Hyundai unveils 7-seater Ioniq 9 electric SUV flagship

The Ioniq 9 is Hyundai’s biggest EV to date, with a range of up to 387 miles on a full charge and 800v ultra-fast charging that allows recharging of the 110.3kWh battery from 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes using a 350kW charger.

It shares much of its underpinnings with sister company Kia’s similar-sized EV9 SUV. , It is part of Hyundai’s plan to offer 21 EVs by 2030. Ioniq9 is now on sale now in Korea, and European markets will receive the car later in the year, when UK pricing and specification will be confirmed.

The Ioniq9 offers 620 litres of luggage room with all rows in place, which rises to 1,323 litres with the third row folded.

The front boot offers additional storage of up to 88 litres in RWD models and 52 litres in AWD models, suitable for storing charging cables, for example.

The interior is designed to be loungelike and light, with a panoramic sunroof. The flat floor accommodates flexible seating arrangements for six or seven occupants. Optional individual seats in the second row offer full recline capability with leg rests as well as massage functions. Swivelling second-row seats are likely to be offered as an option too.

In the front, the centre console can slide back up to 190 mm to give ‘walk through’ access to the front seats.

A highly advanced heating system, which uses a heat pump, enables the Ioniq9 to travel more than 250 miles with the heaters on at exterior temperatures as low as minus 7°C. Three motor configurations are available. The long-range RWD uses a 160kW rear motor, while the longrange AWD adds a 70kW front motor for extra performance. For maximum output, the performance AWD model has 160kW motors on both the front and rear axles.