Following the initial market success of the Ioniq 5, Hyundai has launched another electric vehicle on the same platform, the Ioniq 6.
On July 13, Hyundai Motor officially launched the Ioniq 6 into the public eye, which is the second pure electric vehicle of the Ioniq brand and the first sedan of the E-GMP pure electric platform. Ioniq is an exclusive pure electric brand launched by Hyundai Motor Group in 2020, which is a symbol of the group’s embrace of the pure electric wave.
On that day, Hyundai only had the Ioniq 6 on display, and it’s still a while before it goes on sale. It is reported that the car will start local pre-sale in South Korea on the 28th of this month, and the price is expected to be between 55 million won and 65 million won (approximately RMB 283,000 to 334,000). Delivery will officially start in September, and it will be launched in Europe and North America from the end of this year and the first half of next year, respectively.
But Hyundai did not say when the Ioniq 6 would go on sale in China, currently the world’s largest electric vehicle market. In the first half of this year alone, domestic new energy passenger vehicles (EV and PHEV) sold 2.248 million units, a year-on-year increase of 122.5%, and there is a high probability that it will exceed 5 million units throughout the year. But in the world’s largest new energy vehicle market, the voice of Hyundai has not been heard for a long time.
Not only has IONIQ 6 not decided when to be listed in China, but even IONIQ 5, the first pure electric vehicle of IONIQ brand, has not been listed in China so far, and this vehicle has been sold outside China in succession last year, and has shown great competitiveness.
Especially in the U.S. market, Hyundai Motor Group has successively surpassed Ford and general motors to become the second largest electric vehicle manufacturer in the United States after Tesla.
According to foreign media reports, in the first half of this year, Hyundai, Kia and Guinness Seth brands sold 34518 electric vehicles in the United States, surpassing Ford’s 22979 sales, but lower than Tesla. The key to the emergence of modern cars in the all electric field is attributed to the hot sales of IONIQ 5
The length of this car is only 4635mm, and its shape is more like a compact SUV, but its wheelbase has reached 3000mm, which is even far beyond the wheelbase performance of many mainstream medium-sized SUVs. This determines that IONIQ 5’s spatial performance will far exceed that of its peers, and it is also one of its biggest selling points.
Another killer of IONIQ 5 is its ultra-high charging efficiency. The reason is that it is equipped with an 800V overcharge platform, which can support a maximum charging power of 350kW. The official said that it can charge the power from 10% to 80% within 18 minutes, which can greatly alleviate users’ endurance anxiety, but it should be based on the popularity of overcharge piles.
The success of IONIQ 5 also benefits from the relatively loose competitive environment in the U.S. market. The pure electric market in the United States didn’t become popular until nearly a year or two, but there are still few models for consumers to choose from. Most of them are small and outdated, such as the Nissan LEAF launched 10 years ago.
Moreover, many American consumers have developed aesthetic fatigue towards Tesla. The appearance of IONIQ 5 has made these users feel refreshing, and its price is more competitive than Tesla, which has experienced several rounds of price increases since last year.
With the launch of IONIQ 6, Hyundai’s sense of presence in the field of pure electricity is bound to be stronger. Foreign media have pointed out that IONIQ 6 is the strongest killer of model 3. I don’t know how musk will react after reading it.
Indeed, the first impression IONIQ 6 gives in terms of appearance design is that it has a clear sense of separation from other models of Hyundai, which is more in line with people’s psychological expectations of pure trams – more sporty and high-end.
IONIQ 6 adopts the new streamlined design concept “electronic streamer” designed by Hyundai for electric vehicles, achieving an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.21cd, which is the lowest value of modern vehicles in the history.
With the support of e-gmp platform, IONIQ 6’s body size is 4855mm long, 1880mm wide and 1495mm high, but the wheelbase has reached 2950mm, showing a unique slender shape and fashionable and elegant appearance. At first glance, this car God seems to surpass Porsche.
Thanks to the ultra-low wind drag coefficient, the energy consumption of IONIQ 6 is about less than 14kwh/100km, and officials say it is one of the most energy-saving models on the market. The car has two battery options: 53kwh standard battery pack and 77.4kwh long-range battery pack. Under the wltp standard, the maximum range of a single charge can exceed 610km.
The power options are also divided into two drive versions and all drive versions. The maximum power is 239kw, the maximum torque is 605nm, and the acceleration time of 100km is only 5.1 seconds.
The next parameter is the point – the Ioniq 6 will come with 800V charging as standard, while being compatible with 400V charging without the need for additional components or adapters. According to the official introduction, when using a 350kW charging pile for charging, the Ioniq 6 can be charged from 30% to 80% in just 14 minutes.
In addition, like the previous Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 6 has a vehicle-mounted external power supply function (V2L), which is also known as the reverse charging function. This feature is ideal for powering essentials during a power outage, while camping or outdoors.
In addition to the external power port, another power port is located under the rear seats in the car and can charge laptops, mobile phones and other devices. The interior of the vehicle is also equipped with 4 Type-C ports and 1 USB port. All in all, the Ioniq 6 is full of various convenience features.
It is worth entioning that the Ioniq 6 also supports OTA for the whole vehicle. Through OTA technology, some software such as the driving motor, automatic driving, and battery of the vehicle can be upgraded to keep the vehicle frequently used and new. The whole car OTA has now become an important consideration for consumers when purchasing.
But unfortunately, this mainstream feature in the future can only be provided to users by Tesla and a number of new forces, and few traditional car companies can do it. Hyundai may use this function to subvert people’s inherent perception of it.
In the new energy vehicle market, Hyundai is indeed subverting people’s inherent impression of it a little bit, but Chinese consumers feel less changes.
The Hyundai and Kia brands under the Hyundai Motor Group respectively launched the Sonata and K5 hybrid versions as early as 2009, announcing their official entry into the electric vehicle market. In the first five months of this year, the sales volume of new energy vehicles of Hyundai and Kia totaled 394,000 units. From 2009 to May this year, the cumulative sales volume has exceeded the 3 million mark, reaching 300.6414 units.
Hyundai Motor Group’s sales volume of new energy vehicles hovered around 1% until 2016, and it only accelerated in 2017. Last year, it reached double-digit proportion for the first time at 11%, and the proportion has further increased since the beginning of this year. to 14.6%.
And, like Toyota, Hyundai also emphasizes all-round electrification. Among the accumulated sales of 3 million electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles accounted for the largest share, with a total of 1.875 million units sold, accounting for 62.4%; followed by pure electric vehicles, with a total of 789,000 units sold, accounting for 26.2%; Then there are plug-in hybrid vehicles, with a total of 315,000 units sold, accounting for 10.5%; and finally hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, with a total of 27,000 units sold, accounting for 0.9%.
But since the release of the Ioniq brand and its 2030 transformation plan, Hyundai Motor Group has shifted its focus to pure electric.
Excluding Kia Motors, Hyundai Motor has decided to invest 19.4 trillion won (about 15.5 billion U.S. dollars) in electrification by 2030 to expand the matrix of pure electric products and increase the scale of sales. Its plan is to launch 17 pure electric models by 2030 (11 under Hyundai Motor and 6 under Genesis), and the goal is to achieve global electric vehicle sales of 1.83 million units by 2030, accounting for a 7% share.
Moreover, Hyundai Motor is not like some other peers with empty slogans, but has produced a fruitful electrification transcript.
In 2021, Hyundai ranked fifth with a 5% global share, measured by the share of global EV companies, ahead of Tesla, Volkswagen Group, SAIC and BYD. Judging from the current growth rate, modern cars may be in a better position in the era of electrification than in the era of gasoline vehicles.
Compared with other traditional car companies, Hyundai Motor has occupied an absolute advantage in the field of electrification, but it has a fatal shortcoming, that is, it is not very good in the Chinese market. If there is no convincing achievement in the world’s largest new energy vehicle market, then its global positioning is also untenable.
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