At the Auto Expo 2023, Hyundai launched the Ioniq 5 crossover at an introductory price of Rs 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 at Rs 1 lakh.
In 2022, the Ioniq 5 won the World Design of the Year and World Electric Car of the Year awards, with the top honor – 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 takes inspiration from the concept’s retro-futuristic design language.
The retro look of the Ioniq 5 has sharp lines, flat surfaces and an SUV-ish stance, but with a high raked windscreen. The headlights and tail-lights get a unique pixelated look and the 20-inch aero-optimized wheels feature a turbine-like design. Hyundai is offering the Ioniq 5 in three colors – Gravity Gold Matte, Optic White and Midnight Black Pearl.
The Ioniq 5’s interior is minimalistic—it features a flat floor, flexible seats and a movable center console, and fabrics made from recycled plastics and eco-friendly leather for the 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 technology. 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 accessed through two ports – one under the rear seats and the other outside the car, near the charging port.
The Ioniq 5 houses 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 complete import. It costs less than the EV6 because of the difference in customs duty between the Completely Built-Up Unit (CBU) and the Completely Knocked Down (CKD).