Hyundai has been operational in China as Beijing Hyundai. The company currently sells two sedans, three SUVs and an MPV in Dragonland. For the first time ever, Beijing Hyundai is venturing into EV space and has teased an electric SUV ahead of launch. Looking at it, one could speculate that it might be Hyundai’s version of Kia EV5. Let’s take a closer look.
Hyundai Ioniq 4 – Is this it?
Hyundai and Kia are on the verge of establishing themselves as the leaders in world’s EV stage. Both brands have been launching more EVs now than they ever did. For the first time, Hyundai is venturing into China’s EV space, which is the biggest EV market in the world, with a new electric SUV.
Where design is concerned, the recently teased Hyundai Ioniq 4 gets Ioniq 6 inspired headlights and a flat line below it and EV6 inspired LED tail light signature (but inverted). We can see a boxy silhouette along with thick C Pillars. In this teaser, it can seen drifting and performing stunts on snow, while being fully camouflaged.
This electric SUV from Hyundai might be positioned on their global E-GMP skateboard, which also underpins Kia’s global EVs. Speculations suggest that Hyundai might call it Ioniq 4 and position it under Ioniq 5. It looks much more like an SUV than what Ioniq 5 did, a similar strategy seen in Kia EV5 when compared to an EV6.
One could even say that Ioniq 4 (name not confirmed) might be Hyundai’s version of EV5. Come to think about it, Kia primarily designed EV5 for Asian markets like China. Both (Ioniq 4 and EV5) get tall SUV silhouettes with strong and muscular profiling. While they have same design ethos, Ioniq 4 and EV5 look worlds apart, which is the case with Ioniq 5 and EV6 as well.
What to expect?
For context, Kia EV5 measures 4,615 mm in length, 1,875 mm in width, 1,715 mm in height and gets a 2,750 mm long wheelbase. The recently teased new Hyundai electric SUV might pack similar dimensions. It may be China-only at launch and perspectives of it launching in more markets will probably open up later.
While powertrain details are not known, similar powertrain options as Kia EV5 might be a possibility. A Standard 64 kWh battery with 215 bhp electric motor, Long Range 88 kWh battery with 215 bhp electric motor and a 88 kWh battery with a dual motor 310 bhp AWD setup are likely.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
