Nobody say Veloster. Curiously, given that this design team has at times had fun with the brand’s heritage, Hyundai people aren’t mentioning their 2012-vintage asymmetric coupe. You know, the one with two doors on one side and one on the other—it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure. Well, it’s what we’re seeing.
Anyway, looking forward, this is the Hyundai Ioniq Concept THREE. Capitalization is theirs, not ours. It’s a preview of Ioniq’s hatchback EV for next year. If you want to slot it up against a rival, think Volkswagen ID.3.
The concept was unveiled at the Munich show. The real thing will emerge in showrooms and on roads shortly after. Prototypes in black plastic disguise are already on the roads. And yes, they have the conventional door count: Five! It’ll use Hyundai-Kia’s 800V platform for long range and fast charging.
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The design is very much aero-led, with a sloping rear end to guide airflow with ease over the roof and tail, with a ducktail spoiler for clean air separation. Hyundai’s familiar pixel lights are well to the fore, with new brightness gradients for a 3D effect.
The form language they’re calling ‘art of steel,’ a nod to the fact that Hyundai’s uncommon level of vertical integration even extends to making its own steel. Those steels include alloys that allow deeply drawn pressings: ‘Powerful but gentle’ forms, according to the designers.
Inside, the look is simple and calming. It cuts back on big dominating displays in favor of popping the info out through multiple little blocks.
You certainly wouldn’t confuse the look of this, inside or out, with any other hatch. The Koreans’ confident design adventure continues.
The production car’s HMI won’t be quite so out-there, but it will be a step on from Hyundai’s current setup (itself pretty usable), thanks to a new underlying operating system and collaborations with many outside developers, several of them big names in consumer apps. ‘Pleos’ also integrates many fundamental car functions and connectivity.
In a previous news story, we explained Hyundai’s rationale for getting into cheap EVs. Some 80% of the cars it sells in Europe are made in Europe, and it wants to keep up that proportion with EVs here.
Well, let’s say cheaper rather than cheap—cheap is the Inster’s job. Indeed, you sense they don’t quite know an exact price for this car, and so we gather they might at the last minute end up calling it Ioniq 2 because they got the price down, or Ioniq 4 if not.
And also, prices will be determined by whether or not this becomes the first EV to be built at the company’s factory in Turkey. Which sources say it might be. Or not. Decisive, huh.
In light of global tariff shakeups and uncertain EV demand, Hyundai is shaking up its strategy for EVs. But if history is a guide, once they settle on the new direction, they'll go there inexorably.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
