The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a three-row electric SUV with room to grow

Ahead of the LA Auto Show this week, Hyundai showed off its brand-new three-row all-electric SUV with a suite of features that the Korean automaker is convinced will appeal to fickle American car buyers.

The Ioniq 9 is a battery-electric three-row SUV based on the Seven concept that the company showed off in 2021. The new EV is built on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, which underpins all the other electric Hyundais on the market, including the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Ioniq 5N. And it will have a 110.3kWh battery that Hyundai said should get more than 300 miles of range for all models.

The SEL trim… Image: Hyundai … and the Calligraphy trim. Image: Hyundai

A variety of options

The new Ioniq 9 will come in two versions: Long Range and Performance, each with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive options. The Long Range RWD makes around 214hp (160kW) and just shy of 260 pound-feet of torque (350nm). The Long Range AWD version will get a 70kW motor (with 255nm of torque) at the front and a 160kW (with 350nm of torque) motor at the rear, though Hyundai doesn’t say whether those will be additive.

The Performance AWD (there is no Performance RWD) will get a pair of 160kW motors at the front and rear. According to Hyundai, only the 600-plus-hp Ioniq 5N will have more power, but we’ll have to wait for the launch to get the final horsepower and torque numbers from the company.

The Ioniq 9 will come with Tesla Supercharger-supporting North American Charging System ports, but Hyundai said that it will also offer customers an adapter for non-Tesla chargers. The port is located on the passenger-side rear panel, which may present a problem at Tesla Superchargers with short cords. For example, owners may be forced to take up two or more spaces at crowded stalls. (Tesla V4 chargers have longer cables and should reach the charging port, but we’ll have to wait for a test vehicle before we can confirm.)

Simon Loasby, senior VP and head of the Hyundai Design Center, said that the E-GMP platform determined the location of the charging port on the Ioniq 9.

The new EV will also get access to the Ionna charging network, which is backed by eight automakers. And it will have bidirectional charging so that owners with Hyundai’s Home charging setup can keep their home powered during a power outage.

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A living room on wheels

Other features include a second row with “Relaxation Seats” (in the Calligraphy line only) that fully recline with a leg rest and massage function to allow up to four people to relax during vehicle charging. Those second-row seats will swivel to face the third row to create what Loasby calls a “furnished space.”

Hyundai designers included a slidable center console in models with the captain’s chairs that can move forward and back to make space to walk through to the third row or be accessed by second-row passengers.

There’s also a UV-C sterilizer in the glovebox (in overseas markets, it will be in the front tray), which can be used to sterilize your phone or wallet. The UV-C sterilizer and the sliding console are features that currently exist in the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The new Ioniq 9 will get over-the-air software updates as well as a new app store that Hyundai is calling “Features on Demand.” Through the app store, customers can personalize their Ioniq 9 with things like special lighting patterns and digital dash design as well as content and games — for a fee.

“We want to evolve the features that people actually tell us that they’re willing to pay for,” said Olabisi Boyle, senior VP of product planning and mobility strategy at Hyundai Motor North America. Hyundai did extensive consumer research before moving ahead with the plan, she added.

“Gaming was a big one, road trip games and trivia, picture taking and selfies inside the car seems to be a big one too,” Boyle said. “So things that build upon that inside the vehicle are things we’d charge for.” Hyundai confirmed that it would not pull a BMW and charge a monthly fee for things like heated seats.

Room to grow

Hyundai’s current electric lineup includes the Ioniq 5 and 6 — and soon the 9. The company said that this strange number jump leaves room in the lineup for potential future vehicles like an Ioniq 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 — though the company wouldn’t elaborate. Essentially, the nomenclature leaves room for the future.

Hyundai hasn’t announced final pricing yet, but the vehicle will be built in Georgia at Hyundai’s new “Metaplant” in Bryan County. The Metaplant is a joint venture between the Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) and Hyundai and represents a $7.6 billion investment in the state.

Hyundai hasn’t announced final pricing yet

How President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened tariff plans will impact the production of the Ioniq 9 and the plant remains to be seen, but Trump has already said he plans to kill the $7,500 federal tax credit that’s helped millions of Americans purchase expensive EVs.

“Ioniq 9 pricing will be announced closer to launch, but we will take all relevant market factors into consideration to arrive at competitive numbers,” said Chris Paukert, senior group manager of product public relations at Hyundai, when asked about Trump’s threats to kill the federal tax credit for EV purchases and roll back tailpipe emission rules.

Regardless of what Trump actually implements, Hyundai said it’s committed to meeting customers where they are.

“This EV journey was not something that we were spurred into,” Boyle told a group of selected journalists ahead of the unveiling. “It’s based on our north star of progress for humanity and working towards being a smart mobility company… Customers want a choice.”

Original Author: Abigail Bassett | Source: The Verge