[RavenAvi]

According to ACI, Hyundai India is seriously considering bringing it's Ioniq plug-in hybrid car to India in 2017.

The zero-emission Ioniq comes in 3 electrified options - hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric. Out of these, Hyundai is considering the Ioniq plug-in hybrid version for India, which has a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine producing 105hp and 147Nm of torque paired to a 6-speed DCT, combined with a 45kW (60hp) electric motor powered by an 8.9kWh lithium-ion polymer battery with an estimated all-electric range of over 50 kms.

The Ioniq follows Hyundai's Fluidic 2.0 design philosophy with a profile similar to the Toyota Prius hybrid, with a drag coefficient of 0.24.

When launched, the Ioniq will benefit from the Indian government's FAME initiative and will come with a competitive price tag, and hopefully fare better than the Prius in the Indian market.

The front of the Ioniq Hybrid is characterised by Hyundai’s signature hexagonal grille and vertical C-shaped LED daytime running lights. It also features low-beam LED headlamps, an integrated charging portal into the left front fender for the lithium-ion polymer battery and model-specific 16” alloy wheels.

Interiors of the Ioniq get an all-black theme with matte-silver highlights to break the monotone. Hyundai has used environment-friendly material inside the cabin. Raw materials extracted from sugarcane have been applied on the headliner and carpet. The interior door pads are made of plastic combined with powdered wood and volcanic stone which appear like plastic-based materials. It also features a high-definition 7.0-inch 1280 x 720p resolution TFT information cluster that displays data like the speedometer, drive mode and fuel level.

Hyundai USA's Ioniq page

[samabhi]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

According to ACI, Hyundai India is seriously considering bringing it's Ioniq plug-in hybrid car to India in 2017.

Good news. Sure it will be priced high and will receive the same fate as the Prius Hybrid.

We dont need cars like these for our market. For the hybrid/electric market to grow, we need budget cars where it can find some takers. What is the point in getting a car that costs above 20L and then finding very few customers. Its as good as not launching the car in the market.

Being the second highest car seller in the Indian Market, Hyundai should and can launch budget hybrid/electric cars. How about the i10 electric? They even showcased one at the Autoexpo couple of years back. Launch it even now with either hybrid or electric option and price it below 10L, it will become an instant hit with the market. Ofcourse Hyundai needs to market it aggressively as a hybrid car that can deliver ~30KMPL. Electric market in India is still at its infancy level and will take time to succeed at the mass market level.

[RSR]

I welcome this news! I believe the Ioniq trio are game-changers for Hyundai at the international level. I've been batting for its introduction in India:

Hyundai would do well to explore the option of assembling the Ioniq plug-in hybrid in India from CKD kits. With an electric range of ~ 50 km from its lithium ion polymer battery pack, and the 105 PS 1.6-litre 4-cylinder Kappa petrol engine (running on the highly efficient Atkinson cycle) taking over after that, this would be ideally suited for India.

Cars like these are primarily for the self-driven, and if Hyundai can assemble the plug-in hybrid in India and price it in the territory of the Elantra, it's sure to find enough takers. The typical city user can drive it to work and back home during the week without spending a single paisa on fuel. And he/she can just tank up and hit the highway with family/friends on weekends.

The plug-in hybrid does make far more sense for India than the other two. Without a reasonable charging infrastructure, the expensive all-electric wouldn't taste success. The simple hybrid would have to compete against equivalent mainstream cars that are priced much lower.

The Ioniq plug-in is the ideal choice to get the electric ball rolling for Hyundai in India!

[GTO]

This could contribute a bit to Hyundai's image in India. And as a company, they have given good tech & equipment. Hyundai was the first to offer common-rail diesels in the mass market, 6 airbags in a hatchback and so on.

If imported as a CBU, sales will obviously be at paltry levels. That said, the Ioniq will be priced lower than the Prius.

Technology usually starts off at the top of the food chain, before filtering down to affordable products. We can only hope that hybrids get to the B & C segments sometime soon. After all, they are best suited to our stop-and-go traffic conditions & will offer the maximum benefits here. Among the big guns, Toyota has the best shot at it, but their Indian arm is painfully slow.

[V.Narayan]

Power to you Hyundai. One potential customer is writing this. I hope the car has interiors and adequate back room space to match the cost. Await updates eagerly.

[MaheshY1]

3 Reasons Why Hyundai IONIQ CANNOT Come To India In 2017 (and why the Autocar story is bogus)

Autocar India recently reported that Hyundai is considering launching the IONIQ car in India in 2017. Instead of supporting his (or her) claim with logic, facts and figures, the author just vaguely says:

With the Indian market gradually opening up to hybrid vehicles and the Government of India offering an incentive to manufacturers under the FAME scheme, Hyundai is considering the introduction of its Ioniq plug-in hybrid in India.

I don't see the sales of REAL hybrids shooting through the sales charts. The rest of the story is just to reach the 300-word limit, which is done to show up in the search results.

The IONIQ is a large-scale, International project that targets the Toyota Prius from three different angles to gain a strategic advantage in the field of emission-free, cost-effective transportation. The project is bigger than anything Hyundai has ever taken up. Yes. It's bigger than Genesis.

So, here are three reasons why we won't be seeing the IONIQ range in India in 2017:

1. India Is Not Ready Yet

American and European markets incentivize both, the manufacturers and the buyers, for going hybrid or electric route. Our government is yet to come up with a concrete plan to promote widespread adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles. In fact, it doesn't look like we will have anything to get people excited about electric and hybrid cars in this financial year.

Hyundai is not a company that's in the habit of taking action and then keeping their fingers crossed. The company spends millions in carefully researching and studying the market needs and wants and the amount we're willing to spend on those before going forward. The company relies on facts and figures rather than intuitions.

Unless there is a plan in place to reward buyers and manufacturers willing to add electricity to the mix, it's hard to imagine it ever taking off in India.

Even if the government found a solution to motivate buyers to go electric/hybrid, the logistics alone would take months before they are finalised. In short, even if Hyundai today decided to make IONIQ available in India, it would take 6-8 months before it went on sale.

2. Pricing Won't Be Competitive

Hybrids are pricey. At least the REAL ones are. And these are not looked at as affordable modes of transportation because of the initial cost of acquisition. Prius was a direct import and didn't get much in the name of subsidies. The car sold in just enough numbers to be eligible for reserving a spot in the museum. The Toyota Camry hybrid is doing good for its class but still it's out of reach of most buyers.

On the electric side of things, the Mahindra Reva e2o is yet to become a viable alternative as an 'affordable mode of transportation'. The e2o is touted as a city car and so is the Tata Nano. Do the math and you'll find that the Nano is far more affordable in the 'cost per kilometre' department once you factor in the initial cost of the two cars and the interest you might incur during the loan tenure.

Hyundai's hybrid variants also come with some seriously advanced mechanicals. There's a 1.6-litre petrol engine with direct injection coupled with a 6-speed dual clutch transmission. That's some pretty fancy piece of tech right there. And fancy is always pricey.

Lithium-ion batteries; they don't come cheap. Even though the prices are following a downward path, they are still quite pricey. Forget Rs 10-20 lakh, even pricing it under Rs 30 lakh is going to be a tough task. It's not happening; at least not in 2017. Beyond Rs 30 lakh, they barely have a chance to make an impact in the industry, let alone bring huge profits to the company.

To turn IONIQ into a success story, Hyundai will have to 'Make In India' to keep the pricing competitive and that should add at least another two years before the car can be seen posing on showroom floors.

3. Fuel Prices Are Low

Even though the prices of petrol and diesel are rising in the recent months, they're still quite low. International crude oil prices are still far from the scary US $100/barrel.

So the IONIQ won't just have to deal with the other cars in its price range, it'll have to tackle the low petrol prices, which aren't really allowing buyers to take the fuel efficiency figures into account while choosing a car. Anything in the double digits is good enough for luxury car buyers and that, (almost) all cars can deliver. This is not a favourable environment for electric and hybrid cars.

4. BONUS REASON: It's Not Even Ready Yet

Developed countries are high on Hyundai's priority list. Autocar says that the Plug-in variant of the IONIQ is under consideration for India launch in 2017 but even the US market will have to wait till next summer to get their hands on the plug-in IONIQ model.

The Electric is first in line for the launch and is coming to the US around September. Next is the Hybrid, which is launching this winter and the Plug-in is the last one to hit the showrooms in summer of 2017.

There is no way we could get the Plug-in IONIQ in 2017.

We may get Kia though.

Disclaimer: The story had first appeared on Gaadi.com

[RSR]

And the fastest production-based hybrid car in the world is ...

A nitrous-equipped Hyundai Ioniq!!!



Hyundai's Ioniq has smashed the land-speed record for a production-based hybrid car at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah:

The Hyundai Ioniq hybrid has broken the land-speed record for a production-based hybrid, adding another record-breaking feather to the automaker's cap.

The Ioniq hit a 157.825-mph blast across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. Its peak exit speed was 160.7 mph, but the record requires two runs, with the final number coming from an average of those two figures.

https://youtu.be/Y7SttfEsirY

Source: CNET

[Screwdriva]

I REALLY hope Hyundai launch this vehicle in India. I never thought I'd say it but, aside from Maruti Suzuki, no international car manufacturer understands the Indian customer as well as Hyundai.

Just look at the Creta!! Nothing comes close to it and it is totally unfazed by the competition 18 months since launch. As someone who spent the first decade of this millennium in the US, the thought that Hyundai could dominate Honda and Toyota in any market is still sinking in. But they have and the Ioniq is yet another product they can use to increase their lead over the Japs.

After all, in fuel economy obsessed India, the price of crude doesn't make it into the average kitna? conversations.

[RSR]

The Hyundai Ioniq is as safe as it's green - it gets a full 5* Euro-NCAP rating:

https://youtu.be/a0s5ktlciDk

Click on this link to download the full pdf.

Not only that, it has also bagged Euro-NCAP's coveted best-in-class award for the year 2016 in its class ("small family car"):

http://www.euroncap.com/en/ratings-r...ass-cars/2016/

[dZired]

Hyundai might launch Ioniq Hybrid in India at 2018 Auto Expo

Hyundai is planning to launch the Ioniq Hybrid in India during the next year’s Auto Expo. This information has been revealed by YK Koo - MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL). The CEO has also indicated that the company will be bringing the Ioniq Hybrid to India as CKD (completely knocked down) units, which will then be assembled locally.

Source: ET Auto

Link to Team-BHP News

[RSR]

Confirmed - Ioniq will be launched at the 2018 Auto Expo!

Autocar India has received confirmation from the MD & CEO of Hyundai India that the Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid will be launched at next year's Auto Expo. The car will be assembled in India from CKD kits:

We have now received confirmation from Y.K. Koo, MD and CEO, Hyundai Motor India, that this model will come to the Indian market next year and will be launched at the Delhi Auto Expo 2018 in February.

...

Unveiled in early 2016, Hyundai’s zero emissions Ioniq platform is available with three distinct electrified powertrains – hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric. Out of these, Hyundai is considering the Ioniq plug-in hybrid version for India with an estimated all-electric range of over 50km, powered by an 8.9kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. The Ioniq’s estimated 45kW (60hp) electric motor is coupled with the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine producing 105hp and 147Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Source

The 1.6 Kappa3 GDI petrol has a seemingly lower power output of 105 PS compared to their current 1.6 Gamma D-VTVT with 123 PS because the former is an Atkinson cycle engine dedicated for hybrids. The Ioniq plug-in hybrid will also see the introduction of Hyundai's 6-speed dual-clutch AT in India.

[V.Narayan]

Would you know if the Ioniq will later come as a small hatch back too with full plug-in hybrid capability?

[RSR]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Would you know if the Ioniq will later come as a small hatch back too with full plug-in hybrid capability?

I don't know, to be frank. Hyundai haven't exhibited such a car in concept form anywhere in the world. So even if they have plans for an ~ 4m long Toyota Prius C / Aqua-sized trio of green cars, it will take quite a long time to materialise. And even longer to come to India if it materialises.

I do wish it materialises! The Ioniq is not going to be inexpensive even if assembled locally. ACI says Hyundai is targeting a price of 25 lacs, which would put it out of the reach of many plug-in hybrid lovers. So a smaller, more affordable Ioniq trio do make great sense in India and worldwide.

[maxbhp]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

According to ACI, Hyundai India is seriously considering bringing it's Ioniq plug-in hybrid car to India in 2017.

For the E-Commute to be adopted by the mass, government has to do something more than what its doing now. All E-Vehicles has got a very luke warm response in the country. The initial cost of the vehicle is a big deterrent for prospective buyers.

With growing population/pollution levels among the metros Delhi (18.6M) / Mumbai (20.1M) / Bangalore (11.5M) and with depleting green zones Electric car is the way to bring down pollution caused on account of commuting. In all these city the disposable income of middle class is burgeoning and this has added new vehicles on the road at an alarming rate.

Government has to address this challenge and bring a mechanism for prospective buyers to go for an E-Vehicle at a marginal increment in initial cost.

[MaheshY1]

Originally Posted by RSR

Confirmed - Ioniq will be launched at the 2018 Auto Expo!

Ain't happening.
Showcase? Definitely.
Launch? Unlikely.

ACI said that the Ioniq Plug-In was being considered for 2017 launch and I gave 4 good reasons why it can't happen:

Now, Autocar isn't pinpointing any variant and just saying 'hybrid' without clarifying if it's Plug-In or vanilla Hybrid. Although, this time they supported their claim with valid points and the author didn't hide behind the 'team autocar' curtain.

Autocar is not the most credible source anymore. They'll write whatever brings them traffic. #ClickBait