Hyundai IONIQ 7 amps up

Hyundai isn’t wasting any time in evolving its new IONIQ sub-brand, which began with the IONIQ hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric fastback in late 2018 and was joined by the all-new IONIQ 5 mid-size electric SUV last month.

Now the Korean car-maker has begun the countdown to the launch of its bigger seven-seat brother, which is expected to be called the IONIQ 7, with a series of shadowy images previewing the Hyundai ‘Seven’ electric SUV concept due to be revealed at AutoMobility LA on November 18.

While not specifically labelled as an IONIQ model, the likelihood of an ‘IONIQ 7’ model can be traced back to December last year when Hyundai Motor Group revealed its new dedicated electric vehicle architecture dubbed e-GMP.

At the time, three models were shown in official press renders, including what went on to become the just-launched IONIQ 5, plus a swoopy four-door coupe and a large SUV.

That large SUV was still unnamed as of September, when Hyundai revealed its plans for the IONIQ portfolio, but many within the industry had already connected the dots and bestowed it the honorary name of IONIQ 7.

Now with the previewing of this new ‘Seven’ concept, Hyundai has all but confirmed its identity both in terms of its name and key styling cues.

“Seven captures Hyundai Motor’s future design and technology innovation in the electric mobility era and hints at a new SUV model coming to the IONIQ family, the company’s dedicated battery electric vehicle (EV) brand,” the brand said in a statement.

The common theme among all the previous press images and speculative renderings are the vertical LED running lights skirting the outer edges of the front bumper and a full-width light strip spanning the top of the front facia.

The lights themselves are described by designers as ‘parametric pixels’ – a key IONIQ styling characteristic.

As for the interior, Hyundai claims it will offer “a premium and personalised lounge ambience” and follows through on the promise by including deeply sculpted captain’s chairs that wouldn’t look out of place in an Ikea office display, as well as an elegant third-row bench seat.

Emphasising this lounge-like ambience are several open, illuminated storage compartments and sustainably sourced fabric upholstery wrapping the seats.

However, the production-ready Hyundai IONIQ 7 is not expected to debut until 2024, following the 2022 global launch of the IONIQ 6 sedan, which was previewed by the Hyundai Prophecy Concept EV in March last year.