Sedans aren’t dead. At least they aren’t if it’s an EV. Hyundai has finally revealed the second car in its Ioniq EV sub-brand and it’s a sedan. Not just any sedan either, but a sedan with obvious German luxury design cues.
Just look at this thing. It’s beautiful. Hyundai damn near brought its 2020 Prophecy concept into production. It has the same front facia. But there are notable differences of course. There’s a front bumper; the suicide doors of the concept are gone in place of regular doors; the joystick steering controls are gone of course, and the afterburner-like vertical tail lamps are gone. It’s still a damn good-looking car though.
From the side, there are obvious four-door coupe roofline vibes that evoke the Mercedes CLS, the forbearer of the segment. The rear has strong Porsche vibes. While it uses the same pixelated tail light effect the Ioniq 5 has, its rounded rear with integrated spoiler gives off classic 911. The design isn’t just about pretty looks though. There’s actually some function to it. Hyundai calls the design Emotional Efficiency. That sleek aerodynamic body gives the Ioniq 6 a drag coefficient of just 0.21. And if you’re counting, yes that is lower than a Tesla Model 3’s 0.23. That’s even lower than the current-gen Mercedes A-Class, a vehicle that has one of the lowest drag coefficients of any vehicle in the world.
While the design is great, what’s important is its Ioniq 6s hardware. Riding on Hyundai’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), there’s no transmission tunnel so the interior floor is completely flat, allowing for more room. With an 800-volt architecture, Hyundai says you should be able to get from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 18 minutes.
The inside is just as techy and efficient as the exterior. Here though it’s all about sustainable materials. Depending on the features and trim you get, there are either recycled PET fabric or eco-process leather seating, bio TPO skin for the dashboard; bio PET fabric for the headline; the carpet is made out of recycled fishing net, and the door paint is derived from vegetable oil.
This is all in addition to an ergonomically designed infotainment system. There are dual 12-inch displays, one for the driver and the other for the infotainment cluster, ambient interior lighting with 64 colors, and unique design features like a bridged console shelf for storage that Hyundai says gives the interior an airy and open feeling.
Hyundai has yet to announce any power, range, or price figures for the IONIQ 6, but it should have no problem finding buyers when it finally goes on sale next year. The EV market should be on notice.