Hyundai recently unveiled the Ioniq 9 electric SUV at the LA Auto show 2024. The three-row Ioniq 9 is Hyundai’s new flagship SUV, and sources tell us that it will make its India debut at the Bharat Mobility show on January 17. The Ioniq 9 will initially go on sale in South Korea and North America in the first half of 2025, followed by other countries. It sits on the E-GMP modular born-EV platform that also underpins models like the Kia EV9, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and a few others.
- Hyundai Ioniq 9 gets Long Range (RWD, AWD) and Performance (AWD) trims
- Shares the E-GMP modular platform with the Kia EV9, Ioniq 5
- Gets swiveling seats for the second row
Hyundai Ioniq 9 exterior highlights
At 5,060mm, the Ioniq 9 is the largest electric SUV in Hyundai’s stable and is even 45mm longer than the Kia EV9. The Ioniq 9 has an angular design with rounded corners that's coupled with an upright tailgate design. Its headlamps and tail-lamps feature Hyundai’s Parametric pixel inserts that are also seen on the Ioniq 5 EV. The Ioniq 9 gets 19-inch wheels as standard with options for 20- or 21-inch setups. Customers can opt from as many as 16 exterior choices and seven interior shade options.
Hyundai Ioniq 9 interior features, safety
The Ioniq 9 gets 6- and 7-seater layouts. The first two rows get massaging seats, and the second row can swivel and face the third row when the car's stationary. It gets a panoramic sunroof, a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster. These are curved units with a panoramic display, according to Hyundai. It also gets ambient lighting, roof-mounted AC vents, multiple 100W USB-C ports in all rows and different sound systems, depending on the variant. On the safety front, it gets 10 airbags, ADAS with multiple cameras and sensors and other basic safety features like ABS and EBD.
Hyundai Ioniq 9 battery, motor, range highlights
The Ioniq 9 comes with a 110.3 kWh battery pack that has a projected WLTP range of up to 620km. Thanks to its E-GMP platform, the SUV is capable of charging from 10 percent to 80 percent in 24 minutes with a 350kW charger. It has 400V and 800V charging capabilities and also comes with a vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature that allows one to use the SUV to charge other electrical items.
The eSUV comes with Long Range (LR) and Performance trims with FWD and AWD. The Ioniq 5 LR RWD gets a 218hp, 350Nm rear axle-mounted motor that takes 9.4 seconds to sprint to 100kph and 6.8 seconds to do the 80-120kph run. The LR AWD adds a 95hp, 255Nm motor at the front, so 0-100kph and 80-120kph take 6.7 seconds and 4.8 seconds, respectively. The top-of-the-line Ioniq 9 Performance gets the 218hp motor on the front and the rear axles.
Additional tech upgrades on the Ioniq 9 include dynamic torque vectoring, lateral wind stability control along with a rough-road package called Terrain Traction Control. It features an Auto Terrain Mode that is said to use AI to gauge the road surface.
Hyundai Ioniq 9 India launch details
The Ioniq 9 will be shown to the Indian audience as a halo model that sits right at the top of Hyundai’s EV line-up. While its sister brand Kia has introduced its flagship EV9 in India, we are told there are no talks of the Ioniq 9 going on sale in India anytime soon.
As far as new car, SUV launches go, Hyundai will showcase the Creta EV at the Bharat Mobility show. Additionally, the next-gen Hyundai Venue compact SUV is also slated to go on sale sometime next year.
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
Lenny D'sa
Saptarshi Mondal
