- Hyundai will discontinue the standard Ioniq 6 from its U.S. lineup.
- The automaker will import select quantities of the high-performance Ioniq 6 N this year.
- The electric sedan was far less popular than its crossover sibling.
Hyundai is planning to discontinue its Ioniq 6 electric sedan from its U.S. lineup. The svelte sedan was a hit among electric vehicle enthusiasts and design aficionados, but it never sold as well as its crossover sibling, the Ioniq 5.
The announcement, which Edmunds first reported on Wednesday, comes with one important note: Hyundai is still planning to sell the high-performance Ioniq 6 N in limited numbers. Model year 2025 Ioniq 6 will continue to be available, but Hyundai will no longer ship the MY2026 versions to the U.S.
Edmunds said tariffs were a likely reason for its cancellation, since the Ioniq 6 is made in South Korea. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9, on the other hand, are assembled in the U.S. at the brand’s Metaplant America factory in Georgia.
But other likely reasons could also include its poor sales in the U.S., as well as the overall climate surrounding EVs. Hyundai sold only about 10,000 units of the Ioniq 6 in the U.S. last year, which was a 15% drop from the year before.
After the $7,500 federal tax credit expired last September, overall EV sales plummeted sharply due to the pull-forward demand effect. But while sales of the Ioniq 5 have recovered since with over 5,000 units sold year-to-date, Hyundai has only sold about 573 units of the Ioniq 6 in the first two months of this year.
That's surprising because the Ioniq 6 was never a bad EV. It just happened to be a sedan in an SUV world. When it arrived stateside in 2023, it was one of the fastest-charging and longest-range EVs in the U.S. And it helped Hyundai become one of the leaders in the EV space in the face of Tesla and burgeoning Chinese automakers.
To this date, the Ioniq 6 remains one of the most competitive EVs on the market, with 342 miles of EPA range, and 10-80% charging time of just about 18 minutes, thanks to its 800-volt architecture that allows 350 kilowatts of peak charging speeds.
It also flaunts one of the most striking designs, with Hyundai labeling it an “Electrified Steamliner”, thanks mainly to its aerodynamic bodywork and the distinctive dual spoilers at the rear. It also received rave reviews from the automotive media, including InsideEVs, for its efficiency and fun-to-drive traits.
The Ioniq 6 will join a wave of EV cancellations in the U.S. this year. It’s a long list of discontinued models that includes the Acura ZDX, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Volkswagen ID.Buzz and the Mercedes EQS and EQE. The Volkswagen and the Mercedes are still available in Europe, though.
If you really want an Ioniq 6, you still have some time until the MY2025 inventory runs out. Hyundai will also sell the Ioniq 6 N at some point this year, but don’t expect it to be easily available or cheap. It’s expected to cost around $70,000.
All said, the other canceled models this year weren’t the best EV efforts from automakers and probably deserved to die. The Ioniq 6 did not feel like a compliance car. It was genuinely competitive on paper and in the real world, which is why its demise feels rather sad.
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
