China is a huge market for automakers but, as Tesla is finding out, automakers have to compete with the giant steamroller that is BYD. Hyundai, however, sees an opportunity. It’s currently preparing a new EV for the Chinese market through its partnership with Beijing Automotive Group (known as BAIC, due to its former name, Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation). Beijing Hyundai has released a teaser for its new, as-yet-unnamed, camouflaged SUV prototype undergoing cold weather testing. Despite the camouflage, it’s clear that the Beijing Hyundai EV has a distinct styling to separate it from the global models.
Hyundai
Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967 by Chung Ju-yung, 20 years after the birth of the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company. The automotive marque’s first model was the Cortina, birthed with the help of Ford in 1968, while its first self-developed car arrived the year after as the Pony. Since then, the company has found success with affordable cars and has consistently become known for reliability and value. Nowadays, its ventures vary from combustion, hybrid, all-electric, and hydrogen mobility solutions to robotics.
- Founded
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29 December 1967
- Founder
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Chung Ju-yung
- Headquarters
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Seoul, South Korea
- Owned By
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Hyundai Motor Group
- Current CEO
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Jae-Hoon Chang
The First Hyundai EV In China
It’s likely that the new EV is riding on Hyundai’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The platform is shared with Kia for its EV models as well, and can use, so far, up to 110.3 kWh battery packs with support for single- and dual-motor setups. A 110.3 kWh single-motor setup could be optioned for big range or big performance. Currently, the Beijing Hyundai partnership only sells internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered global Hyundai vehicles, including the Elantra, Santa Fe, Sonata, and Tucson, and collaboration ICE vehicles like the seven-seater Custo SUV, the Lafesta sedan that sits between the Elantra and Sonata in the lineup, then the Mufasa compact crossover.
It’s interesting that the new EV separates itself from other Hyundai vehicles with its styling, including the full-width LED taillights and Kia-esque high headlights. Overall, it’s a muscular style and how Beijing Hyundai is showing the new EV sliding about looking spectacular suggests it will be pushed as a sporty crossover. That would make sense if the new R&D center in Shanghai responsible for the vehicle wants to make a statement straight out of the gate and show what it can do, grabbing headlines along the way.
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The Korean automaker describes it as a “thrilling glitch in the automotive matrix.”
China Only, Likely Not The Ioniq 8
Details are, at this point, incredibly slim, so there’s room here for some speculation. The most obvious is the possibility that what we’re actually looking at is the all-new Ioniq 8. However, that seems unlikely, although there is no reason that the R&D center in Shanghai couldn’t deliver a global car. We don’t think Hyundai would let that slip out through China as it will want to make a big deal for the Ioniq 8 when it shows up.
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