Hyundai's new electric supermini, the Ioniq 3, will cost £22,245 when it arrives in the UK in the coming weeks.
It has been positioned to rival an array of electric hatches, from the small Renault 5 to the larger Volkswagen ID 3 – and at 4.15m long and 1.51m tall, it sits bang inbetween them.
Its unusual shape is described by Hyundai as an ‘aero-hatch’, a sleek new form conceived with the goal of maximising aerodynamic efficiency.
This approach has resulted in a raked roofline, similar to that employed by the old Hyundai Veloster, ending with a prominent duck-tail rear spoiler. The rear lip is moulded into the leading edge of the boot, but range-topping N Line cars get an extension for a sportier look. The front end, meanwhile, was sculpted to have the smallest frontal area possible.
Its efforts have yielded a drag coefficient of 0.26, which is better than the smaller but chunkier Renault 5 (0.29). As a result, the Ioniq 3 is said to be capable of driving 208 miles between charges when fitted with the standard 42.2kWh battery.
The long-range version, whose 61kWh pack enables a range of 309 miles, will start at £25,745 – or £24,245, should it qualify for a £1500 discount from the UK government's Electric Car Grant.
Lead exterior designer Manuel Schöttle said Hyundai began with the most efficient shape in aerodynamic terms for the Ioniq 3, but added it was “important to make sure it didn’t look like a soap bar”.
He said it was Hyundai’s first electric car designed in Europe, and it has been shaped according to Hyundai’s new Art of Steel design language.
Yet the radical silhouette also brought several compromises inside the Ioniq 3. For example, the roofline’s rake ate into the boot space, and the small front end combined with the model’s front-wheel-drive configuration meant there was no space for a frunk.
The workaround was to create a large cargo space below the floor, similar to the ‘Gigabox’ in the Ford Puma Gen-E increasing load space from 322 to 441 litres.
The raked design also ate into rear cabin space, so Hyundai carved into the car’s headlining to free up a few millimetres more head room.
The Ioniq 3’s cabin was designed to free the driver of as much distraction as possible. Lead interior designer Victor Andrean said the “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road” philosophy brought a rethink of the dashboard’s layout.
