Hyundai is gearing up to launch a new all-electric Ioniq model, in concept form, at the upcoming Munich motor show, which kicks off on September 9.
What do we know about this new Hyundai?
Well, not a lot yet, at least not officially. So far, all we have from Hyundai itself is a couple of tightly cropped images, which show a sleek, slim nose with a big grille reaching up from the lower bumper at the front, while at the back there's a fastback shape with a big kick-up spoiler, which has a faint hint of 1970s Porsche 911 RS about it.
What kind of car is this going to be?
Well, we do know that this new model will platform-share with the Kia EV3, so it's likely to be called the Ioniq 3, although Ioniq 2 is also apparently not off the menu. From the images we can see here, it looks as if Hyundai is keen to distance itself from the Kia's blocky, boxy design and go for something rather sleeker, possibly almost an update of the i30 Fastback hatch in some ways.
Of course, this is a concept car, and concept cars aren't delivered under oath, so to speak, so it could yet be all-change for a production model, but so far this Ioniq 3 is looking more like a mini-Ioniq 6 than anything else.
What kind of power will it have?
If this new Ioniq model is indeed sharing the EV3's structure and batteries, as seems likely, then it should have a 204hp electric motor driving the front wheels, and battery options big enough for a range of up to around 570km. That said, the bigger Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, although related, differ quite a bit in terms of their batteries and range, so this may not all be totally locked in.
So far, Hyundai is keeping schtum, but it has said that in the run up to the doors opening at Munich it will “release two further sets of images, each highlighting distinctive design elements that will be showcased on the concept car at the show.”
We'll drop them into this story as we get them.