► E-GMP-based SUV concept revealed
► Debuts at 2021 LA motor show
► Previews an Ioniq 7 SUV coming from 2023
Here’s your most detailed look yet at the Hyundai Ioniq 7 SUV. Pictured winter testing by our dedicated spy photographers, Hyundai’s counterpart to the Kia EV9 is well underway – and should be officially revealed in months.
There’s not much to see thanks to the camouflage, but it strongly appears that the production Ioniq 7 will stick to the same styling shown on the Seven Concept shown below. Of particular interest are those vertical rear lights, that have a hint Volvo estate about them – combined of course with the retromodern pixel design that Hyundai’s design studio has become known for.
Hyundai has form with true to concept production cars – just look at the Ioniq 5, and the Ioniq 6 from some angles…
This time we’ve also got interior pictures of the new Ioniq 7 too: our new images show a cabin dominated by screens, just as you’d expect from Hyundai, with the same clean looking surfaces as the EV9, as well as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6.
What about specs?
Just like the Ioniq 5 and EV6, the Hyundai Ioniq 7 will share a E-GMP platform with the already released EV9 – and that means we can estimate some specs already. The Long Range EV9 has a range of up to 336 miles from a 99.8kWh battery pack. The largest GT Line model has a 0-62mph of just 5.3 seconds. Expect these to filter to the Hyundai at launch, or later down the line.
For more on the Concept Seven, keep reading.
More about the Seven Concept
Hyundai’s previewing another model for its Ioniq range with this: the Seven concept. It’s a large SUV with a properly futuristic design inside and out, with a focus on ‘hygienically focused functions’ – how very apt for these pandemic-ridden times.
The brand is also trying to coin a new phrase: SUEV, or sport utility electric vehicle. We can’t help pronouncing it like Suez.
Meet the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric saloon
Anyway, Hyundai has revealed the new concept SUV at the 2021 LA motor show, and we expect to see something encircling a production version Ioniq 7 from 2023 onwards to partner alongside the Prophecy concept-derived Ioniq 6.
Looks properly wacky!
In a good way, to our eye. It’s similar in silhouette to Volvo’s Concept Recharge, with a stretched rear half and a bluff rear end. There are pixelated lights just like the Ioniq 5 front and rear, with a massive glass tailgate. Given it’s a concept, the wheels are enormous and the rear doors are rear-hinged for the best access into the cockpit.
And again, like a concept, the Seven’s cockpit is designed like a lounge, with bench seating that curves around the rear end, as well as big lazy armchairs that move around.
Similar to the Ioniq 5, the interior is also full of recycled and sustainable materials. Mineral plaster and bamboo are applied inside, and the resin used to bond the panels is ‘based on renewable sources that can reduce pollution from the production process.’ Flashes of copper trim can be see, too.
‘Hygienically focused functions’?!
You read that right, yes. There’s a ‘hygiene airflow system’ similar to what you’d find on a commercial aircraft, where little vents in the Seven’s roof rails suck in air into the cabin and out via small vents in the rear wheel arches.
Hyundai says this, along with UV light sterilisation while the car is empty (like how hospitals use UV light to sterilise wards) helps minimise cross contamination of bacteria and viruses while you’re inside. Certain storage areas have sterilisation functions, too.
What’s under the bodywork?
Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform. It’s the battery-electric architecture that’s already in service in the brilliant Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, as well as the upcoming GV60. The platform is capable of electric all-wheel drive, with power outputs up to 600bhp according to Hyundai high-ups.
Read our Hyundai reviews