It's a bit early to define 2021. (Imagine trying to guess what 2020 would have been like at this point last year?) But in the automotive world, at least, we may well be able to define it as "the year of the cool new affordable EV crossovers."
Ford's Mustang Mach E will be arriving at dealers soon; so will Volkswagen's new ID.4 crossover. Next summer, the Nissan Ariya will be coming. And now, Hyundai, producer of some of the best cars you can buy, has announced it will join that party as well.
Like they did with Genesis, Hyundai is turning Ioniq from a model into its own sub-brand. The company has released a teaser video for the Ioniq 5, which it says will launch in early 2021. The Ioniq 5 will be a midsize crossover, the first of three new vehicles launching on Hyundai's new Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP); a sedan (Ioniq 6) and large SUV (Ioniq 7) will follow.
Previous teaser photos suggest it will bear a strong resemblance to Hyundai's awesome 45 concept from 2018. So we're picturing a larger, sharper-looking version of the Hyundai Kona EV....which sounds just about perfect.
Hyundai did not offer performance or pricing details about the Ioniq 5 yet, bt the company did note that it will come with three "extras." One is vehicle-to-load bi-directional charging, which allows power stored in the car batteries can be sent back out. This would let the car send power to the grid to peak shave and save on energy costs. The Ioniq 5 will also come with fast-charging, and some form of connectivity technology. Guess we'll find out more next year.
