It’s been ready and waiting for a long time.
Admittedly, we quite liked the Hyundai Prophecy concept. It was low-slung, pretty, and simple. It also had a little bit of a Porsche vibe to it, which is no bad thing. Then the spy shots came along. The look of the production car, now called the Hyundai Ioniq 6, had totally changed.
For now, though, we can’t say if it’s for the better or not as we haven’t yet seen the finished product. Despite that, the ride height has grown significantly and that elegantly swooping back end seems to have disappeared. However, what we can say is that the Ioniq 6 has been done for a lot longer than anyone thought, and its debut is just around the corner.
Speaking to Autocar, Hyundai design head SangYup Lee said he did have some explanations for the new look. “The car gets taller because of the skateboard platform. And the design maximizes the interior space. There’s also a lot of aerodynamic improvement on the car.” The body had to be lengthened by an inch and the bumper and lights had to be restyled on the way to production. Regardless, Lee stated the car has “been done for a long time.”
We can clearly see in our spy shots that the front and rear fascias of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 have indeed been restyled. The lights get a totally new look, and the shape of the rear seems to be much more conventional. However, a larger battery is rumored, up from 72.6kWh to 77.4kWh. Thankfully, that 77kWh pack is in use in the Kia EV6, and we’re expecting around the same 200-300 mile range.
By all accounts, it looks to us like the sleek concept has gone the way of the dodo, but Lee suggests otherwise, maintaining that “the Ioniq 6 is in the spirit of the Prophecy” despite the changes. We already know that the Ioniq 6 is the second of three new models used to launch the Ioniq sub-brand, and will be followed by the Ioniq 7, a three-row SUV that could take on luxury giants.
All three will leverage Hyundai’s E-GMP architecture, which already underpins the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60. While Hyundai has yet to announce the day of the debut, we expect it sometime very soon, judging by Lee’s comments.
