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By Michael Taylor, carsales.com.au
Hyundai has revealed the second model in its all-electric Ioniq sub-brand, the controversially styled but dynamic Ioniq 6 four-door sedan.
It is due to join the critically acclaimed Ioniq 5 hatch – which won the 2021 carsales Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards – in Australian showrooms early next year, aimed at stealing some of the thunder from the top-selling EV, the Tesla Model 3.
While the two models share the same mechanical foundations, there is no visual connections between the crisply folded Ioniq 5 that was inspired by Hyundai’s first mass-produced hatchback, the 1970s Pony, and the streamlined Ioniq 6 with its swooping roofline and drooping rear-end that hints at everything from the Porsche Taycan to the Mercedes-Benz CLS and EQXX concept and even the Volkswagen New Beetle.
At the back, it features two spoilers to keep the rear wheels on the ground at speed and convert the designers’ ideas into a slippery shape with a claimed drag coefficient of just 0.21Cd – or 0.02 better than Volkswagen’s flagship ID.Aero concept that was revealed in the same week.
It also has active air flaps in the low nose, wheel-gap reducers and “separation traps” in the rear bumper to help reduce drag. The entire underfloor of the car is covered and has integrated air deflectors.
Its front-end has clear Porsche hallmarks, including the headlights providing the starting point for the raised front quarter panels that surround a lower bonnet line.
Both the roof and the glasshouse begin to slope downwards from the middle of the rear door, before accelerating southwards at the C-pillar, giving the impression of a tiny rear wheel compared to the front, even though they are likely to be the same size.
Hyundai insists the look was driven by aerodynamics, though Mercedes-Benz’s designers show no need to drop the EQXX Concept’s rear-end so close to the ground, despite achieving an aero benchmark of 0.17Cd.
Hyundai calls its rear lighting set-up a ‘Parametric Pixel’ system, but there are other details in the images of the new car that give strong hints about the production realities.
For starters, the first IONIQ 6 uses the production car’s optional rear-facing cameras instead of mirrors, and pairs them with digital displays inside the cabin, creating display wings at the corners of the dashboard.
Neither will there be conventional door handles, with Hyundai using flush-fitting handles that appear to pop out when needed.
The framed doors fold high into the roofline, too, while the high-mounted taillight is a full-width unit integrated into the higher of the two rear spoilers.
Measuring 4855mm long, 1880mm wide and standing 1495mm tall while riding on a wheelbase of 2950mm, the Ioniq 6 is slightly longer and sits significantly lower than the Ioniq 5 on which it shares the same E-GMP platform. It is also larger in every dimension than the Tesla Model 3.
While Hyundai Australia has yet to lock-in the local model line-up, the Ioniq 6 will be built with the choice of single-motor and dual-motor configurations and with either a 53kWh or 77.4kWh battery pack.
In its highest specification, with dual motors and the larger battery pack, it develops 239kW of power and 650Nm of torque and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.1 seconds. It will also be able to travel more than 600km on a single charge.
At the opposite end of the scale – with the smaller battery, a single motor and riding on 18-inch wheels – Hyundai claims the Ioniq 6 will be one of the world’s most efficient electric vehicles with an average energy consumption of 14kWh/100km.
All models will have 800-volt electrical architecture that makes them compatible with ultra-rapid 350kW charging stations, where replenishing the battery between 10-80 percent will take as little as 18 minutes.
“IONIQ 6 connects an emotional convergence of functionality with aesthetics,” said the Executive Vice President and Head of the Hyundai Design Center, SangYup Lee.
“The distinctive streamlined design is the result of close cooperation between engineers and designers, with obsessive attention to detail and customer-centric values at the core.”
“We have created the IONIQ 6 as a mindful cocoon that offers personalized place for all.”
The interior also features sustainable materials in its construction to reflect EV customer values and the entire cabin has been designed to offer a spacious and relaxing ambience for all occupants.
Its lighting is a breakthrough for Hyundai, with more than 700 Parametric Pixels scattered through the headlights and taillights, the front lower sensors, the air vent trims and the centre-console indicator. The cabin can be doused in ambient lighting with 64 different colour options and six pre-set two-tone modes.
Like the Ioniq 5, it features twin 12.3-inch colour displays in a single binnacle for the instrument cluster and infotainment systems, and a two-spoke steering wheel that introduces pixels on the boss to indicate the battery charge level.
The IONIQ 6 claims the environmental high ground by using recycled paint pigment from old tyres for the plastic cladding, and also employs bamboo charcoal pigments in its body paint.
Drivers will have a choice between ‘eco-process’ leather seat trims, recycled PET fabrics, a PET fabric headliner and a bio paint from vegetable oils in the doors. It also uses recycled fishing net from the Seaqual initiative, which is also seen in the Cupra Born EV.
Before the Ioniq 6 sedan arrives in Australia it will go through an extensive local tuning program to select the best set-up for our broken roads.
It is expected that Hyundai will mirror the IONIQ 5 and offer the Ioniq 6 in both the Dynamiq and high-grade Techniq trim.
Full pricing and specification will be released closer to the Hyundai IONIQ 6's launch here, and like the Ioniq 5 it will be sold directly via Hyundai Australia's website.
Disclaimer: Images supplied by Hyundai Australia.
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