By: Motoring Staff
Hyundai’s Ioniq, the brand’s upcoming hybrid/electric car, has been partially revealed ahead of its imminent launch.
The Korean carmaker recently announced that the innovative alternative-fuel compact vehicle will be launched in Korea later this month before being shown to the world at the Geneva motor show in March.
Hyundai’s new green car, built to take on rivals like the Prius hybrid and the electric Nissan Leaf, combines head-turning good looks with class-leading aerodynamic performance. Hyundai Motor has confirmed that the Ioniq will be the world’s first car to offer a choice of three economical and ultra-low-emission powertrains: full electric, plug-in petrol-electric hybrid, or petrol-electric hybrid.
The hybrid versions will mate a 77kW 1.6-litre direct injection petrol engine to a 32kW electric motor.
With a sleek, coupé-like silhouette and numerous eye-catching details, the Ioniq will deliver a fun and responsive driving experience while also meeting the needs of those wishing to reduce the impact their motoring has on the environment, says Hyundai.
“Hyundai Motor’s designers have therefore created an exterior design that is rich in emotional appeal, as well as making a significant contribution to meeting the car’s environmentally-focused brief,” says a company spokesman.
He claims it will deliver better highway fuel economy than the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid.
Hyundai Motor is already one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hybrid and low- or zero-emission vehicles. In 2013, the company became the first car manufacturer to mass-produce a hydrogen-fuelled vehicle, the ix35 Fuel Cell.
The Ioniq’s name is a portmanteau of the words “unique” and “ion”, the latter being an electrically-charged atom which references the car’s combination of electrified powertrains.
We’ll give more details about the Ioniq once it’s officially unveiled later this month.
Star Motoring