Hyundai will open orders again for its highly sought after Ioniq 5 electric SUV next Wednesday, making 135 units available – but again, only for those living in capital cities.
This time around, the RWD Dynamiq will be joined with the AWD Techniq, with vision roof option.
The renamed variants were first announced in July with key features removed or offered as extras in a bid to differentiate the rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive formats. It led to a cut in RWD asking prices even as global inflation has pushed up the cost of manufacturing and logistics.
While dropping the price of the RWD Ioniq 5 by $2,000 to $69,900 before on-road costs, Hyundai upped the asking price of the AWD option to $77,500. At the same time, it removed the expansive sun roof with electronic sunshade as standard and said it would charge an additional $1,500 for it instead.
Other more positive changes included an internal V2L port in line with Kia’s EV6 and e-Niro, and a new heads-up display.
But, this was not available as an option in July’s tranche. Now, drivers keen to pay the extra for the sunroof will be able to do so.
See also: Hyundai Ioniq 5: Comparing the new Dynamiq RWD and Techniq AWD
Regional drivers unhappy with Ioniq 5 sales process
The Driven has heard from several readers unhappy with the sales process, which requires drivers to enter their residential postcode before ordering. They say that to complete the order process, their driver’s licence address must now match the delivery address.
As The Driven reported in May, some drivers said they had fudged details in earlier “drops” to get around the location restrictions.
A letter sent on Wednesday to awaiting potential customers and sighted by The Driven said: “With unprecedented demand remaining high across the country for this award-winning sell-out. We expect that delivery could take from 2 weeks up to 6 months or more depending on your vehicle’s production status.”
And while a missive from Hyundai Australia said that the Ioniq 5 is available in all states and territories except NT, the letter also said: “Currently available in major capital cities, you’ll need to select one of the below as your preferred delivery partner when placing an order.”
Some readers have described the sales process – which has consistently seen the very limited number of cars sell out within minutes – as a chook raffle.
The Driven reached out to Hyundai Australia to confirm when and if the Ioniq 5 will be offered to regional buyers. A spokesperson replie din a note to The Driven: “With extremely limited supply of Ioniq 5, and demand still remaining very high, we will continue to limit sales to metropolitan areas through necessity.
“However, as supply frees up we have plans to expand our sales process to regional areas, but the timing for this expansion is yet to be confirmed.”
That’s good news, but it won’t be soon enough for some. “Screw you guys, I’ll build my own electric car,” joked one reader in a note to The Driven.
See also: Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV officially ‘ruins’ weekend by winning Best Tow Car award
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.