Hyundai’s potential next electric SUV spotted testing in Sydney

Over the years, Hyundai has grown it’s EV lineup in Australia with models such as the Ioniq, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, Kona Electric and more recently, its most affordable model, the Inster.

Huy T, a reader of The Driven, has spotted Hyundai’s potential next new model being tested in Sydney’s inner west suburbs. The mid-size SUV was spotted at a shopping centre car park with significant parts of the white car covered.

According to the registration information from NSW, this 2025-built car has a weight of 2,144 kg, hinting at an electric SUV.

The Model in the system shows as “oe”, which was the codename for one of Hyundai’s Chinese-developed models, which is now known as the Hyundai Elexio.

This model has just been revealed by Beijing Hyundai and is expected to launch in China in the coming months.

It features a large 27-inch centre display screen and is quite different to existing models in Hyundai’s lineup when it comes to the screen placement and size.

This new model also features pedal shifters like a few other Hyundai electric cars, helping the driver adjust regenerative braking when on the go.

From the outside, the car has flush door handles and reminds us a little bit of the Range Rover, like, front headlights.

On the powertrain front, reports out of China suggest that this model, unlike the Kona Electric, will be based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, which underpins the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 cars the company sells in Australia.

In June this year, the regulatory approval by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in China for the Hyundai Elexio revealed two powertrains.

The first is a front-wheel-drive version of the car will have a 160 kW motor. For those seeking more power, an all-wheel-drive model will add 73 kW to the rear, bringing the total to 233 kW of power.

On the battery front, the car will feature a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery from BYD-owned FinDreams. This could be a similar arrangement to the currently Australian-delivered Kia EV5, which also has batteries from FinDreams.

As of now, this model is only going to be available in China and full specifications along with pricing is expected to be announced closer to launch.

Given that this test vehicle has been spotted in Sydney, Hyundai may be working on a version to be sold in international markets as well. If that’s the case, it could be a successor to the Kona Electric or slot just above it in its local lineup – only time will tell. 

Before that, though, its biggest electric car, the Ioniq 9 seven-seater SUV will land down under in the coming months.