Hyundai teases new Ioniq 5 electric SUV, Feb debut

HYUNDAI Motor Group (HMG) has revealed the first official teaser images of its upcoming Ioniq 5 electric SUV, the first model set to be released under its new Ioniq EV brand.

Scheduled to be revealed officially next month, the Ioniq 5 will also be the first HMG product to be underpinned by the new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) which will go on to underpin 12 of the Group’s future EVs, including some from Kia.

As opposed to being heavily camouflaged prototypes, the teaser images are actually darkened renderings revealing the 5’s light signature, front wings, alloy wheels and tailgate.

In keeping with some of the concept images released last year, the Ioniq 5 has a decidedly blocky front fascia with plenty of straight lines and angles, a point further hammered home by the rectangular quad daytime running lights.

Despite being an EV, there still looks to be some generously sized grilles in place of the traditional intakes.

With sharp contour lines aplenty, the front end is completed by a definitively chiselled front splitter spanning right across the fascia from the front of one wheelarch to the other.

While not definitively visible in the images, the Ioniq 5 will also be the first HMG product to feature a full-width clamshell bonnet, something that is not only increasingly rare on modern vehicles but also minimises panel gaps and helps create “a clean and high-tech overall look”.

Looking from the side we find the classic SUV body cladding around the wheelarch (only the front can be seen) and side skirts with the wheelarches themselves featuring some circular-saw style slashes.

This pattern is emphasised and complemented further by a similar design on the busy ‘parametric pixel’ alloy wheels.

As is often the way with mid-sized SUVs, the Ioniq 5 does not look to be blessed with an abundance of ground clearance while the low-profile tyres also hammer home the car’s urban intentions.

At the back we find a similarly chiselled arrangement to the front with the tail-lights being four individual – rectangle – blocks skimming across the tail-gate beneath the rear window.

Once again there are very few curves, with all of the contours being sharp and angular.

The rear apron meanwhile matches that of the front and features what looks to be an aggressive diffuser spanning the entire width of the bumper.

According to designers, the Ioniq 5’s look is one that suggests “a fundamental shift in design approach” for the wider HMG.

“Ioniq 5 presents an all-new customer experience through innovative EV design that is evocative of the icon that established Hyundai’s design DNA,” Hyundai design boss SangYup Lee said.

“Beginning with Ioniq 5, our dedicated EV line-up brand will redefine the relationship between people and their cars, establishing a new standard against which all BEV design experiences will be measured.”

Speaking to GoAuto last month, Hyundai Australia product planning general manager Andrew Tuitahi said the production Ioniq 5 would look strikingly similar to the 45 EV concept that came before it.

“It’s so very close (to the concept),” said Mr Tuitahi. “They changed almost nothing. I think the wheel size dropped from 22s to 20s but other than that…”

None of the 5’s mechanical details have been confirmed yet however we do know the E-GMP will be capable of handling some 450kW or more and support both rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations.

One feature HMG has confirmed however is the 5’s Vehicle to Load (V2L) technology and capabilities with a promotional video showing a camper roast a turkey, listen to music on high-end audio speakers and exercise on a treadmill using the car’s battery pack.

The launch of the Ioniq 5 and indeed the entire Ioniq brand forms just one aspect of HMG’s plan to launch 23 new battery-electric vehicles by 2025.

The Australian subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company sold 64,807 new cars nationally last year, down 24.7 per cent on the 86,104 it managed in 2019.