The Ioniq is Hyundai's answer to the Toyota Prius and we already have the new-gen car in India already. It boasts of the same hatch-like profile of the Prius but Hyundai's fluidic exterior design sets it apart from its competitor. Thanks to the aerodynamic design, the Ioniq boasts of a 0.24 drag co-efficient. The front of the Ioniq Hybrid gets Hyundai's signature hexagonal grille and vertical C-shaped LED daytime running lights. There's also low-beam LED headlamps, an integrated charging portal into the left front fender for the lithium-ion polymer battery and model-specific 16" alloy wheels.
The cabin of the Ioniq too is also interesting as it gets an all-black treatment with matte-silver highlights. Hyundai always wanted to make the Ioniq an eco-friendly car and this one is in the true sense of the term. All the materials used inside are eco-friendly, for example, the raw materials extracted from sugarcane have been applied on the headliner and carpet. The interior door pads are made of plastic combined with powdered wood and volcanic stone. This incorporation also helps Hyundai in saving weight. Inside is also a high-definition 7 inch TFT information cluster that displays data like the speedometer, drive mode and fuel level. Yes, it is the future on a platter and what powers it is no different.
Hyundai's zero emissions Ioniq platform is available with three distinct electrified powertrains - hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric but it's the plug-in hybrid version that'll make its way to India. Estimated to have an all-electric range of 50 km, the Ioniq plug-in hybrid is powered by an 8.9kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. The electric motor churns out about 59 bhp and of course the petrol engine adds to that figure. The Ioniq comes with a 1.6 litre, 4 cylinder petrol engine good enough for 105 bhp and developing 147 Nm of torque.
We expect it to come to India via the CBU route and that's why the price of the car might be as high as Rs. 35 lakh. So, yes it's a bit out of reach but it's good to see some leading manufacturers get into the game of plug-in hybrid cars in India and we hope this trend will continue in the years to come.
