Hyundai’s upcoming electric vehicles will look nothing like what’s on the market today. Like the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9, Hyundai says its new EVs will stand out with a distinct design.

Hyundai’s new EVs will stand out through design

When you see an IONIQ 5 or IONIQ 9 drive by, you can’t miss it. Hyundai designed them this way on purpose to give each EV a unique look.

For its next-generation EVs, Hyundai is upping the ante. “When we revealed the Concept Three at Munich last year, people said: ‘Wow, finally – something different that’s not another SUV. A very strong design,” Hyundai Europe CEO, Xavier Martinet, told Autocar.

Hyundai’s ultimate goal is “to create something that nobody has on the market,” Martinet explained. We’ve already caught a glimpse of what that will look like.

The Concept Three is a preview of Hyundai’s first compact EV, the IONIQ 3, to bear the IONIQ name. It’s set to officially debut this April, with sales following shortly after in Europe.

Hyundai previews the IONIQ 3, its first compact EV under the IONIQ brand (Source: Hyundai)

Unlike Hyundai’s current EVs, the IONIQ 3 features a new “Aero Hatch design,” which the company claims is “a new typology that reimagines the compact EV silhouette.”

The new look is inspired by Hyundai’s advanced steel technology, which gives it that bold, almost aggressive-looking design.

The Hyundai Concept THREE EV, a preview of the IONIQ 3 (Source: Hyundai)

Ahead of its world premiere, we’ve seen a few IONIQ 3 prototypes testing in public with a nearly identical design to the radical Concept Three from last year’s Munich Motor Show.

A chess piece strategy

According to Martinet, although Hyundai plans to make its cars look more closely related, the Korean automaker will never be that “photocopier machine” that many other brands have turned to.

Instead, Hyundai is sticking to head designer Sang Yup Lee’s commitment to a “chess piece” strategy, in which every vehicle has a distinct look to stand out.

The Hyundai Concept THREE EV, a preview of the IONIQ 3 (Source: Hyundai)

“You need to create this emotional connection with your customers as well, so design is actually fundamental,” Martinet explained. if you look at the IONIQ 5 “there’s no other vehicle that looks like that,” he added. The same goes for the IONIQ 9, Inster EV, and upcoming IONIQ 3.

The key, according to Martinet, is to “keep the emotional and rational approach at the same time.” That’s what Hyundai aims to do with its new EVs, starting with the IONIQ 3.

The Hyundai Concept Three (Source: Hyundai)

With a length of 4,287 mm, a width of 1,940 mm, and a height of 1,428 mm, Hyundai’s compact EV is about the size of the Volkswagen ID.3 and Kia EV3, but it will look nothing like either when it arrives later this year.

Hyundai will reveal prices closer to launch, but the IONIQ 3 will sit between the Kona Electric and Inster EV with prices expected to start at around £25,000 ($33,700).

How do you feel about the new look? At least Hyundai is trying to stand out and innovate through design, while most brands seem to be moving in the opposite direction with a similar look.