China-sourced Hyundai Elexio confirmed for Australia in early 2026. Is this the only way to challenge Chinese brands?
Earlier this week Mazda confirmed Australia was getting its Chinese-developed 6e EV sedan, now Hyundai’s followed suit, locking in the China designed, developed and built Elexio EV for our market to arrive “in early 2026.”
A mid-sized SUV, the Elexio will be the first Chinese-built Hyundai on sale in Australia.
It’s a business move replicating Kia’s to build its EV5 and Tesla its Model Y in China, both of these EVs being rivals to the Elexio.
If the new Hyundai – which joins the Inster, Kona Electric, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9 in the Korean brand’s EV portfolio – wants to price challenge China’s own BYD Sealion 7 and Geely EX5 EVs, a starting figure around $50,000 is needed.
However, this would put pressure on the South Korean-built but smaller Hyundai Kona Electric, which starts from $54,000.
READ MORE: Hyundai Australia boss says “we’ve done a terrible job on EVs.”
READ MORE: Hyundai’s Elexio medium SUV EV: What we know so far.
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Speaking to Australian media, COO of Hyundai Australia Gavin Donaldson said the Kia EV5 was Elexio’s core competitor, and they’d “probably be targeting that from a price point of view.”
Kia’s EV5 starts from $56,770 plus on roads for an Air Standard Range variant.
While selling well – the EV5 is Australia’s fourth best-selling EV in 2025 so far, behind Tesla’s Model Y and 3, and the BYD Sealion 7 – the Chinese-made Kia has been criticised by some motoring writers (including those at EVcentral) for lacking the outright polish and class expected of Kias.
Will Hyundai’s Chinese-made Elexio do the same?
Not least because a Hyundai global press release today stated the car was: “tailored for the Chinese market,” and it was developed under the brand’s “In China, For China, To Global” strategy.
“We think the quality will truly be accepted,” Donaldson said of the Elexio. “We see it as a vital car that’s going to takes on some of the Teslas, some of the BYDs and the EV5.”
Hyundai’s Product Planning and Development Manager, Tim Rodgers, said “right-hand handling’s been completed on that car. We had engineers here, and actually the setting we developed in Australia, I believe, is now the general market setting (for Elexio) for all right-hand drive markets.”
Hyundai’s local ride and handling tuning on its current vehicles has proved amongst the best in the business, so this bodes well for the Elexio’s drivability.
As we’ve previously reported, the Elexio has been developed by the Beijing Hyundai joint-venture between Hyundai Motor Company and local auto giant BAIC.
Information on the Elexio released today confirms it is built on the same E-GMP EV platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, 6 and 9.
It offers roughly 500km WLTP range from an 88.1kWh battery; the interior features a 27-inch ultra-thin 4K widescreen display, Dolby Atmos audio and pair of wireless phone chargers. There’s a 506L boot, which is a tad smaller that a Hyundai Tucson’s.
Although now locked in for Australia in 2026, Hyundai Australia representatives said actual arrival time, specification and pricing would be revealed closer to its arrival.
