Hyundai unveils stunning Ioniq 6

It really is something to look at, isn’t it? It’s a faithful development of the Hyundai Prophecy Concept of 2020, though this seems to have more of a ‘Hyundai’ feel, in a good way. Comparisons and contrasts abound so we’ll give our two cents: it’s kind of a mix of original Mercedes CLS, a bit of Porsche Taycan and a pleasant amount of Saab, at the back at least. And yet the Ioniq 6 is far from a pastiche, with an entirely original feel.

The goal was to revive the old streamliners in the Ioniq 6, with aerodynamic efficiency informing that distinctive shape. That low nose, smooth teardrop shape and wing work at the back result in an incredible 0.21 drag coefficient. There are active flaps at the front which play a stunning double-wing at the rear, with what Hyundai describes as a ‘slight boat-tail structure’.

The pixel theme continues from the fantastic Ioniq 5, with 700 Parametric Pixels, in sensors, the front and rear lamps, vent garnishes and more. That rear again is incredibly distinctive, with the wrap-around light bar that’s in no way reminiscent of other cars that are on the trend and the lighting on the top wing.

There’s no sign of Germanic cookie-cutter design language though, and this is very deliberate. Hyundai’s analogy is of a chess board. The pieces don’t look alike from one to the next in the strictest sense. A pawn isn’t simply a small version of the queen. But they are part of the same family. Each model gets a unique appearance, as opposed to ‘one-style-fits-all’. A big thumbs up from us on that front.

On the inside, the Ioniq 6 is a little more recognisable, with certain switchgear carried over from sibling models. There are twin 12-inch screens for the driver’s display and infotainment, while lower room is enormous thanks to the skateboard architecture with no transmission tunnel. The long wheelbase as in the Ioniq 5 makes for a truly expansive cabin area.

Lots of eco-friendly and innovative materials have been used in the Ioniq 6, with recycled PET fabrics and bio TPO skin for the dashboard. The carpet is made, of all things, out of recovered recycled fishing nets. Hyundai says the Ioniq 6’s cabin is designed to promote mindfulness, with Dual Colour Ambient Lighting with six themes developed around relaxation.

There’s no word on any numbers for the Ioniq 6 yet – no range, price, power or performance. The full reveal is due in July, though we do know it sits upon Hyundai’s E-GMP platform that also underpins the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. We expect similar if somewhat improved numbers compared to the Ioniq 5 and possibly a high-performance variant with figures in line with the 585PS (430kW) Kia EV6 GT that was just revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.