Hyundai today teased the all-electric concept vehicle it plans to unveil at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month.
The Hyundai Seven concept will return in production form in 2023 as the Ioniq 7, several sources confirmed, a large all-electric SUV.
“Seven captures Hyundai Motor’s future design and technology innovation in the electric mobility era and hints at a new SUV model coming to the Ioniq family, the company’s dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand,” the Korean carmaker said in a statement accompanying these teaser images.
A growing line-up of BEVs
Hyundai currently offers one long-range battery-electric vehicle, the Kona EV, but it plans to add an entire family of BEVs through the new Ioniq sub-brand. The first model, the Ioniq 5 crossover, is scheduled to reach U.S. showrooms before the end of this year. It will be followed by a Sonata-sized sedan, the Ionq 6, in 2022. The Ioniq 7 is scheduled to become the third model in the line-up and will be a Palisade-sized all-electric SUV.
The production Ioniq 7 is expected to push the evolution of the new battery-electric line’s design language. The Ioniq 5 hews close to what we see with current Hyundai SUVs, such as the 2022 Tucson. The Ioniq 6 sedan gets a little more radical, picking up the styling cues of the Hyundai Prophecy concept. Ioniq 7, at least based on teasers and renderings, is believed to goes much further.
If the look holds in production, it will feature a bold, vertical face, albeit with a solid front fascia eliminating the grille found on gas-powered Hyundai SUVs.
The latest images, said Hyundai “reveal a form following function design that dares to diverge from traditions of the internal combustion engine era. Seven’s lighting architecture is defined by Parametric Pixels, Ioniq’s unique design identity connecting analog with digital emotions.”
A flexible, dedicated EV platform
Like other Ioniq models, the Seven concept — and Ioniq 7 — will be based on a dedicated, skateboard-like platform dubbed E-GMP, noted Sam Abuelsamid, principal auto analyst with Guidehouse Insights. That enables the product development team to snatch back some of the space normally used for an engine compartment and use it to expand both cargo and passenger space.
As for the cabin, the concept coming to Los Angeles will boast a “lounge ambience,” said Hyundai, adding it will feature “Furnishings trimmed in sustainable materials (which will) offer a refined, eco-friendly mobility experience that reflects the changing lifestyles of its customers.”
Expect to see the Seven concept make use of recycled and organic materials. And, like the Ioniq 5, the high-tech layout will adopt a minimum of conventional controls, opting instead for the use of one or more touchscreens.
Long range
The automaker isn’t ready to discuss drivetrain technology but the E-GMP platform permits a wide range of variations, with motors and battery pack mounted below the load floor. The Ioniq 7, in production trim, is expected to be offered in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations.
Some sources suggest the electric SUV will feature a pack of as much as 100 kilowatt-hours yielding range of around 300 miles per charge using the U.S. EPA test cycle. Power will vary depending upon the drivetrain choice but is expected to reach more than 300 horsepower.
For the moment, Hyundai has only signaled plans for three Ioniq models, the 5, 6 and 7. But it is widely expected to follow with other products later in the decade. These could include smaller sedan and SUV packages, several company officials have hinted. The Hyundai Seven concept will make its debut at the LA Auto Show Nov. 17 at 9:55 a.m. Pacific Time. The automaker also plans to show the reveal online.