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Hyundai Ioniq 6 Unveiled, Coming to Australia
Competition seems to be catching up with Tesla and alongside the likes of Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, and Polestar, the Hyundai Motor Group is interested in mopping up market share in the premium EV space. In a public statement, Hyundai said it’s targeting annual global BEV sales to the tune of 1.87 million units with a 7 per cent global market share. The Ioniq 6 is the car that will take them there because this four-door coupe takes aim at the Model S and Model 3 with its wilfully extrovert design and clever packaging.
Related: Can’t get enough EVs? Check out all our EV news, review, and more in one place.
Image: Hyundai
Underneath those rakish lines, the Ioniq 6 is underpinned by the E-GMP platform and just like the EV6/Ioniq 5, the designers have run amok with their imagination. The tapered rear and the 911-like spoiler tucked over it seems like a mismatch when seen from the side but from the rear, the car has a sense of exuberance that is missing on the rather bland Model 3.
Further design features of the Ioniq 6 see active air flaps and digital side mirrors included to result in a drag coefficient of 0.21 – something that also explains the clever surfacing all over the car. Like on the Ioniq 5, there is a generous sprinkling of ‘Parametric Pixels’ throughout the headlamps, rear vents or even the air vents. In essence, this is the production version of the Hyundai Prophecy which made its debut in 2020.
The interior, meanwhile, has a whiff of Genesis with its high-end design and material quality, but we also like the lack of needless theatrical flourishes with an uncluttered layout. There are no buttons on the doors or the Hyundai logo on the steering wheel. Instead, you get four pixels that indicate either the charging lift or when using voice commands. There are a pair of 12-inch displays but thankfully, physical buttons are also provided. Dual-colour ambient lighting is also offered along with 64 colour choices. Despite its slinky proportions, the Ioniq 6 has a generous wheelbase, convenient flat floor, and just like its Ioniq 5 sibling the 6 uses sustainable materials all throughout the cabin including vegan leather or recycled fabric seats.
If you’ve noticed, the Ioniq 6 doesn’t come with conventional door mirrors as they are replaced with cameras that relay the image via a big screen on either side of the dashboard – similar to the Audi E-Tron.
No powertrain details have been revealed but we’d take a guess that it would be shared with the Ioniq 5 so expect a single motor/ RWD and a dual motor/ AWD configuration. We wouldn’t be surprised to see an Australian market introduction sometime in late 2023/ early 2024 with a starting price to undercut the base Model 3. Tesla certainly has a lot to worry about now as the value quotient along with the outrageous styling is relentlessly pushing the Ioniq brand towards mainstream EV success.
Image: Hyundai
Image: Hyundai
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Somnath Chatterjee
Somnath Chatterjee is an experience car journalist and automotive expert. His supercar reviews, interviews and industry features have appeared in global publications such as Upscale living, Robb Report and Yahoo Lifestyle Asia. Somnath specialises in luxury and lifestyle-oriented features with a focus on automobiles, aviation and luxury. He also holds a Post Graduate in International Business from the University of Dehli.
