After serving up a potential camping companion in the Ioniq 5 electric crossover, Hyundai EVP and head of design SangYup Lee pitched the recently-revealed Ioniq 6 as a “personal mobile studio” where you can not only work but also relax and revitalize. During a press briefing this week, the car was described as “a cocoon-like personal space.” If you’re burning out working in a home office, how about switching to a movable one, complete with 64 different interior colors to match your mood that can brighten as you accelerate to keep you aware of your driving speed.
The automaker is emphasizing remote work features such as a “bridge type” center console designed to hold a laptop and a notes application built into one of the two 12-inch screens. There are also four USB-C and USB-A ports to power various devices and slimmer car seats to help maximize cabin space. Hyundai maintains that they are still very comfortable, and are even designed to lean back and sleep on.
And its “streamliner” shape isn’t just for the aesthetic — the Ioniq 6’s 0.21 drag coefficient helps bring its power consumption down to 14kWh per 100km, giving it an estimated 610km or about 379-mile range (though the estimate is based on the European WLTP range, expect EPA range to be shorter). The Ioniq 6 in the press briefing also featured side view cameras instead of traditional mirrors, which we’re unlikely to see in the US.
The Ioniq 6 sedan is aimed at young professionals that the company suggests will want more tech, while the Ioniq 5 is more for young families that need the space and function of an SUV. While both vehicles are built on the automaker’s E-GMP electric vehicle platform, the Ioniq 6 includes auto 2WD / 4WD switching, extra tuning features, and better performance and efficiency thanks to upgrades for the motor and drivetrain. And most importantly, the Ioniq 6 will be the first car from Hyundai to support over-the-air software updates.
Hyundai is also launching an Ioniq 6 NFT collection and says the car will be available to experience virtually in the automaker’s metaverse studio on Zepeto, along with a Roblox experience. And the Ioniq 6 online experience supports VR headsets for more immersion.
Hyundai plans to start Ioniq 6 production in Q3 of this year in Korea, followed by Europe later in the year. In the US, it’s planned to go into production in January 2023, but the company did not confirm if the EV will be built at its upcoming plant in Savannah, Georgia. US availability will adjust to supply and demand, but currently, there are no nationwide release plans (the Ioniq 5 is currently sold in 38 states).
“By 2030, Hyundai will expand its all-electric line-up to 11 models to secure global EV leadership,” said Hyundai CEO Jaehoon Chang with a glimpse at its XL-sized Seven concept SUV driving alongside the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 on a screen behind him. The video then showed a quicker car zooming by, teasing an upcoming N performance EV without adding any extra details. Hyundai is taking EVs seriously enough to pass other big automakers (except for Tesla) in EV sales, according to this recent Bloomberg report — let’s just hope its engineers aren’t forced to do all their work inside an Ioniq 6 from now on.
