai hasn’t issued details on battery sizes or the tech involved, beyond claiming that E-GMP will “enable fast-charging and plentiful driving range”.
Hyundai has already stated that further models will be added to the line-up, and the choice of 5 as a starting point would indicate that a number of smaller vehicles could feature in the second half of the decade.
Auto Express understands that Ioniq will not become a standalone marque, as the firm has done with its premium sub-brand, Genesis. As such, Ioniq models will be sold alongside conventionally powered Hyundais, perhaps in a designated area of showrooms.
The existing Hyundai Ioniq model, which is available as a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and an EV, will not fall under the umbrella of the sub-brand. It’s expected to be dropped from the line-up when the current generation bows out in about 2022. But Hyundai will continue to sell electric versions of some of its regular models, notably the Kona Electric, alongside the more bespoke Ioniq creations.
In addition to being more integrated into their owners’ lifestyles, Ioniq models may well be, in the longer term, at the sharp end of Hyundai’s push to become a ‘mobility provider’, although it’s believed that the current coronavirus pandemic has set back the rollout of smartphone-based car sharing by as much as a decade.
The Korean manufacturer says that Ioniq will offer a “connected lifestyle experience”, which means that it will offer a higher degree of integration with smartphones and smart devices than conventional Hyundais. It’s likely that the company’s engineers will use Ioniq to roll out always-on technology, allowing cars to be updated over the air, and other areas of Hyundai’s business to offer features and services on an ongoing basis.
FROM: Eric Pine CALL me a cynic, but I find it unlikely any motorway fuel price cut (Issue 1,637) will stick. Retailers have a captive audience there, so can charge what they like. I wonder if EV charging prices will soon be significantly more expensive on motorways by default, too.