Hyundai has officially lifted the veil on its long-awaited Ioniq 6 electric sedan, and the Tesla Model 3 might finally have a real competitor on its hands.
Specifications of the car's powertrain have yet to be revealed, meaning we don't know at this stage how fast the Ioniq 6 will run or how long it will run on a single charge, but the Korean automaker has confirmed it will share the same electrical architecture as the excellent Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Hyundai has promised that a more detailed look at the internal makeup of the Ioniq 6 will be released later this month, though the brand has shed some light on the thought process behind the Ioniq 6's decidedly unconventional appearance.' EV at its world premiere.
To our eyes, the Ioniq 6 looks like a strange mix of Apple's Magic Mouse and a vintage Porsche 911 – not exactly beautiful, but not entirely unsightly either. It's definitely... different.
However, Hyundai said the car's shape embodies the concepts of "sultry sportiness" and "upbeat futurism," which could well be marketing jargon for "the Ioniq 6 is the love child of a Tesla Model 3 and a VW." Beetle".
Seen from behind, the sedan fits the Porsche-Beetle mold perfectly, with a full-width taillight line that adds a noticeable modern feel to a classic design. By the way, these taillights, along with the Ioniq 6's headlights, third brake light, and rear reflectors, feature a total of 700 parametric pixel LEDs, the kind found on the Ioniq 5.
(*6*) The car's interior is also inspired by the Ioniq 5, with two 12,3-inch screens placed side by side in a cabin filled to the brim with recycled materials.
Beyond those few specs, though, we don't know much about the sedan. Hyundai has said it expects the Ioniq 6 to go on sale in the first half of 2023, and rumors suggest it will be priced lower than the Tesla Model 3, but it's the only other information we have at the moment.
(*6*) The automaker is hard at work developing an Ioniq 7 electric SUV in conjunction with preparations for the proper launch of the Ioniq 6, so perhaps we'll hear more about the latter with all the news about the former. Either way, it looks like Hyundai will take several more stellar years to disrupt the growing electric car market.
If you want to learn more about the other new electric vehicles on the roads in 2022 and beyond, check out our breakdown of the all-electric DeLorean DMC and our analysis of the impressive new Mercedes EQXX range record.