Any parent will appreciate the pride one feels when they raise a child into an independent adult and then set them free to make their mark on the world. For Hyundai Motor Company, it seems yet another child is about to leave the nest to make its own name for itself.
Today in Seoul, Hyundai announced the launch of its new IONIQ brand dedicated to battery electric vehicles, opening a new chapter as a leader in the era of electrified mobility. Under the IONIQ brand, Hyundai will offer customer centric EV experiences centered on connected lifestyle solutions in line with Hyundai’s vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’.
Up until now the IONIQ nameplate was a model under the Hyundai portfolio. It remains the only nameplate in the automotive realm to offer 3 electrified powertrain options – hybrid, PHEV and full EV. However, the Hyundai IONIQ will not transfer over to the new IONIQ brand.
Yes, that does seem a bit…Ioniq, err, I mean Ironic. (Alanis Morissette ear worm fully intentional. You’re welcome)
If you think you’ve seen this song and dance before, you’re correct. In 2017 Hyundai took it’s popular Genesis nameplate and turned it into their luxury sub-brand. Similar to the nomenclature employed by Genesis, Hyundai will be launching a range of numerically named EVs under the new brand, with the even numbers used for sedans and the odd numbers for SUVs.
The first model under the IONIQ brand will be the IONIQ 5 midsize CUV that will launch in early 2021. IONIQ 5 is based on the concept EV ‘45’, which Hyundai unveiled at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2019 in Frankfurt as a homage to its very first concept car. IONIQ 5’s designers took inspiration from the past and integrated it with cutting-edge parametric pixels, a unique design element that Hyundai designers will continue to incorporate into future IONIQ models.
In 2022, Hyundai will introduce IONIQ 6 sedan, which is based on the company’s latest concept EV ‘Prophecy’, unveiled in March; followed by IONIQ 7, a large SUV in early 2024. Prophecy’s iconic exterior design is characterized by its aerodynamic silhouette of perfect proportions.
Hyundai isn’t the only automaker to employ this strategy of splitting off a part of its company to create a sub-brand solely dedicated to EVs. Volvo has taken the Polestar name, which is acquired when it bought Polestar in 2017 and has turned it into a performance EV brand with the launch of the Polestar 1 and 2.
Creating sub-brands is a long-held practice with automakers, but there can be risks involved in doing so. Prior to the 2008 sub-prime meltdown and the subsequent major recession that hit the U.S. and other parts of the world, General Motors was a confusing array of sub-brands with plenty of overlap and duplication. The crisis forced them to purge brands like Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn and Hummer (although Hummer is coming back as…you guessed it, an EV).
Whether Hyundai is creating a similar problem remains to be seen. One would think it makes sense the way they have it now with a mainline brand, a luxury brand and now an EV brand. Some might argue that the mainline brand and the EV brand should be one and the same, but that’s more of a semantic than an substantial argument.
With this announcement one can now look forward to a day when a Hyundai IONIQ is stopped at a red light beside an IONIQ from Hyundai.
Ando together, they will be a little two IONIQ.
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