Hands up for all three Ioniqs
Hyundai is considering delaying the Australian introduction of its electrified Ioniq range until 2018 so it can deliver the hybrid, plug-in hybrid and allelectric trifecta at once for a bigger marketing impact.
If it wants, Hyundai Motor Company Australia can take the standard hybrid version within months, but in confirming to Goauto that all three variants would be coming to this market, chief operating officer Scott Grant said the launch strategy had yet to be set.
“It’s correct to say the standard hybrid will be available first later this year, the other two models are coming on stream towards the end of the year or the very first month of next year,” he said.
“The decision for us is whether we bring all three to market at the same time or whether we drip feed one after the other.”
While Mr Grant said he would expect the initial variant to garner a good degree of curiosity and interest from Australians, while offering all three simultaneously would have a far bigger impact and more positive reception.
“If we could do all three at once that would be ideal,” he said.
“I think that would make a pretty bold statement in the market.
“It might encourage the consumers and dealers for us to say we’ve come with a product that has three different variations of what are modern technologies in our industry.
“It would be good to bring all three and provide that choice.”
Compared with other global regions and markets that offer government incentives for customers buying alternative-energy vehicles, Australia’s green car market is less active, but Mr Grant said he believed there was enough interest in electrified models to support all three variants.
The demand for a standard hybrid, plug-in and full electric Ioniq has been fuelled by long-standing hybrid models such as the Toyota Prius – a model that Mr Grant was involved with while working for the Japanese car-maker in a previous tenure.
“I think there’s three different types of customers,” he said.
“That’s the key. Hybrid over the years, mainly through Prius, has done a nice job to create some sort of stability to the point where it’s no longer just a science experiment.
“It’s still not for everybody, but I think the technology has been somewhat proven.
“Each of the three segments is not huge in terms of the total mass market, but we think they are quite distinctive.”
Mr Grant said the company was not expecting the Ioniq to be a runaway sales success from launch, but would act as a tech showcase for the brand with slow-release benefits.
He compared it with the company’s self-driving systems that are in various stages of development.
“Like the autonomous vehicle, it’s going to take a long time for those things to be accepted in volume, but it’s a statement of what your company is capable of, that you can apply in all kinds of other ways and that’s important for the brand.”
An Australian launch date, local specifications and pricing are just a glimmer on the horizon at this stage.