Hyundai is revealing more of its new electric car concept for next week's Munich motor show, and the Korean car maker has confirmed that it will be called Concept Three.
Better yet, Hyundai has shown us a sketch of the new car — previously we had seen only heavily cropped 3D renders — and it shows a distinctly sporty, low-slung profile with large aero spoilers front and rear, and a five-door fastback look.
This is presumably the Ioniq 3 then?
It would certainly seem so. We do know that this new model will platform-share with the Kia EV3, and the concept's name seems to tacitly confirm that it will be called the Ioniq 3. From the images and this sketch 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 more sleek, possibly almost an update of the i30 Fastback hatch in some ways. Hyundai says that the car's profile is called the 'Aero Hatch' look, which previews a new EV styling language.
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.
What else do we know?
Hyundai will give us all the details next week, but in the meantime, the Hyundai design team has been taking us through the look of the Concept Three.
“Designing the Concept Three was an opportunity for us to rethink the compact EV from the ground up,” said Simon Loasby, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Design Centre. “We defined the 'Aero Hatch' typology to craft a silhouette that captures a sense of flow and becomes a beautifully proportioned sculpture.”
Manuel Schoettle, exterior designer of Concept Three, added, “The authenticity of the way we treated the steel fits perfectly. It just felt natural, making the Concept Three extremely pure, and hopefully it will bring a smile to your face.”