Hyundai launches Ioniq 5

At Auto Expo 2023, Hyundai launched the Ioniq 5 crossover at an introductory price of ₹44.95 lakh (ex-showroom) for the first 500 customers. This makes it ₹16 lakh cheaper than its cousin model — the Kia EV6. The Ioniq 5 is Hyundai’s second electric offering for India after the Kona EV, which has been on sale here since 2019. Bookings for the crossover are already underway for ₹1 lakh.

In 2022, Ioniq 5 won the World Design of the Year and World Electric Car of the Year awards, with the top honour – the 2022 World Car of the Year award. It was first previewed as the 45 EV concept at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the final production model draws inspiration from the retro-futuristic design language of the concept.

The retro look of the Ioniq 5 features sharp lines, flat surfaces and SUV-ish stance, but with highly raked windscreens. The headlights and tail-lights get a unique pixelated look and the 20-inch aero-optimised wheels feature a turbine-like design. Hyundai is offering the Ioniq 5 in three shades — Gravity Gold Matte, Optic White and Midnight Black Pearl.

The Ioniq 5’s interior is minimalistic — it gets a flat floor, flexible seats and a movable centre console and fabric made from recycled plastic and eco-friendly leather for upholstery.

In terms of equipment, the Ioniq 5 gets a pair of 12.3-inch screens for the instrument cluster and touchscreen, heads-up display with augmented reality functions and ADAS tech. Additionally, it gets vehicle-to-load function with an output of 3.6kW, which can power-up electrical appliances like laptops and mobiles. This function can be used via two ports – one located under the rear seats and another outside the car, near the charging port.

The Ioniq 5 is powered by a 72.6kWh battery, which will give it an ARAI-certified range of 631km on a single charge. The Ioniq 5 is available only in rear-wheel-drive configuration, with its electric motor producing 217hp and 350Nm of torque. The Ioniq 5 is also capable of supporting superfast 800V charging, which can charge the battery from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes.

The Ioniq 5 is assembled in India, unlike its cousin the Kia EV6, which comes here as a full import. It costs less than the EV6 due to the difference in customs duty between a completely built-up unit (CBU) and a completely knocked down (CKD).