Hyundai keeps hitting home runs with its EVs. Every electric car it sells is a sales hit, and it doesn’t take a data engineer to see why. All you have to do is look at them. The company’s design department is killing it right now, pushing out some of the most interesting-looking cars I’ve seen from a “normal” brand in decades.
That department has yet another hit on its hands, as far as I’m concerned. Its latest creation, the Ioniq Three, is a concept introduced at IAA meant to preview its new B-segment small car for Europe. It’s giving miniature shooting brake vibes, and I’m in love.
Hyundai describes this design language as “Art of Steel,” harkening back to its capacity as a large-scale producer of the stuff. The company describes the sharper lines—like on the fascia and along the sides of the body—as reminiscent of the “aesthetic quality of steel.” To me, this car feels like an amalgamation of Hyundai and Kia products in one car.
Here’s what I mean: The front’s thin headlights are extremely Sonata-esque. The sides, meanwhile, sort of remind me of the angular body panels seen on the sides of the Elantra. The back end, with its falling roofline and abrupt cutoff, is very similar to an EV6. In some ways, the car’s overall shape somewhat feels like a Honda CRZ—a hybrid hatchback from Honda that never got the love it deserved.
The Ioniq Three’s longer nose and bigger wheel arches give it more of a shooting brake stance, though, which I adore. The yellow-tinted glass for the cabin and the rear wing is fun, too. It matches well with the interior, a yellow and grey smorgasbord of fun angles and pixelated displays (including one on the steering wheel that smiles back at you).
Hyundai describes that face as “Mr. Pix,” a persona programmed within the Ioniq Three that offers “playful storytelling through ‘hidden surprises’ and interactive design elements.” That could be fun or unnerving, depending on your age and how much you rely on Chat GPT to get through the day. The square screens on the dash are also customizable, allowing them to display different features depending on what the driver wants to see in front of them. Hyundai cleverly describes them as “Bring Your Own Lifestyle (BYOL)” widgets.
There’s no telling how much of the design the upcoming production-spec Ioniq 3 (the number, not spelled out) will borrow from the Three concept, though, considering Hyundai’s past transitions from concept to production, there’s a very good chance the road-going hatch will reflect what you see here. And that makes me happy. Even if it’s just an unexciting economy hatch, cars should look fresh and exciting. Hyundai’s smart about this, and it has yet to fumble with one of its EVs. I don’t see that changing here.
Not like I’m likely to ever see the Ioniq 3 in person. While Hyundai hasn’t said where it plans to sell the small hatchback, here’s a nice, big section in its press release talking about the importance of the European market for the brand (did you know that 80 percent of Hyundais sold in Europe are also built there?) That, combined with America’s apathy for all things not shaped like a RAV4 or an F-150, suggests the company has no plans to bring the Ioniq 3 stateside.
That’s a shame, considering this car is supposed to be the spiritual successor to the Hyundai Veloster, the company’s funky three-door hatchback sold here from 2011 to 2022, culminating in the Veloster N, one of the best hot hatches I’ve ever driven. While I didn’t expect this electric car to live up to the N driving-wise, it would’ve been nice to see a return of the Hyundai hatch to American soil. Alas, we can’t all get what we want.
The post I Pray The Production Hyundai Ioniq 3 Looks Exactly Like This Concept appeared first on The Autopian.
