Hyundai previews Ioniq facelift duo; to be introduced late in 2019

MANILA: The Hyundai Ioniq facelift duo has been recently previewed, precisely the hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. The variants come with a lot of changes inside and out. The variants are also provided with the Hyundai’s SmartSense technology as a standard feature.

The Hyundai Ioniq facelift is now the world’s first vehicle with Green-zone Drive Mode. The mode helps to switch the driving module automatically in designated areas to run on the electric power as an alternative to the internal combustion.

The new Ioniq comes with the brand’s iconic cascading mesh grille along with the newly designed front and rear bumper. Also, it comes with newly designed taillights and optional LED headlights. The LED fog lamps also have a redesigned appearance.

Inside the cabin, the vehicle comes with a brand-new Audio Video Navigation system of 10.25-inch. The car comes with Bluelink telematics services, including voice recognition, and supports Android Auto, Hyundai LIVE Services and Apple CarPlay.

Speaking about the engine, the Hyundai Ioniq comes with three options - Electric, Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. The Ioniq Electric provides an EPA-rated driving range of 200 km and, offers a driving range of 280 km on the European NEDC cycle.

The Ioniq Electric is powered by an electric motor that can churn out a maximum 120 PS of power along with a peak torque of 295 Nm. The engine gets its required power from a 28 kWh lithium-ion battery that can be charged in 4 hours 45 minutes with the use of a 6.6 kW power source. It can be expected that following the update, the EPA-rated range may get an increment of 50 per cent taking the range beyond the 300 km mark.

The all-new Ioniq Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid will be showcased in Europe in the second half of 2019. The Philippines people have to wait for one or more year to get the vehicle.