Hyundai previews i-oniq concept

Hyundai has issued the first image of its new concept car, named the Hyundai i-oniq, which will be on show at next week’s Geneva motor show.

The i-oniq is an electric sports hatchback with a range-extending petrol engine and has been built to showcase Hyundai’s new technology and design thinking.

The Hyundai i-oniq has a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine mated via a generator to a lithium ion electric motor which produces 108bhp.

In electric-only mode, the i-oniq has a range of 120km, while with assistance from the petrol engine it can travel up to 700km (about 435 miles).

The 4.4-metre-long i-oniq evolves Hyundai’s latest fluidic sculpture form language, and includes a 'penthouse roof' design and LED headlights. The concept seats four and has a driver-oriented cabin with a high-tech interface and controls.

Passengers benefit from a lounge-style space that features sculpted surfaces inspired by musical instruments.

Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, Allan Rushforth, said: “The i-oniq concept has been created to reflect the new thinking that runs through Hyundai. It has a bold design, inside and out, that provokes contemplation on the future of automotive possibilities, and a powertrain that highlights one of the ways in which we could power future products.”

The i-oniq concept was designed and developed at Hyundai’s European R&D centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany.