Hyundai’s future glows bright with IONIQ Electric and Kona Hybrid
On track to achieving a 75 per cent electrified fleet by next year – Hyundai is accelerating into the future with two new variants of their IONIQ and Kona models
Hyundai’s burgeoning image as a manufacturer of desirable, practical and stylish cars has taken another step forward with two new variants of their IONIQ and Kona models. Both further the Korean giant’s ambition to have 75 per cent of its fleet electrified in some way by next year. The two cars also cement the carefully crafted image that has been built up slowly and steadily since the carmaker entered the European and American markets in the 1980s.
Now the epitome of a modern car company, Hyundai began life as a construction firm back in 1947. These days, the various Hyundai businesses, including shipbuilding, shopping malls, robotics and heavy engineering, add up to the largest corporate entity in Korea, a technological and industrial behemoth in one of the world’s most sophisticated economies.
Hyundai was relatively late in its adoption of branding and marketing. Once known for efficient but unexciting cars, it has worked hard to turn things around. These days, epic cinematic ad campaigns make a credible stab at presenting Hyundai as a caring, sharing multinational. More importantly, its automotive offerings are consistently excellent. All that’s missing is the heart-tugging emotions deployed so effectively by the heritage brands. But as the industry transitions to zero-emissions, the touchstones of traditional heritage are becoming less and less desirable.
Together, the IONIQ Electric and Kona Hybrid aren’t offering anything particularly new in terms of aesthetics and both already exist with other powertrains. The IONIQ is the larger of the two, a quietly well put together large hatchback in the Prius mold; this could be your next Uber ride. The Kona is pitched at private buyers, a modestly sized crossover with a modishly rugged exterior. Both cars are well equipped, functioning seamlessly and effectively without troubling the eye or impeding the mind. The IONIQ’s drivetrain is silent and silky smooth, as an EV should be, while the Kona’s hybrid system also does a great job of concealing the electronic back and forth between the battery, motors and the 1.6 litre petrol engine. Hyundai are pushing their new Bluelink technology, which effectively tethers the car to your smartphone, updates you on charge, unlocking, cabin temperature, etc. It’s not a new idea, but it’s rare to find this level of connectivity at this price.
Hyundai’s electrification strategy was recently given a boost when the company joined IONITY, a fast-charging network across Europe that was set up by BMW, Daimler AG, Ford, VW and Porsche as a riposte to Tesla’s Supercharger system. Although the newly unveiled i10 city car offers even more of the refined, planted and safely civil design the company has become known for, there’s a strong hint that aesthetic change is on the way. The new 45 EV concept car shown at this year’s Frankfurt Show indicates a radical swing away from flowing Far Eastern curves towards a more hard-edges, retro-futuristic angular look. Sources say it doesn’t preview a specific model but is instead indicative of shapes to come.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Inside Valentino’s glamorous new Sloane Street store, inspired by the art of haute couture
The latest in Valentino’s ‘The New Maison’ store concept opens on London’s Sloane Street this week, offering an enveloping marble and carpet-clad space of ‘intimacy and uniqueness’
By Jack Moss Published
-
Aesop’s Salone del Mobile 2024 installations in Milan are multisensory experiences
Aesop has partnered with Salone del Mobile to launch a series of installations across Milan, tapping into sight, touch, taste, and scent
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Dial into the Boring Phone and more smartphone alternatives
From the deliberately dull new Boring Phone to Honor’s latest hook-up with Porsche, a host of new devices that do the phone thing slightly differently
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Vauxhall Corsa Electric brings the modest model upmarket
Car-share convenience or the burden of automotive ownership? The Vauxhall Corsa Electric goes high-tech to help sway the undecided
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Mighty Kia EV9 is the brand’s biggest electric vehicle. How does it scale up to its rivals?
We take the Kia EV9 – now in showrooms, in a wide range of versions – for a spin to see how the revitalised company handles the design of a big SUV
By Guy Bird Published
-
Toyota bz4X SUV is the marque’s first pure electric vehicle
The Toyota bz4X is our first chance to explore how the long-standing masters of mass automobile production make an EV
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Rivian R2 and R3 downsize a format to increase the EV company’s standings
The Californian manufacturer has revealed the new Rivian R2 and R3, all-electric SUVs that combine practicality with functional elegance
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Microcar madness: three new ultra-compact electric city cars
These two-seater electric microcars are the ultimate errand machines, designed for short hops and small spaces, all with a minimal footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
CES 2024 was a showcase for how to shoehorn AI into next-generation cars
CES 2024 in Las Vegas underlined that future mobility will be shaped by AI, like it or not, as intelligent assistants emerge to guide, plan and converse with their human cargo
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Hyundai Kona EV is no aesthetic knock-out, but should you really care?
The Hyundai Kona EV sneaks unconventional thinking into the mainstream, cloaking excellent tech in wilfully awkward forms
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Year in review: the top 10 cars of 2023, as selected by Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell
What were the best four-wheeled offerings of 2023? Transport editor Jonathan Bell takes us through the year’s most intriguing automobiles
By Jonathan Bell Published