Hyundai has always been a popular choice amongst car buyers in India, but the company’s electric offering, the Kona, didn’t exactly set the sales charts on fire when it was launched. Things are different now, with Hyundai having created the E-GMP modular platform which would allow greater scalability for the company’s electric models. With the E-GMP platform, Hyundai is promising to bring eight BEVs (battery operated electric vehicles) to India by 2028 and the IONIQ 6 is likely to be the next model to be introduced after the IONIQ 5 which is due to launch this year. And while we don’t have the technical details of the EV just yet, it is likely that it will share its powertrain with its sibling, with bumped up power outputs and a more range on a full charge.
Futuristic designs have always been a theme with Hyundai’s IONIQ models in particular and the IONIQ 6 is no different with its swooping silhouette that Hyundai calls the Electrified Slipstreamer. The shape of the IONIQ is a curved one which looks aerodynamic – in fact from some angles, the silhouette may also remind you of the recent generations of the Volkswagen Beetle. Hyundai say that the IONIQ 6 is inspired by their own Prophecy EV concept and it also wears a new ‘H’ Hyundai emblem along with over 700 Parametric Pixels used in the places like headlamps, rear combination lamps and air vent garnishes for illumination. The swooping design of the IONIQ 6 is only aided by the optional digital side mirrors, and the design has plenty of aerodynamic touches like the active air flaps, wheel gap reducers and the elliptical wing-inspired spoiler with a winglet, which gives the IONIQ a drag coefficient of just 0.21.
Hyundai claims that the interiors of the IONIQ 6 are designed to comfort like a cocoon, and the EV is underpinned by the E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) which liberated space in the cabin for passengers, thanks to a flat floor. The design is dominated by a modular touchscreen dashboard with a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 12-inch digital cluster. Dual colour ambient lighting is present on the IONIQ 6 and users can choose from 64 colour choices and six dual colour themes. The steering wheel also gets 4-dot interactive lights on it and the wheel itself is reminiscent of that present on the Kia EV6.
The cabin itself is largely devoid of buttons and you get transparent accents on the crash pad garnish, the door map pockets and the lower cover of the console. The most interesting fact has to be the use of sustainable materials on the interior (and even the exterior).
Hyundai has only unveiled the design and the interiors of IONIQ 6 and while we do not have the technical details of the EV yet, we can expect it slot above the Ioniq 5, which comes with the choice of a rear-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive setup backed by either a 58kWh or a 72.6kWh battery pack on the international-spec model. The latter is the long-range model which gets 301bhp and 605Nm of torque and to put things into perspective, the specs of the IONIQ 6 should be identical to the IONIQ 5’s, if not bumped up.
It is yet to be officially confirmed whether the IONIQ 6 will be making its way to India, but the thought of Hyundai mounting an electric model offensive in India is a very interesting thought indeed!