Hyundai IONIQ to out-tech Prius

Update, January 14: An official 3/4 front photo of the IONIQ has been released by Hyundai today, confirming that the spy photos published previously are an accurate depiction of the new hybrid hatch.

In the press material supplied, Hyundai also revealed that combined power and torque for the 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor was 103.6kW and 265Nm. The engine alone produces 77kW and 147Nm. As noted before, torque is supplied to the drive wheels via a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The manufacturer is yet to disclose fuel economy figures for IONIQ, but has listed some of the standard safety features for the new car, including: Autonomous Emergency Brake, Lane Keeping Assist System / Lane Departure Warning System, and Blind Spot Detection with Rear Cross Traffic Alert. In addition, the IONIQ will be equipped with seven airbags.

Hyundai has revealed the first official photos and technical details of its first direct rival for the world's top-selling hybrid, Toyota's Prius.

Today's release follows confirmation of the car's IONIQ name and the first official rendering in December, followed by unofficial spy shots and an interior sketch earlier this week.

Interestingly, however, there is no frontal image to go with the official rear three-quarter and interior pics released as part of a domestic media preview at Hyundai's Namyang R&D Center in South Korea.

Evidently, the all-new small hybrid hatchback will not be shown in its entirety until the full reveal on January 14, followed by the Korean press launch on January 21.

The IONIQ will then make its global public premiere at the Geneva and New York motor show in March, before going on sale in Australia in the second half of this year.

And bear in mind, all information released so far relates to the petrol-electric version, not the plug-in hybrid version – which is under consideration for Australia and will follow later this year – nor the pure-electric IONIQ that will come later.

As such, Hyundai claims the IONIQ is the world's first car to be available with three distinct electrified drivetrains. When Toyota's fourth-generation Prius goes on sale Down Under in February it will remain a traditional hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Once again a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version will be offered, but like the model it replaces it's unlikely to be offered in Australia.

Pricing for the new Prius is yet to be announced, but Hyundai has told motoring.com.au the IONIQ will be priced from under $35,000, in line with the current Prius (from $32,490).

The new Prius brings a number of advances, including the debut of an all-new platform dubbed TNGA and a more efficient 1.8-litre petrol-electric powertrain incorporating a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), plus a smaller nickel-metal battery to free up more cabin space.

Similarly, the IONIQ is based on a new platform — dubbed AE — that Hyundai says "boasts 53% Advanced High Strength Steel combined cleverly with lightweight aluminium".

It claims a 12.6kg or 45 per cent weight saving by casting non-structural bodywork from aluminium, including the bonnet, tailgate and suspension components, including the dual lower arm multi-link rear suspension.

"The new model was created with dynamic ride and handling at its core, a characteristic that sets the IONIQ apart from other hybrid vehicles," said Hyundai. "Positioning the car’s batteries low and forward achieves a low center of gravity that enables highly responsive, stable cornering."

Speaking of batteries, the IONIQ hybrid comes with an advanced lithium-ion polymer battery to power its high-voltage motor, delivering "outstanding charge and discharge performance" and "allowing for rapid regeneration".

Also bettering the Prius is a dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), which is fitted for the first time in a hybrid and "presents a dynamic driving experience unique to IONIQ".

Full powertrain specification details have not been released, but Hyundai has already claimed the IONIQ will deliver “world’s best hybrid efficiency" and class-leading fuel economy, although official fuel consumption figures have not been released.

The current Prius consumes 3.9L/100km on Australia's official combined cycle – more than its European NEDC figure, which for the Mk4 Prius is 3.2L/100km.

The IONIQ's efficiency comes partly thanks to its smaller 1.6-litre Kappa GDi four-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine, which was designed exclusively for this application.

Hyundai claims it achieves the world’s highest thermal efficiency of 40 per cent, which is the same figure Toyota claims for the latest Prius' upgraded 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle four.

Combined with an unspecified permanent magnetic electric motor, the IONIQ is also claimed to deliver class-leading power transmission efficiency of 95.7 per cent, thanks in part to 200-bar high-pressure six-hole direct fuel-injection.

Hyundai says the IONIQ hybrid powertrain produces "prompt response, acceleration performance and smooth gear changes to delight drivers with handling alongside the hybrid’s efficiency".

Power output is one area in which the IONIQ appears to fall short of the Prius, however. Hyundai says its engine output is 105ps (77kW), while the unspecified electric motor makes 47ps (35kW), "delivering initial acceleration greater even than some diesel-powered rivals".

For the record, its initial press release announced a total system output of 152ps (112kW), but that figure was removed from an amended release, which continued to include a diagram showing a lower power output (43.5ps or 32kW) for the electric motor.

Almost as confusingly, meantime, Toyota claims the new Prius engine produces 72kW (down from the outgoing model's 100kW) and that its electric motor makes 53kW (down from 73kW), but says the lower outputs are due to a different measurement method.

In any case, while the Prius' larger petrol/electric power unit still appears to offer a higher system output than the IONIQ, Hyundai claims its direct competitor will not only be more efficient, but higher tech and better to drive.

Only time will tell.