HYUNDAI Ioniq

TOOK ON PRIUS; LAID A SUB-BRAND FOUNDATION

IN BUSINESS SCHOOL it is sometimes taught to let others be the ‘pioneers’. Once a risk-taking product gets traction and proves there’s market appetite, you can swoop in and clean up with a rival offering that is simply better, more sharply priced, or both.

In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Toyota was the risktaker with its daring Prius, but it paid off – and changed the motoring world. Nobody knew what a hybrid was but suddenly here was one, claiming a rockstar 3.57L/100km for an affordable price. ‘Global warming’ was on minds and lips, and driving a Prius showed you cared.

Fast-forward 16 years and with the Prius proving a smash hit – in the US in particular – the rising South Korean automotive behemoths decided they can simply do better. Enter the Hyundai Ioniq.

Built on its own unique platform, the small, fivedoor hatchback Ioniq (a portmanteau of ion and

unique) entered the ring with three powertrains. There was a parallel hybrid, plug-in hybrid and – picking a fight also with Nissan’s Leaf – a cutting-edge full EV (Hyundai’s first). The versions with engines boasted a thermal efficiency of 40 percent thanks to a directinjected, 1.6-litre atmo four-cylinder with an Atkinson combustion cycle; in modern times, 35 percent is good.

With its slippery shape the Ioniq claimed a drag coefficient of 0.24Cd – helped by a flat underfloor and closed wheel design – while active aero shutters on the hybrid and PHEV opened and closed as engine cooling required, further improving aerodynamics and reducing wind noise. Hyundai used aluminium in the suspension, bonnet and tailgate and did away with a conventional 12V lead-acid battery to save more than 36kg. There was a standard six-speed dual-clutch transmission while the battery – up to 38.3kWh in later versions of the EV – was stashed under the rear seats to keep weight as low as possible. Hyundai employed a torsion-beam rearend in the EV to maximise battery space and improve packaging, while combustion engine variants had IRS. When the Ioniq launched in Australia in December

2018, all three variants scored unique local suspension tuning. Indeed, part of the Ioniq’s original 2016 promise over Prius was a ‘sportier hybrid drive’.

Efficiency was what mattered most, however, and it all added up to an impressive 3.4L/100km from the hybrid – pipping Prius, and for a Prius-rivalling price. In ultimate PHEV guise there was 63km all-electric range; while the EV offered up to 373km. Locally, the electric Ioniq was popular with both fleets and private buyers, with more than 2085 sold across all three variants.

Alas, however, the world is moving on. As the Prius bites the dust, so too does its South Korean imitator. Order books for the Ioniq in Australia have officially closed, with the final deliveries set for the second half of this year. But the little Ioniq launched a sub-brand, proved a concept and has paved the way for daring allelectric models like the 5, incoming 6 sedan and SUV 7.

Now it’s Toyota’s turn to imitate.