Hyundai’s first three-row battery-electric SUV has been spied with skin-tight camouflage ahead of its expected premiere at next month’s Busan Auto Show in Korea. Prototypes of the Hyundai alternative to the Kia EV9 have been snapped on multiple occasions over the past 18 months but all have been adorned with thick body cladding, hiding many of the EV’s key design details. This latest prototype, snapped on the streets of Korea by Autospy, has ditched that cladding, and while it’s still wrapped in camouflage, we are provided with a good look at its design.
Much like the Ioniq Concept SEVEN,
unveiled in late 2021, the Ioniq 7 has much smoother surfaces than the EV9. At
the front end are split headlights with DRLs up top and separate headlamps
lower on the fascia. Viewed from the side, you will notice door handles that
sit flush with the bodywork, black and silver wheels, and roof rails.
The rear of the Ioniq 7 appears slightly
more upright than the EV9 and includes thick D-pillars with large side windows
for the second row. The rear window also appears larger than what’s found on
the EV9. Hyundai has also adopted an intriguing taillight design for the Ioniq
7 that includes a lighting array that stretches vertically and extends above
the window.
The Ioniq 7 is expected to use Hyundai’s
current E-GMP platform and should share its powertrain options with the EV9.
The Kia is currently offered in rear-wheel drive guise with a 215 hp motor,
while a 379 hp all-wheel drive version is also available. Kia is also
developing a potent EV9 GT with as much as 576 hp. Like the Kia, Hyundai is expected to offer
the Ioniq 7 with a 76.1 kWh battery and a larger 99.8 kWh battery.
