The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Is a 320-HP Electric Sedan With Funky Teardrop Styling
Photo: Hyundai
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is coming. The all-new, all-electric sedan is part of Hyundai’s ambitious move toward distinctively stylish EVs, with underpinnings shared with the company’s Ioniq 5 as well as the Kia EV6, all built on the modular E-GMP platform. Oh! And there may even be a high-performance “N” version of the Ioniq 6 coming too. More on that in a bit.
The Ioniq 6 From the Outside
Photo: Hyundai
The first thing you notice when you look at the Ioniq 6 is the extreme teardrop silhouette. It looks like something between a first-generation Mercedes CLS and a Porsche 911. It works, both visually and functionally — a teardrop shape is the most efficient for aerodynamics, which is the name of the game for EV battery range.
Like its Ioniq 5 sibling, the 6 continues the pixellated theme in the headlights and taillights, lending it a retrofuturistic vibe.
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Photo: Hyundai
You’re also certain to notice the very long wheelbase, a tick over 116 inches, which helps make the passenger compartment as spacious as possible. Overall, the Ioniq 6 is a bit over 191 inches long and just under 59 inches tall, creating a slick exterior profile.
The Interior of the Ioniq 6
Photo: Hyundai
While the outside might be nice, the inside is where Hyundai wanted to make a splash with the 6. During the virtual vehicle preview for journalists, Hyundai representatives described the Ioniq 6 interior as “cozy” and “cocoon-like” while still feeling spacious.
Like most luxury-ish cars on sale today, the Ioniq 6 has color-changing ambient lighting, with 64 colors to choose from and separate upper and lower color zones. If that’s too much to think about, you can throw it in automatic mode, where the car will choose the colors for you based on how you’re driving.
I obviously haven’t sat in the seats, but Hyundai is all about the optional “relaxation comfort seats,” designed to chill you out after a stressful day of looking for an EV charger. Those seats are also claimed to be 30 percent thinner than standard seats, to open up even more passenger space in the interior.
Tech in the Ioniq 6
Note the small screens built into the “wings” on either end of the dashboard — those are displays for the side-view cameras. U.S. models will have conventional door-mounted mirrors instead.Photo: Hyundai
The dashboard features two 12-inch screens — one for the instrument panel, and one touch-sensitive screen for infotainment. They’re straight out of the Ioniq 5, which makes sense considering the two cars share a lot under the skin (the 6 rides on a stretched 5 platform). It’s got all the driving aids you’ve come to expect in mid-price family cars, and the Ioniq 6 will also have over-the-air updates when Hyundai wants to send you new stuff.
From the drivetrain perspective, the Ioniq 6 will use a 77.4-kWh battery pack with a promised 379-mile range. It’ll also offer 800 volt ultra-fast charging, claimed to boost the Ioniq 6 from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes, provided you can find a capable charger.
That battery will power either a rear or all-wheel-drive setup, the latter offering a total of 320 hp and 446 ft-lb of torque and enough juice for 0-62 mph in just 5.1 seconds.
When is the Ioniq 6 Coming?
Hyundai tells us production will start sometime in the third quarter of this year, but North American-spec cars won’t go into production until early 2023. The car you see here isn’t exactly what we’ll get in the U.S. — for example, our market won’t get the camera-and-screen-based side-view mirrors you see here — but Hyundai couldn’t give exact details on everything that will change on North American models.
As for a high-performance variant… Hyundai’s only comment was “never say never.” Some sort of electric N car is being revealed on July 14th, so definitely stay tuned for that. If it’s anything like the Veloster, Elantra and Kona N cars, it’ll certainly be a hoot to drive.
