Hyundai Motor Company today announced the launch of its new Ioniq brand dedicated to battery electric vehicles. Under the Ioniq brand, Hyundai will offer “customer centric EV experiences centered on connected lifestyle solutions in line with Hyundai’s vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’”.

Under the Ioniq brand, Hyundai Motor says it will leverage its manufacturing know-how in EVs to introduce three new dedicated models over the next four years, with more innovative models to follow. The company says the creation of the Ioniq brand is in response to fast-growing market demand and accelerates its plan to lead the global EV market.

To fulfil Ioniq’s brand mission, Hyundai will combine its current EV capabilities – such as ultra-fast charging, spacious interior, and battery-supplied power – with future innovations that combine design, technologies and services to integrate in-car and out-of-car experiences for a seamless journey.

“The Ioniq brand will change the paradigm of EV customer experience,” said Wonhong Cho, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Hyundai Motor Company. “With a new emphasis on connected living, we will offer electrified experiences integral to an eco-friendly lifestyle.”

Rebirth of Ioniq

Hyundai first introduced the term Ioniq, which fuses “ion” and “unique”, when it announced Project Ioniq, a long-term research and development project focused on eco-friendly mobility. Based on the project, Hyundai in 2016 introduced a vehicle named Ioniq, the world’s first and only model to offer a choice of three electrified powertrain options – hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and battery electric – within a single body type.

The Ioniq brand was conceived “to fuse life changing mobility with environmental performance and has so far been in instrumental in delivering progress electrified”. Hyundai says Ioniq will “continue to create a new balance in clean mobility synchronising eco-products within an eco-system of lifestyle solutions bringing connected living to a new generation”.

Ioniq 5 / Ioniq 6 / Ioniq 7

Hyundai will be launching a range of numerically named EVs under the new brand, with the even numbers used for sedans and the odd numbers for SUVs.

The first model under the Ioniq brand will be the Ioniq 5 midsize CUV that will launch in early 2021. Ioniq 5 is based on the concept EV ‘45’, which Hyundai unveiled at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2019 in Frankfurt as a homage to its very first concept car. Ioniq 5’s designers “took inspiration from the past and integrated it with cutting-edge parametric pixels, a unique design element that Hyundai designers will continue to incorporate into future Ioniq models”.

In 2022, Hyundai will introduce Ioniq 6 sedan, which is based on the company’s latest concept EV ‘Prophecy’, unveiled in March; followed by Ioniq 7, a large SUV in early 2024.

Hyundai says Ioniq vehicles’ designs will have a common theme of ‘Timeless Value’. The vehicles will be “inspired by past models, but they will be a bridge to the future”.

E-GMP platform

Ioniq brand models will sit on an Electric Global Modular Platform, known as E-GMP, designed to enable fast charging capability and plentiful driving range.

Hyundai says the EV-dedicated platform will allow it to reimagine the vehicle interior as “smart living space” with highly adjustable seats, wireless connectivity and unique features such as a glove box designed as drawers.

Strategy 2025

Hyundai Motor Group recently announced that the group aims to sell 1 million units of battery electric vehicles and take 10 percent share to become a leader in the global EV field by 2025.

Under Strategy 2025, Hyundai Motor Company itself aims to become the world’s third-largest automaker of eco-friendly vehicles by 2025, with 560,000 BEV sales in addition to FCEV sales. The company says the launch of the Ioniq brand dedicated to EV models reinforces its commitment to clean mobility and reflects its ongoing transformation as a Smart Mobility Solution Provider with zero-emissions solutions.