Hyundai is charging into the EV market with a passion and is expected to reveal its next all-electric model in the coming months, with this teaser image showing the design direction it’s taking for what it has dubbed the “Electrified Streamliner.”
Set to formally be named the Ioniq 6, the new battery-electric vehicle will borrow heavily from the design cues first spotlighted in the form of the Hyundai Prophecy Concept unveiled in 2020. As its alphanumeric name suggests, Ioniq 6 will sit between the compact Ioniq 5 crossover and the bigger Ioniq 7 model shown at the L.A. Auto Show last November as the Seven concept.
“Inspired by the company’s Prophecy concept EV, Ioniq 6 will be communicated as the Electrified Streamliner with clean, simple lines and a purely aerodynamic form,” Hyundai said in a statement accompanying this image and a teaser video. “The streamliner design typology evident in the sketch reflects Hyundai designers’ commitment to satisfy both aesthetic and functional needs of customers in the electric mobility era.”
More images coming
The automaker went on to say that “additional … teaser images,” along with more complete exterior and interior designs of the Ioniq 6, will be released “later this month.”
Based on the design renderings shown above, as well as what we’ve seen with the Prophecy concept, Hyundai put a premium on maximizing the aerodynamics of the Ioniq 6 and could come in with an extraordinarily low drag coefficient — something that would boost range as well as performance. If anything, you might see a bit of the new Mercedes-Benz battery-electric flagship, the EQS, in the Hyundai design.
How much of the Prophecy’s distinctive details will carry over? Likely quite a bit, though the production model’s distinctive rear spoiler likely won’t be made of glass.
The interior design is expected to reflect the open spaces theme of the Ioniq 5, with a free-floating center console and flat load floor.
What we know
While the South Korean carmaker is resorting to a slow reveal, a number of key details have already gotten out about the Ioniq 6.
To start with, it will share the same underlying E-GMP architecture as both the Ioniq 5 and 7 crossovers — along with dozens of other battery-electric vehicles set to flesh out the line-ups for the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands.
The flexible platform will allow for a variety of different battery pack sizes and motor configurations. In the Ioniq 6, look for both single and dual motor variants, the latter expected to make around 300 horsepower in standard trim.
But the three Korean brands are pushing to take advantage of the performance potential of electric propulsion and some reports suggest an Ioniq 6 will also be offered in N trim making as much as 576 hp, using the same drivetrain layout as the upcoming Kia EV6 GT.
Sleek design = longer range
In terms of range, the sleeker body should yield big benefits here. The Ioniq 5 SUV gets an EPA rating of up to 300 miles in rear-wheel-drive form, and 256 miles for the twin-motor package. The Ioniq 6 could come in closer to 350 miles with a single-motor option.
How the Ioniq 6 will fit into the broader Hyundai line-up is unclear. But there have been reports from South Korea the carmaker is rethinking the long-term role of some of its most familiar nameplates.
As TheDetroitBureau.com noted earlier this month, the Sonata could fall victim to declining sedan sales, possibly to have the all-electric Ioniq 6 take its place. The two models appear quite similar in size.
As for timing, a full reveal of the Ioniq 6 is expected this summer, with the production model set to go on sale next year, likely as a 2024 model.
