The South Korean automaker Hyundai has officially unveiled its most anticipated electric vehicle (EV) – IONIQ 6 – replacing the highly popular IONIQ 5 that was launched in February last year.
The launch of IONIQ 6 comes right after it was reported that Hyundai has become the second-largest shareholder in the American EV market, beating the likes of Volkswagen, Ford, and other major players.
Here is all you need to know about the IONIQ 6.
Exterior
The all-new IONIQ 6 is significantly different from its predecessor but it still follows the company’s Prophecy Concept unveiled in March 2020. Hyundai’s design chief, SangYup Lee, has compared the design of IONIQ 6 to chess pieces.
Lee said:
King, Queen, Bishop, and Knight look and move differently but they work as a team.
The single-curve frame, low nose, active front air flaps, wheel gap reducers, and digital side cameras help it to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.21Cd. The drag coefficient is a key factor in assessing the energy consumption of an EV.
At the rear, IONIQ 6 features a deck-lid spoiler that rests on the fastback boot which also has a lip.
Underneath, IONIQ 6 uses a fully covered undercarriage, optimized deflectors, and reduced wheel-to-arch gap to ensure smooth airflow.
Overall, IONIQ 6 features 700 Parametric Pixels (LED lights) that reside in headlamps, rear combination lamps, rear high-mounted stop lamps, front lower sensors, air vent garnishes, and the center console.
Interior
Hyundai has referred to the cabin of IONIQ 6 as “Coccoon-shaped” which aims to provide a comfortable hideway and plenty of personal space to the passengers. The spacious cabin has been made possible thanks to the underfloor location of the car’s battery.
Speaking of design, the interior of IONIQ 6 is simple and elegant as there are no traces of frilly edges, chrome, or piano black plastic.
Hyundai deemed the excessive use of touchscreens as dangerous for the safety of passengers therefore, the company has kept the screens and switchgears to a minimum.
The centrally-located control panel features a 12-inch touchscreen display and a 12-inch digital cluster. A long center console provides ample in-car storage space.
The IONIQ 6 features half a dozen dual-color-themed interior lighting options on top of having 64 single colors to choose from. It has a Speed Sync mode that adjusts the interior brightness according to the car’s speed.
Hyundai has replaced the brand’s badge on the steering wheel with a four-dot interactive light system that can be set to show the level of charging of the vehicle.
To promote sustainability, Hyundai has used a number of eco-friendly materials in the car including eco-processed leather and recycled PET fabric for the seats, bio TPO skin for the dashboard, and bio PET fabric from the headliner as well as bio-painted doors and fishing net carpets.
Specifications
For the time being, Hyundai has decided only to launch the IONIQ 6. The South Korean automaker is expected to reveal the specifications for the car next month.
However, EV experts think that its specifications will be similar to its predecessor and the car will offer single- and dual-moto configurations for rear- and all-wheel drive.
IONIQ 6 is expected to feature a large 77.6 kWh battery, giving it a range of 480km on a single charge.
Other than that, it is expected to use the same single and dual motor options as IONIQ 5, with the latter’s top-of-the-line model having 302 hp of power and 650 Nm of torque. This enabled a 0-100 time of around 5.2s for IONIQ 5, so it’s safe to say that the IONIQ 6 might be a bit faster thanks to its lower drag coefficient.
Price and Launch
There has been no official word on the price and launch of IONIQ 6. However, EV enthusiasts predict it to cost less than IONIQ 5 which starts at $46,650.
Lastly, IONIQ 6 will go into production next month and is expected to go on sale in the US next year.
Via CarSpiritPK
