It is the end of an era. In July 2022, production of the original Hyundai Ioniq will end at the company’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The last Ioniq to roll off the production line will mark the end of a significant chapter in Hyundai’s recent history. When the model launched in 2016, it became the world’s first car with three electrified powertrains: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric.
The worldwide discontinuation of the Ioniq represents a long-planned decision by Hyundai to meet changing consumer demands in the automotive sector. The Ioniq nameplate will, however, remain as Hyundai’s battery electric vehicle or BEV line.
The Ioniq has led the way for Hyundai’s development in electrified vehicles. More than 325,500 units have been sold worldwide out of which around 211,755 were conventional hybrids and more than 77,972 were purely electric. The remaining, around 35,757, were plug-in hybrids.
Both the Ioniq Hybrid and the Ioniq Electric were offered in the Philippines under Hyundai’s previous passenger car distributor, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. or HARI. Read our review here.
Sales of the Ioniq will continue globally until dealers deplete their stocks.
Upon its launch in 2016, the Ioniq was lauded for its design, which functioned not only to distinguish it on the road, but also to deliver aerodynamic performance, building on Hyundai’s early developments in the field of electro-mobility. Smooth lines and a flowing shape lent it a then class-leading co-efficient of drag value of 0.24.
The Ioniq was not only pioneering in its adaptation of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language, but also in relation to its technical aspects. It was the world’s first vehicle to be designed from the ground up for three electrified powertrains, with hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric versions available.
The model’s comprehensive safety package also ensured best-in-class protection across all three powertrains, and saw it maintain a 5-star Euro NCAP rating throughout its lifetime.
Following its launch in 2016 release, the Ioniq was praised for its design, winning the coveted Red Dot Design Awards and two Good Design Awards back-to-back.
In its retirement, it leaves behind a legacy of acclaim, having won Car of the Year awards in Norway, Sweden, and France, as well as the Women’s World Car of the Year Award in both 2017 and 2018.
What is going to replace this?
ReplyDelete