Hyundai Motor's Ioniq Is The New Eco-Friendly Rival To Toyota's Prius
South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai Motor has added a prestigious new model to its environment-friendly lineup. This new model, called Ioniq, has attracted public interest as a possible rival to Toyota's Prius and Chevrolet's Volt because of its hybrid features and elegant look as photos of the prototype began to surface internet.
Korea JoongAng Daily reported Friday that Hyundai Motor has official released a media preview of the HEV Ioniq's features and design. The event was held at Hwaseong, Gyeonggi's Namyang R&D Center earlier this week.
The company is set to publicly introduce the hybrid car in its final form later this month.
According to Forbes, the Ioniq is an environment-friendly car that will be offered in three different versions: the Sonata plug-in hybrid (PHEV), battery electric (BEV) and Sonata hybrid (HEV).
Hyundai Motor Senior Vice President, Lee Ki Sang, said the release of the Ioniq will be the "beginning of Hyundai's future mobility" as it becomes "the first car in Korea developed on an exclusively environmentally friendly platform."
The car is said to be more fuel-efficient than the Prius' third generation model. Included in its essential features are the multi-functional steering wheel, lithium-ion polymer battery, advanced airbags, rear side parking assist, and auto emergency braking system.
"We were able to compare numbers in the United States since the new Prius is already there," Lee added. "There might be some differences in the numbers since the measurement styles are different by region, but we think the Ioniq could be called the segment leader in terms of fuel efficiency."
The Ioniq's sticker price is said to range from $19,100 to $23,006, which is lower than the $31,943 selling price of the Toyota Prius V in South Korea.
