New Hyundai Ioniq 3 to bring unique style to crossover class

Hyundai is gearing up to fill out its Ioniq EV range with a line-up of Euro-centric small cars designed to sit below the popular Ioniq 5 and slower-selling Ioniq 6. The news lands just as the covers come off the brand’s US-focused Ioniq 9 flagship at this year’s Los Angeles Motor Show.

While that car will be sold globally, Hyundai’s UK outlook will be on the longer term, as it aims to capitalise on the hotly contested B and C-segment family-car market. We already know what sister company Kia has planned – the EV3 will hit showrooms in the coming weeks, and a smaller EV2 has been spied testing – giving us a tangible hint at what might be in store for Hyundai.

Speaking to Simon Loasby, head of Hyundai’s global design centre, we asked if the maker would consider doing more localised models aimed at catering for specific market needs or tastes. His response was a simple, “why not?”. 

He said: “If there's a need, if there's a volume, and we have a brand that can take on that volume and do something, then why not?

“That gives us a challenge, right? As long as we can satisfy our board that this is worth doing, nothing's off the table with Hyundai. And the speed we react to stuff is nuts. It drives us mad, but we love it.”

The next model is widely expected to be a sleeker alternative to the recently revealed Kia EV3. Likely to use the Ioniq 3 badge, the new Hyundai will sit beneath the blocky Ioniq 5 hatchback, but above the newly launched Inster. Yet although a few common features will link the cars, Loasby says the firm will continue to develop its unique design language and avoid any Audi-style cookie-cutter profiles.

“We want kids to say: ‘look at that Hyundai’,” he told us. “Design freedom? That's really fun. But it's difficult, too. That's why we use all our studios around the world – everybody's thinking about solutions.”

It’s not clear at this stage exactly how the smaller Ioniq 3 will look, though if the Ioniq 9 is anything to go by, it’s likely to take on a similar crossover shape to the EV3, albeit with a sleeker, smoother body. Hyundai’s now familiar pixel-style lights are all but guaranteed – possibly incorporating a full-width lightbar. While this hasn’t been possible on the Euro-spec Ioniq 9, the 3’s dimensions and lower nose could make it a production reality.

Speaking more generally about Hyundai’s current design direction, Loasby said: “It's a really interesting design briefing when there's not this narrow corridor of what your brand looks like. It makes it really exciting. It’s scary too.”

The Ioniq 3 may look cool and cutting-edge, but Loasby reiterated that at Hyundai, design absolutely cannot trump usability. “We're trying to make sure we have that balance of, yes, aesthetic appeal, but logical reasoning behind it,” he told us.

In order to price the 3 sensibly and on par with rivals like the Jeep Avenger and forthcoming Ford Puma Gen-E, the small Hyundai will shun its bigger brother’s 800-volt architecture in favour of a more affordable 400V set-up. Expect a choice of 58kWh and 81kWh batteries (as per the EV3) for up to 400 miles of range. A 10-80 per cent charge should be possible in around half an hour.

The less expensive electrical tech will still sit within an EV-native platform, however – separating it from its similarly sized Hyundai Kona sister car. At around 4.3m long, the Ioniq 3 should offer space for four to sit comfortably, or five for shorter journeys. 

While the exterior styling differs rather dramatically from one Ioniq to the next, the interior of the new car should be a bit more conventional, with a twin-screen layout and a separate panel for the climate controls. The EV platform would provide space for a completely flat floor and walk-through cabin, making the Ioniq 3 feel more spacious than many of its rivals. Clever features, like the Ioniq 9’s sliding centre console, may also be included.

Both the Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9 followed shortly behind their respective Kia stablemates, so while launch timings for the Ioniq 3 are still to be confirmed, we should see the car out testing soon, ahead of a reveal some time next year. An Ioniq 2 could follow later – possibly in 2026 or beyond – with other numbers (namely 1, 7 and 8) likely planned for the future.

Prices and specs will be announced after the Ioniq 3’s reveal, but to keep the car competitive, we expect the base model with the smaller battery to start from around £32,000. Top-spec models with the longest range may tip over the £40,000 luxury-car tax threshold by throwing niceties like bigger wheels, 360-degree cameras, and a panoramic roof into the mix.

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