New Hyundai All-Electric Sedan Spotted Testing in Norway
Most people are familiar with the Ioniq as part of the Hyundai lineup. However, Hyundai announced a couple of years ago that Ioniq would launch into a spinoff brand, much like Genesis. Hyundai has been developing additional electric vehicles to add to the roster, including the Ioniq 6 sedan. Though there wasn’t much insight on the new EV sedan other than the concept car, we now get to take a look at a camouflaged prototype in Norway.
It seems the design strayed pretty far from the concept
According to The Drive, Hyundai’s design bossman SangYup Lee said the new Ioniq 6 sedan is “the spirit of Prophecy.” Lee refers to the incredibly sleek-looking Hyundai Prophecy concept car that the Korean auto giant released in 2020.
The Prophecy features a sleek and aerodynamic design that’s almost reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan. The prototype spotted roaming around Norway, quite frankly, does not. Worst of all, it appears that the super gimmicky yet totally awesome see-through spoiler seen on the Prophecy did not make it to the production Ioniq 6. Of course, it’s hard to tell what is going on with all the camouflage. That being said, don’t get your hopes up too high.
Youtuber Bjørn Nyland gives a detailed walkaround of the Ioniq 6 prototype parked outside a Norway hotel. As one might expect, it’s pretty well hidden. It’s a bit of a unique chance to see the inside of a camo prototype car. Unsurprisingly, though, everything inside it is also hidden in camouflage.
For obvious reasons, one interesting feature that engineers couldn’t cover is the taillights. However, since they aren’t under the cover, Nyland gives a close-up look at them. Surprisingly, Hyundai stuck with the unique crystal-like design of the concept car. Given that was one of the significant design cues of the prototype, perhaps there’s hope for the clear spoiler after all. The car cover does appear to be hiding a relatively significant rear wing.
When will the Ioniq 6 come out?
Given the 2023 model year, it’s safe to assume that the Ioniq 6 will likely become available for purchase in mid-to-late 2022.
Car and Driver anticipates that the Ioniq 6 will start a fair bit cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 it’s competing with. Their pricing estimates begin at $42,000 for base models and span up to $54,000 for the top-trim Limited.
Additionally, Car and Driver states that it must have a 300-plus mile charge range to compete with the Model 3. Though, that’s well within the realm of possibility given the current Ioniq 5’s ability to achieve up to 303 miles on a charge.
The launch of the Ioniq 6 comes alongside another EV called the Ioniq 7. Unlike the Ioniq 6, the Inoiq 7 is a massive SUV that Hyundai portrays more as a living space for the road than just your run-of-the-mill vehicle.
Ultimately, Hyundai’s futuristic designs and outlooks are pretty exciting when it comes to the world of EVs. It only makes it better, then, that the pricing of these EVs remains affordable. We’re definitely looking forward to seeing the full-blown production-spec models!
