Hyundai Ioniq 6 2023: Australian release date confirmed, priced from around $70K

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The Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan will be released in Australia early in the first half of 2023 with local pricing expected to start around $70,000 before on-road costs following the completion of an Australian suspension tuning and evaluation program.

Australian demand for the new EV is predicted to “significantly exceed supply for the foreseeable future”, Hyundai suggests. Supply of the sedan will be similar to the popular Ioniq 5 midsize SUV of which Hyundai delivered 321 examples in Australia over the last six months.

Expressions of interest are expected to open in the coming months. Like the Ioniq 5, the battery-electric sedan will exclusively be sold online, with the cars being sold directly to buyers by Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA), with no dealer intermediary.

Two variants in RWD and AWD, starting around $70K

Dubbed the “electric streamliner” by its maker, the booted, four-door Ioniq 6 will join the recently repriced Ioniq 5 in Hyundai’s Australian lineup, with the sedan sharing the SUV’s platform and powertrains and largely mirroring its variant lineup.

Two trim grades are likely to be sold in Australia: a mid-specification Ioniq 6 Dynamiq for about $70,000 before on-road costs, and a flagship Ioniq 6 Techniq for closer to $80,000. 

There will be no base model, with even the Dynamiq set to include premium features like heated leather seats and dual 12.3-inch infotainment screens. The Techniq will add conveniences like a Bose premium stereo, cooled front seats with a full-recline mode, and in a first for Hyundai in Australia, camera-driven digital side mirrors.

If the Ioniq 6 range faithfully echoes that of the Ioniq 5, the cheaper Dynamic grade will be single-motor RWD only, producing 168kW of power and 350Nm of torque – while the Techniq would exclusively sport dual-motor AWD with outputs of 239kW/605Nm.

Slippery streamliner shape for 600km-plus range

Because the Ioniq 6 is lower and about 25 percent slipperier than the Ioniq 5, the sedan is expected to exceed 610km range (WLTP) when equipped with the largest 77.4kWh battery offered globally – which Australia is almost certain to get.

A smaller, lighter 53kWh battery will be offered in some markets which could see overseas low-end variants of the Ioniq 5 achieving efficiency of under 14kWh/100km, but the heavier, big-battery cars that come to Australia will likely be a little heavier on electricity consumption.

The long-range battery has one additional module than the Ioniq 5, but Chasing Cars understands the SUV is in line to be upgraded to 77.4kWh capacity in the coming months. Both models share Hyundai’s e-GMP electric vehicle platform – the same architecture that sits beneath the Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60.

The Ioniq 6 sedan has a slightly shorter wheelbase than the Ioniq 5, but it is 220mm longer and 110mm lower. Within Hyundai’s range, the ‘6’ would be closest to the turbo-petrol Sonata N Line, but in styling, it is entirely distinct.

It is not known if the Ioniq 6 is fitted with the ZF Sachs frequency-selective dampers found under the Kia EV6 and, in some markets from 2023, the Ioniq 5. HMCA says it will evaluate the various dampers and springs available for fitment in the Ioniq 6 on its testing roads outside Sydney before selecting the best suspension combination for Australian conditions.

Bluelink connected services included gratis for five years

When it launches in Australia early next year, the Ioniq 6 will become the second local Hyundai model – after the incoming, facelifted Palisade large SUV – to be fitted with the brand’s Bluelink connected services suite. This allows over-the-air software updates for the car and allows key functions to be activated through a smartphone app.

A five-year subscription to Bluelink will be included with each Ioniq 6 sold. The app allows owners to remotely unlock or lock the car, check their state of charge, send a route to the car’s navigation system, and pre-cool or pre-heat the cabin of the car. En route, charging station availability and traffic are updated in real time. A map shows where you parked.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 2023: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Mid-spec RWD: TBA
• High-spec AWD: TBA