- Hyundai has confirmed a three-row EV will show up later this year
- Jury is out if it will be called an Ioniq 7 or Ioniq 9
- Expect it to be in bed with the Kia EV9, in terms of powertrain
The electrification of vehicles at Hyundai isn’t slowing down any time soon, according to product plans recently released by the manufacturer. Atop the changes announced for the 2025 model year is a single line stating a new Ioniq three-row SUV (EV) is coming as an all-new model with a world premiere later in the 2024 calendar year.
It shouldn’t be a surprise. The brand showed its Ioniq Seven Concept vehicle a couple of years ago, appearing as a moonshot three-row electric SUV with coach-style doors and the type of interior in which designers clearly were given carte blanche to be creative. Features like wraparound seating, halo-like rear lighting, and decidedly non-production glasswork aren’t likely to appear in showrooms — but there’s a solid chance its basic lighting signatures and completely flat cabin floor will be part of whatever machine Hyundai shows later this year.
Talking heads are openly speculating (and probably taking private bets) on if the three-row electric SUV will be called Ioniq 7 or Ioniq 9. One can certainly point to the concept vehicle name for a clue, though some idly wonder if Hyundai will let corporate cousin Kia usurp it by two numerals with the three-row EV9. We think the crew at Hyundai is confident enough in its product that such a notion is ridiculous, not to mention Ioniq 7 will continue the current naming scheme without interruption and the fact this new SUV will have a maximum of seven seats, leading this writer to predict the forthcoming EV will be called the Ioniq 7. Hold me to it at the end of the year, folks.
For clues as to what will underpin the vehicle, we need only look to its fraternal twin which has been on sale for some spell now. In Canada, the Kia EV9 is built on a corporate E-GMP platform, starting with a rear-wheel drive unit packing 215 horsepower and a 76.1-kWh battery through to a 379hp/516 lb-ft top trim with all-wheel drive and a 99.8-kWh battery. Prices start around $60,000 and can blow through $80-grand fully loaded.
As for the eventual Hyundai iteration, it is reasonable to expect a blend of interior cues from the handsome Santa Fe and the existing Ioniq offerings. We think the new Land Rover-esque steering wheel will appear and front a large horizontal screen area as found in its Ioniq brothers. It will probably have its own take on the ‘flying console’ found in the EV9, though with Hyundai design cues and switchgear. Outside, bank on a continuation of the trademark Ioniq dot-matrix style LED lighting squares, probably stretching across the hood up front like in the new Kona and reaching for the sky out back.
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