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The next electric car from Hyundai appears to be a mid-size SUV with a more conventional, upright body than the Ioniq 5.
Hyundai’s next electric car, potentially called Ioniq 4, has reportedly been confirmed in a Chinese database.
An image shared to Korean forum Autospy shows two new Hyundai vehicles are under development to be sold in China – at least one with electric power – codenamed internally as ‘OE’ and ‘EA’, respectively.
The vehicle codenamed ‘OE’ is expected to become the next Ioniq-badged electric car from Hyundai – following the Ioniq 5 mid-size SUV (codenamed NE), Ioniq 6 sedan (CE) and Ioniq 9 large SUV (ME).
Potentially called Ioniq 4, the model could be positioned similarly to the Kia EV5, which is shorter nose to tail and narrower than the Kia EV6 – the Ioniq 5's close relative – for a smaller footprint, but taller with a more conventional SUV shape inspired by the seven-seat Kia EV9.
The first letter in the two-letter model codes for Hyundai and Kia vehicles typically follow a common theme – ‘L’ for extra-large SUVs, ‘M’ for large SUVs, ‘N’ for mid-size SUVs, and ‘Q’ or ‘S’ for small SUVs.
‘O’ is an outlier which has been used for the EV5 (OV), and suggests a vehicle between the Ioniq 5 and Kona Electric (codenamed SX2) in size – as the EV5 is.
Spy images of the Hyundai ‘OE’ shared to Korean and Chinese forums show a small to mid-sized SUV which appears to be taller than the hatchback-like Ioniq 5 with a similar shape to other electric SUVs like the EV5, Tesla Model Y and BYD Atto 3.
It is possible the model will be a twin-under-the-skin to the EV5 – hence the similar 'O' codenames – underpinned by the Hyundai-Kia group’s lower-cost N3 eK platform derived from its petrol-powered vehicles, rather than its dedicated E-GMP electric vehicle architecture.
The Korean Car Blog claims the car will be based on the E-GMP architecture, but does not reveal the source of its information.
It also does not state if it would use the new front-wheel-drive version underpinning to the Kona-sized Kia EV3 – with 400-volt electrics to reduce cost – or the more expensiv 800-volt rear-wheel-drive version from higher-priced cars such as the Ioniq 5.
The spy images reveal the vehicle will have a design familiar to Hyundai’s existing Ioniq line-up, with a similar alloy wheel, side mirror and interior door handle design to the Ioniq 5, as well as a familiar ‘Parametric Pixel’ motif on the back of the passenger seat.
Hyundai does not currently sell an electric vehicle in China outside of the high-performance Ioniq 5 N launched in 2024.
It is despite electric and plug-in hybrid ‘new energy’ models accounting for more than half of all new-vehicle sales in the world’s largest car market.
Hyundai recently injected $US1.1 billion ($AU1.8 billion) into its Beijing Hyundai joint-venture with BAIC Motor to accelerate its electrified vehicle sales in China, with the rumoured Ioniq 4 a good fit to become its first mass-market all-electric model in the country.
It is currently unknown if the Ioniq 4 will be sold globally like the Kia EV5 – which is exported from China to markets such as Australia, along with a forthcoming Korean-built version for the US and Europe – or if it will be a China-exclusive model tailored to that market.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
