The First Images
Between the Hyundai Inster and Kona, there is a significant gap. A gap that will naturally be filled with a model. In these photos, you see this new electric Hyundai for the first time. Now the question: is it the Hyundai Ioniq 2 or Ioniq 3?
Hyundai has one or more models in virtually every conceivable segment. If we look purely at Hyundai’s electric models, we see a nice gap. It is located between the 3.83-meter short Inster and the 4.35-meter long electric variant of the Kona. The smallest model of the electric Ioniq family, which consists of models that are not also available with a combustion engine, is the massive 4.66-meter long Ioniq 5. The gaping gap between the Inster and Kona will be filled, at least, with the car you see in this set of spy shots for the first time.
In these photos, we see a relatively compact electric Hyundai, a model that seems richly endowed with somewhat angular shapes. And with a relatively high body and a steeply sloping roofline. It is still a question whether Hyundai sees the compact EV as an electric alternative to the i20 or the Bayon, although it can of course be seen as an electrically powered solution for both models. The electric newcomer seems too small for the model name ‘Ioniq 4’. After all, it is quite possible that Hyundai will position one or more models between this new EV and the Ioniq 5. For now, we are betting on the model name Ioniq 2, but don’t bury us textually if Hyundai chooses Ioniq 3 after all.
In any case: that ‘the Hyundai Ioniq 2’ would come is of course no surprise. Not long ago, sister brand Kia conjured the EV2 Concept out of the hat, a preview of a compact electric model below the EV3. It is plausible that the Ioniq 2 shares its technology with that car, and therefore also with the EV3. That means: the modular E-GMP platform in this case with basic front-wheel drive. The Kia EV3 is available with a 58.3 kWh battery and with an 81.4 kWh large one. Perhaps the large battery is a bit too generously sized for the Ioniq 2.
You can already tell: we are still groping in the dark quite a bit. More may be announced during the IAA in Munich later this year about Hyundai’s latest compact EV, which we do not expect on the market before the second half of next year.