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The IONIQ EV Brand Is Born

Hyundai Creates Own Sub-Brand To Fulfill Its Lofty Electric Vehicle Goals

Hyundai IONIQ brand

Hyundai, as with all modern automakers, continues to fracture its product offerings into sub-brands. Genesis was Hyundai’s last offshoot, specifically for its luxury vehicles. That sub-brand has done extremely well for Hyundai. It is hoping to do the same with its latest sub-brand, IONIQ. This new brand will be the home of is all of Hyundai’s forthcoming electric vehicles.

IONIQ brand logo

The IONIQ nameplate has been used since 2016 for Hyundai’s hybrid and electric vehicle offering. Moving forward it will now become its own standalone sub-brand, with all EVs on offer. The “IONIQ” name comes from the fusion of “ion” and “unique.”

Hyundai has huge goals for the new IONIQ brand. It hopes to sell 1-million EVs, taking 10% of the global EV market, by 2025.

Hyundai IONIQ brand

IONIQ Vehicles

Over the next four years, we’ll see three new models come out of IONIQ, all on Hyundai’s new E-GMP vehicle platform. The E-GMP platform is Hyundai’s take on the EV skateboard that can be configured for a wide range of vehicle types and uses.

The new vehicles will be named numerically, with even numbers for sedans and odd numbers for SUVs. Once again a major car manufacture can’t come up with something more creative than numbers. Not only is this naming system boring and forgettable,  but will no doubt get even more complicated as the vehicle range expands.

IONIQ 5

We’ll see the launch of the first IONIQ brand vehicle in early 2021. The IONIQ 5 will be a midsize CUV and will be based on the concept EV ’45’ vehicle unveiled in Frankfurt in 2019.

IONIQ 6

The second IONIQ brand vehicle will be the IONIQ 6 sedan. This vehicle will be based on the Hyundai ‘Prophecy’ concept car we saw in March of 2020. If the production car is anywhere near as perfectly proportioned and smooth

IONIQ 7

The final vehicle announced upon IONIQ’s brand launch is the IONIQ 7. This third vehicle in the lineup will be a large SUV. IONIQ 7 is expected in early 2024.

IONIQ Brand Launch

Hyundai launched IONIQ by turning the famous London Eye into a giant letter “Q” with electric lights. This branding event happened just before the iconic London Eye attraction turned back on, after halting operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hyundai hopes to similarly start its bright future in the EV space with its new IONIQ brand.

Hyundai IONIQ London Eye









Bryon Dorr
About Bryon Dorr

AutoWise Editor-in-Chief Bryon Dorr has been a lifelong automotive enthusiast. From the supercar posters on his childhood walls to the massive Hot Wheels/Matchbox collection, Bryon has been dreaming about automotive adventures his entire life. For the past decade+ Bryon has pursued a career in automotive photography and journalism. He's worked for a wide range of the top outlets in the overland, off-road, adventure motorcycle, and general automotive media. His current household automotive quiver includes a custom overland 2013 GX460, a 2020 Ioniq Electric, and a 2006 KTM 950 Adv. He recently sold his 996TT, and is on the hunt for a new performance car.

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