Hyundai is looking ahead to its next generation of Ioniq electric cars, and it's going to be creating an entirely new styling language for them, set to be previewed by two new concepts called Earth and Venus.
What do we know about these new Hyundai concepts?
Not much at the moment, other than that they should be revealed in full on 10 April 2026 (if a countdown timer on Hyundai's Chinese website is anything to go by…). These two new concepts should herald an entirely new beginning for Hyundai's Ioniq lineup, which so far has featured very different cars.
The Ioniq 5, 6, and 9 might all be based on the same platform, but they're very different on top, with the Ioniq 5 wearing a retro 1970s hatchback-like skin; the Ioniq 6 being a low and sleek streamliner, almost art deco in its style; and the Ioniq 9 being large and bluff-faced. The incoming Ioniq 3 hatchback is different again - a taut-looking and compact car with a distinctive rear spoiler.
What's going to change then?
Hyundai has recently said that in the future, its models will have a stronger family look and be more obviously visually related to one another, and it looks as if the Earth and Venus concepts will kick that process off.
What do they look like?
Ah, we don't really know yet. Hyundai has released a short animated teaser video that shows off a glowing yellow crystal, heavily hinting that the cars will have angular, faceted designs, like a finely cut jewel.
There are also two heavily obscured images. These seem to show that the Earth concept has a very short and stubby nose, and has extended black plastic wheelarches, along with ultra-slim LED headlights that form a distinctive Y shape. With that ultra-short nose, it could even be an MPV, rather than the more traditional SUV shape.
What about the Venus?
We can only see the Venus concept from the back, but it's finished in a warm, gold colour with a flick-up rear spoiler and incredibly slim rear lights that glow a bright purple. The bodywork looks quite sleek and fastback-y at the rear, and there are definitely some faceted edges to be seen, especially the razor-sharp edge of the rear bodywork.
Through its social media channels, Hyundai has described the new concepts as "a cosmic statement, engineered for humans.”
What else do we know?
Not much, so for now we just have questions. Are these direct previews of replacements for the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 (the oldest serving models in the Ioniq lineup at the moment)? Or are they just styling exercises to get us used to a new variation in Hyundai design? We'll find out more next week.
You can watch the teaser video below.