Hyundai teases first glimpse of Ioniq 5 electric crossover

The first glimpse of the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 5, that is tipped to reach Australia in mid-2021, has been teased by Hyundai.

Shared by Hyundai’s Austrian Twitter account on Wednesday (Australian time) then via a press release, the two images show the front and rear profiles of the vehicle.

The images reveal how startlingly close to the Ioniq 5 comes to the style of its guiding concept vehicle, the Hyundai 45 which is based on the car maker’s first-ever concept vehicle, the 1974 Pony Coupe, and was first unveiled in 2019.

It sports the same sharp angles and lines of the retro Pony that were seen in the 45 concept. It appears to have the same square U-shaped headlights of the 45 concept also, although it is not clear if they are of the LED variety from the image (the company’s press release states they are a “Parametric Pixel” array.

The rear image does appear to show LED lights although they are not U-shaped as in the concept, but rectangular instead.

It is the first Hyundai vehicle with a “clamshell” bonnet, spanning the full width of the vehicle, says the carmaker.

Clearly standing out from the side of the front profile are two side mirrors – although the size of these suggest they may instead be virtual mirrors.

As revealed previously by Hyundai Austria when it opened an order page earlier in January, the Ioniq 5 will be a little higher than the South Korean carmaker’s other all-electric vehicles, the Kona EV and the Ioniq fastback (both of which are already available in Australia).

Along with its wider stance and distinctive styling, the Ioniq 5 will prove to have a larger presence on the roads.

At 1,600mm high it beats the Kona EV’s 1,555mm and the Ioniq’s 1,450mm.

It is also wider than both vehicles, measuring 1,890mm to the Kona EV’s 1,800mm and the Ioniq’s 1,820mm.

Although it cannot be seen in the images provided today, the Ioniq 5 is also longer than its two electric counterparts, at 4,640mm long compared to the Kona EV’s 4,180mm and the Ioniq’s 4,470mm.

Another point unseen in the photos above is the wheel design, which also appears to have stayed true to the original 45 concept’s mandala-style design – thanks to the fact that the Ioniq 5 was spotted charging in Australia recently while undergoing evaluation testing.

The Ioniq 5 is the first vehicle Hyundai will release under its new electric-only Ioniq series and will use the carmaker’s E-GMP platform. It is expected to be followed by the Ioniq 6 sedan in 2022 and the Ioniq 7 large SUV in 2024.