- Hyundai published a teaser of the upcoming Ioniq 9's interior.
- The company says the electric three-row SUV has a "lounge-like" cabin that will "deliver an unparalleled and distinctive customer experience."
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is edging closer to its scheduled debut at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, so the Korean automaker is bringing out the teasers. We already know that the side profile of the electric SUV will be very similar to the futuristic Seven Concept from 2021 thanks to a teaser that shows the EV’s silhouette.
Now, though, it’s time to catch a glimpse of the interior, which Hyundai describes as being “lounge-like.” As a reminder, the Ioniq 9 is a large, all-electric three-row SUV that will be capable of carrying up to seven people.
It’s based on the same E-GMP architecture as the Kia EV9 and although we don’t know technical specs yet, we expect the Ioniq 9 to feature a similar powertrain to its Kia cousin. It should also be larger than the gas-powered Palisade, judging from Hyundai’s wording.
There’s just one teaser of the interior, so we’ll have to work with what we have here. From the get-go, the Ioniq 9 seems to adopt a rounded aesthetic, especially on the door cards, with oval cutouts and round door releases. Some of the front seat controls have a place next to the front door release and there seem to be quite deep door pockets.
A Bose sound system is in the cards, seeing how there’s the audio system maker’s branding on a plastic panel in the trunk. It also looks like the rear-most passengers will get cupholders and possibly some USB sockets. However, judging from the sloping roofline, headroom might not be ideal for adults sitting on the third row. That said, we’ll know more when we see the finished product.
For what it’s worth, the Ioniq 9 will have a completely flat floor, courtesy of the E-GMP platform, so moving from one row of seats to another should be as easy as pie. Hyundai said the Ioniq 9’s interior design is set “to deliver an unparalleled and distinctive customer experience.” We’ll be the judge of that when we get one for a review, but until that happens, we’ll have to take the automaker’s word for it.
The upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a big deal. It’s the carmaker’s first large SUV, as well as its first all-electric three-row SUV. Expected to be similar in size to the Kia EV9 which we quite like here at InsideEVs, the Ioniq 9 will be manufactured in the United States at Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant in Georgia alongside the refreshed Ioniq 5 and Kia EV9.
It was previewed by 2021’s Seven Concept and initially, it was supposed to be called the Ioniq 7, but Hyundai confirmed the Ioniq 9 name earlier this year. The change suggests the automaker might be looking to bring yet another all-electric SUV to market that will slot between the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9, but that’s just speculation at this point.
We’ll know more about Hyundai’s flagship EV later this month. It will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 21, just like the Seven Concept three years ago.
