Hyundai unveiled its new Ioniq 6, a sedan that it says will ship vary on par with the Tesla Mannequin 3, issuing a direct problem to the best-selling battery-electric sedan available on the market.
The Ioniq 6 — the follow-up to Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 SUV and the second mannequin in its Ioniq EV sub-brand — will journey 610 kilometers (379 miles) on a totally charged battery, based mostly on the European WLTP take a look at cycle. That exceeds the 602 kilometers underneath the WLTP take a look at cycle for the Mannequin 3 Lengthy Vary.
That’s a major accomplishment, provided that Tesla has long-served because the benchmark for EV vary.
“Whereas many competing EVs have been edging nearer to Tesla’s vary scores, comparatively few have matched or exceeded them,” stated Ed Kim, president and chief analyst for AutoPacific.
The Korean automaker, which has set an formidable objective to turn out to be a top-three EV supplier within the U.S. by 2026, hopes that its lineup’s one-two punch will give it an opportunity to problem Tesla for the gross sales crown within the fledgling EV market.
The Tesla Mannequin 3 is the second-best promoting electrical car within the U.S. after the Tesla Mannequin Y small SUV. Ranked fifth is the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which serves a rising shopper demand for battery-electric SUVs.
Nevertheless, sedans have been a weak spot for auto gross sales over the previous a number of years, making Hyundai’s alternative appear doubtlessly counterintuitive. However analysts say that battery-electric sedans just like the Ioniq 6 and Polestar 2, which additionally goals to dethrone the Mannequin 3, play a strategic position within the EV market, particularly for first-time patrons.
“As a result of sedans are typically priced considerably decrease than their SUV counterparts, they signify a extra reasonably priced technique to get into EVs,” stated Kim. “Assuming the value of Hyundai’s new sedan undercuts the $40,000 IONIQ 5, it might signify an actual worth proposition for EV customers.”
Just like the Ioniq 5, Hyundai’s new all-electric sedan might be constructed on its Electrical International Modular Platform (E-GMP), an 800-volt electrical structure that allows quicker charging than comparably priced EVs, save for Tesla’s.
Hyundai has invested aggressively in increasing the Ioniq portfolio because it strives to go from a maker of reasonably priced, entry-level automobiles to a prime world EV model recognized for daring design. The automaker has pledged to spend greater than $10 billion within the U.S. by 2025 to develop expertise for electrical and autonomous automobiles and mobility purposes for robotics.
Greater than half of that funding will fund a new EV plant and battery manufacturing facility in Georgia, the place Hyundai plans to construct not less than among the 23 EVs it plans to roll out by 2025, such because the Ioniq 7 three-row SUV, an essential section for drivers with giant households. The Ioniq 6 might be in-built South Korea.
The Ioniq 5, which swept the World Automotive Awards this spring, confirmed that Hyundai is keen to be daring with its EV design. That theme continues with the dome-shaped Ioniq 6, whose low hood and excessive roof make it curvier than most automobiles, stated SangYup Lee, head of Hyundai International Design Heart. The scale enable for a cocoon-like, high-ceilinged cabin the place occupants can chill out or work.
A 64-color ambient lighting system helps “create a conscious house that restores psychological vitality and enhances inspiration,” Lee stated.
Ioniq 6 will go on sale within the U.S. early subsequent 12 months. The value has not been introduced.
