Hyundai formally unveils Ioniq electric range, with pricing and timing

Hyundai has officially launched its first electric vehicle range in Australia, and confirmed that the Ioniq full electric will be first new EV with decent range priced under $A50,000 and will be available for purchase from mid-December.

The launch of Hyundai’s Ioniq range will the first of a number of new electric vehicle offerings from a range of manufacturers over the coming 12 months, all around this $A45,000-$A55,000 price range. These include another Hyundai offering, the Kona electric SUV, the Nissan Leaf version 2.0, Kia, and Tesla with its base-level Model 3.

The Ioniq will be available from 18 Hyundai dealerships around the country, although the company is keeping quiet about the number of models available, or the anticipated sales.

Australia’s EV sales trail western economies, accounting for just 0.2 per cent of total new vehicle sales and an accumulated total so far of around 8,000 vehicles, including hybrids, although a Senate report next week could outline a strategy, including targets and incentives, to remedy that.

Hyundai is launching three versions of Ioniq at the same time – and this range will serve as a useful reference point to consumers weighing up varying up-front and running costs of hybrid cars, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles.

As reported by The Driven in October, Hyundai confirms that the base model of the Ioniq battery EV will be $A44,990 plus on-road costs. The plug in hybrid will cost $A40,990 plus on-roads, with the hybrid at $A33,990. The premium versions (mostly around trim) add between $A4,000 and $A5,000.

The pricing gives the first true like-for-like comparison between full electrics and their hybrid versions. The up front cost of the full electric may be $10,000 more than the hybrid, but is likely to save more than $1,000 a year on fuel and maintenance costs, based on annual driving of around 20,000kms.

The South Korean motoring giant is hosting auto industry journalists and industry representatives at a series of launch events and driving tests for the 2019 Ioniq range in Brisbane this week.

“The new Hyundai Ioniq marks the opening of an exciting new chapter for our company,” said Hyundai Motor Company Australia CEO J.W. Lee in a statement.

“In a first for both Hyundai and the market, the choice of three electrified powertrains in the new 2019 Ioniq brings a version to suit every green vehicle customer.”

This story was first published in our EV-focused web-site The Driven. For more details, including full pricing and other specifications, please head over to the original story.

Check out our latest update of all electric vehicles available or soon-to-be-available in Australia. And look out for our new models page providing details on price, specifications, reviews, road trips and news – coming very soon.