Two and a half years after showing off the stunning Prophecy concept, Hyundai has unveiled the production Ioniq 6 electric sedan ahead of its on-sale date later this year. While the Ioniq 6’s distinctive styling is sure to be divisive, it certainly stands apart from the crowd and fits in well alongside the existing Ioniq 5. If the Ioniq 5 looks like a 1980s hatchback concept come to life, the Ioniq 6 is a wack ’90s show car made real.
The Ioniq 6’s design is definitely busier than the Prophecy concept, but the overall shape and theme are intact. Its sloping silhouette helps give the Ioniq 6 a drag coefficient of 0.21, matching the Lucid Air and beating the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model 3. The arc of the roofline and side windows does make the Ioniq 6’s rear end look droopy from some angles, but I’m into the look — it’s reminiscent of a Citroën DS or a cool old Tatra, not to mention something like a Porsche 911. Its body surfacing is extremely clean, with a single crisp rising line in the lower sill, and the side skirts and lower bumper sections have a contrasting gray finish. I love the subtle curvature of the D-pillar as it flows into the tailgate, meeting the wide, smooth rear fender.
The Ioniq 6 has over 700 parametric pixel lights.
Hyundai
A thin black band runs along the peak of the front bumper, hiding all the necessary sensors and cameras as well as lights that show the car’s state of charge. There’s a single slim intake in the lower bumper that uses active shutters and is flanked by black trapezoidal inserts at the edges of the bumper that hide more air curtains. The short hood has some nice sculpting, and the headlights contain the same pixel-style LEDs as the Ioniq 5 but housed in a more angry-looking surround. But the rear end is when things really get weird. There’s a nice, small ducktail spoiler above a pixel taillight bar that spans the width of the back and comes to a point at each edge. The complex lower bumper has vertical strakes and additional pixel lights, like on the Prophecy concept, as well as air intakes at the corners. The strangest (and coolest) feature is the second spoiler higher up on the tailgate at the base of the window; it has a transparent panel containing more pixel lights to make up the CHMSL. In total there are over 700 “parametric pixels” on the car, and the Ioniq 6 also debuts Hyundai’s new H badge.
While not as radical as the exterior, the Ioniq 6’s cabin is still freakin’ cool. The upper dashboard is mostly the same as the Ioniq 5, with a pair of 12-inch screens merged together in one display mounted above a band of air vents that runs the length of the dash. Instead of an open area below the climate control panel, where the Ioniq 5 has a movable floating center console, the Ioniq 6 has a higher bridge-style center tunnel that contains storage cubbies and window controls, and there’s a large open space below the bridge. The Ioniq 6 uses materials like recycled PET fabric for the seats, paint derived from vegetable oils on the doors and carpets made from recycled fishing nets.
It’s one of the most aerodynamic production cars ever.
Hyundai
Like on the Ioniq 5, the steering wheel has four square dots in place of the Hyundai logo — morse code for the letter H — but on the Ioniq 6 they light up different colors, like green for when the car is charging. The door cards are fantastic, with a bar containing the speaker grilles freestanding off the ribbed door panel and a complete lack of buttons for more comfort and space. Configurable ambient interior lighting is standard, with the light softly diffused over the interior surfaces. Because the US doesn’t allow cameras instead of mirrors, our version of the Ioniq 6 will do without the rearview screens on each end of the dash. Sadly, Hyundai hasn’t released any photos of the back seat or cargo area yet, but the brand promises passengers will have tons of legroom and a flat floor.
This ambient lighting is wild.
Hyundai
We don’t know exact specs about the Ioniq 6 yet, but it rides on the same E-GMP platform used by the Kia EV6, Genesis GV60 and pretty much all of Hyundai Motor Group’s other upcoming EVs. A single-motor setup and rear-wheel drive will be standard with dual-motor all-wheel drive as an option, and the Ioniq 6 will likely use a 77.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack. As for range, expect at least 300 miles on the EPA cycle, if not more given the Ioniq 6’s aerodynamic body.
The Ioniq 6 will go on sale in the US in 2023 with a likely starting price of around $45,000. We’ll know more details when the Ioniq 6 makes its public debut at the Busan Auto Show in July, and it will be followed by the large Ioniq 7 SUV next year.
