Hyundai initially launched the Ioniq as a hybrid car, then as an electric one, and finally as a plug-in hybrid. But, in 2020, the company decided to relaunch it as its sub-brand that will consist of all-electric models only. Fast forward to the present day and we already have a glimpse of its first vehicle, the Ioniq 5 mid-size crossover. Hyundai released three teaser images of the Ioniq, a month before it makes its full-fledged debut.

Ioniq Background and Overview

Ioniq marks the beginning of a new era for Hyundai. Starting with the Ioniq 5, the automaker has plans to follow it up with 22 more EVs by 2025. The Ioniq moniker isn’t new. Hyundai sells the Ioniq plug-in hybrid car that comes packed with an 8.9 kWh battery pack. It is capable of running 29 miles in all-electric mode, after which it switches to the combustion engine.

The car comes with an EPA-estimated rating of 52 mpg. The powertrain combines an electric motor and a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine. The engine makes 104 ponies and 109 pound-feet of torque, whereas the motor produces 60 horses and 125 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It even comes with stuff like a sunroof, LED lights, Cruise Control, 8-inch infotainment system, and wireless charging as add-ons over the standard nothing-to-write-home-about features. The car has a starting retail price of $26,500 before federal incentives. While the Ioniq 5 is a whole different ball game, this plug-in model should give you an idea as to what you can expect from the company’s all-electric attempt.

Ioniq 5 Exterior

It came with interesting stuff like a monocoque-style body, projection beam interface, retro-futuristic fastback-styling, kinetic cube headlamps, etc. Hyundai says the Ioniq 5 includes elements like ‘Parametric Pixels’, which seems to be the design philosophy of this vehicle. There is an emphasis on the ‘digital emotions’ as well, which again seems to be a nod to the future. The Ioniq 5 comes with an aggressive face that features two sharp U-shaped LED daytime running lights on either side. This is the kinetic cube styling that was showcased on the 45 concept and might end up being full-width LED headlights.

There's the Hyundai logo on the hood, which means the Ioniq brand isn’t going solo at the moment. There are two creases on the clamshell hood angling inwards and then curving back out on the bumper which gives a smooth, yet bold look to the face. The hood sits quite wide and reduces the panel gaps to a large extent; theoretically.

Notice it from the side and you’ll it is a lot curvier than it seems when viewed from the front. Spares us from the Cybertruck-esque shape at least! The round wheel arches have a thick cladding with styling cues on them. This is a computer rendering and will most likely not make it to the production model. Hyundai has equipped it with 20-inch aero-optimized wheels.

The rear, just like the face, is bold and aggressive. The taillights are enclosed in a bar with the ‘Ioniq’ branding between them. As the theme suggests, they are in the form of pixels which may look good from far, but not so much when viewed up close. So, yeah, there’s no full-width LED taillight which seems to be the norm in EVs these days. To get onto the ‘sustainable’ wagon, the automaker will make use of eco-friendly Color Material Finish on the Ioniq 5. It’s too soon to say, but the Ioniq 5 looks quite decent from the teaser images it has revealed.

Ioniq 5 Interior

There are no images of the interior, but expect a futuristic cabin on the Ioniq 5. Instead of featuring two different screens on the dash – one for the digital instrument cluster and one for the touchscreen infotainment system – Hyundai could go for a single, large screen; similar to the 2021 Cadillac Escalade and the Lucid Air. Of course, it will be a high-tech cabin that will make the nerds go weak in their knees. Other than this, expect the cabin to be minimalistic.

Being a crossover, it won’t have a lot of real-estate, so every inch that can be utilized will matter. Hyundai also previewed four teaser videos, three of which are meant to show its prowess to work as a generator. In these videos, you can see a 220V socket inside the cabin, which seems to be placed behind the rear seats so it can be accessed easily to power other products.

Ioniq 5 Generator-Capability

Speaking of the powering capacity, these three videos showcase the ‘Ultimate Camping’ capabilities of the Ioniq 5. You can see the EV power a treadmill, an outdoor sound system, and even an oven. The automaker says that the Ioniq 5 features Vehicle-to-Load technology that functions as a general power supply (110/220V) and can dish out 3.5 kW of power. The camping, adventure, and overland setting is something all automakers are pushing, especially on their EVs. We’ve seen companies like Rivian and Tesla do the same.

Ioniq 5 Powertrain, Battery, and Range

The Ioniq 5 will be underpinned by the automaker’s new E-GMP platform. This will be the go-to platform for Hyundai for its breed of electric cars, pretty much like Volkswagen and its MEB architecture. Hyundai has confirmed in the past that the Ioniq 5 will dish out 313 horses and will come in an all-wheel-drive configuration as standard. Apart from this, there is no word on any other mechanicals. We’re yet to know the performance figures, too. But being an EV, anything in the six-second range for the 0-60 mph range should be decent.

The range is not announced, but anything in the 250-300-mile ballpark should be impressive. The fourth video in the series mentions the Ioniq 5’s charging capabilities. The company says it supports ultra-fast charging and can recuperate about 62 miles of range in five minutes, as per the WLTP standards. Furthermore, 80-percent of the battery can be recharged in 18 minutes when connected to an ultra-fast charger.

Final Thoughts

The Ioniq 5 will debut in February 2021 via a virtual event, so we should get more information on it then. As for the price, we speculate it to start in the $42,000-$58,000 bracket, placing it above the Hyundai Kona electric in the hierarchy. Placing it in the sub-$40,000 range will make it an attractive proposition, but it won’t come across as a premium brand and will cannibalize into the Kona’s sales.