One of the most important EV reveals of 2022, the Ioniq 6 is almost ready for prime time. Meanwhile, the electric sedan has been spied during final testing after juicing up its battery at a charging station. Even though its premiere is inching closer, the prototype was still heavily camouflaged to conceal its final look. As you might have heard, there were apparently some last-minute changes to the design, so Hyundai wants to keep them a secret.
After the man with the camera stalks the prototype in traffic, the spy video gets even more interesting from the 1:29 mark. We can see none other than Albert Biermann, former President and Head of the Research and Development (R&D) Division for the Hyundai Group. Currently serving as the automotive conglomerate's Executive Technical Advisor, the man responsible for sporty cars like the i30 N and Kia Stinger hopped behind the wheel of the Ioniq 6.
New Hyundai Ioniq 6 Spy Shots
Peeking through the mesh camo at the back are the vertical lights akin to those of the Prophecy concept. Much like the Ioniq 5 crossover, the new sedan adopts the pixel light theme and seemingly has a variation of the interesting rear spoiler installed on the 2020 showcar. Overall, Hyundai's answer to the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4 already looks quite interesting despite the bulky disguise.
In production-ready flavor, the Ioniq 6 is said to be two centimeters (0.8 inches) longer than originally intended. Corroborated with redesigned bumpers and the use of a larger 77.4-kWh battery pack, the sedan is expected to travel farther between charging cycles. Inside, we've heard it will have slimmer bezels for the side-by-side screens compared to what you'll find in the Ioniq 5.
Hyundai will allegedly unveil the 2023 Ioniq 6 in June and kick off production about a month later at its Asan Plant in South Korea. At launch, the top-spec model is rumored to have all-wheel drive and around 300 horsepower from dual electric motors. While an N version of the Ioniq 5 has been spied, it's unclear whether the sedan will also get the sporty treatment. For what it's worth, the E-GMP platform used by both models is good for a substantial 576 hp and 740 Nm (546 lb-ft) in the Kia EV6 GT.
