Hyundai Ioniq Concepts: Made For China

Hyundai has been selling electric vehicles in the United States and most of the world under the Ioniq name for a few years now. The models feature distinct designs that are all connected through the brand’s signature pixel lightning elements, but China is getting something completely different when the first Ioniq-branded cars arrive.   

Hyundai has unveiled two new concepts, Venus and Earth, that preview the Ioniq brand’s design in China. The Venus is a sleek sedan, while the Earth is a chunky SUV, and what connects these two vehicles is their single-curve silhouettes.  

While the two vehicles are quite unique, their interiors look like those of any other modern electric vehicle. The sedan has a massively wide dashboard screen, a driver-focused cabin, and zero buttons. There are also chrome-gold accents and layered mood lighting.   

The SUV looks quite similar, but the center screen is smaller, and we can see that the rear seats swivel, which have “air-hug” seats with “soft air modules.” The mood lighting in the Earth mimics tree shadows.   
Hyundai did not provide any powertrain details, instead calling the two concepts a “barometer” for Ioniq’s future design language in the market. One aspect of the concepts that will make it to production is the names.   

The automaker said it will name future Ioniq models after “planets” to create a “universe” of models, but it looks more like a solar system to us. Hyundai unveiled the vehicles ahead of China’s Beijing Auto Show on April 24. 

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Source: Hyundai

Motor1’s Take: Hyundai is famous for making drastic styling changes when it launches new models, and the Venus and Earth concepts do not disappoint. They are a wild departure from Ioniq’s current design language, and look stunning, but the lack of buttons throughout the cabin would not fly with American customers.