Sales boom for new Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV

Hyundai has a huge hit on its hands with its super-cool Ioniq 5 EV after being swamped with by customers, particularly those in Europe, wanting to buy the new vehicle.

Late last month, Hyundai unveiled the Ioniq 5, the first model in the company’s new-look, and every modern, Ioniq family. The company was doing a limited run of just 3000 units of the car based on the Project 45 concept, but there were far more buyers than they were expecting, with the model 300 percent oversubscribed in just the first day.

UPDATE: Hyundai Ioniq 5 Australian pricing and specifications confirmed

Since then, Hyundai says it has received more than 230,000 expressions of interest from European buyers wanting to get their hands on an Ioniq 5, as the market for EVs really starts to heat up, particularly outside of Australia.

The European surge in interest follows the Ioniq 5 recording a record-breaking number of pre-orders in its home market of South Korea, with almost 24,000 people signing up for delivery.

Tipped as a Tesla fighter and boasting ultra-rapid-charging technology, the slightly VW Golf-like Ioniq sets Hyundai’s “new benchmark” for electric transport. The car gets a solar roof and slick-looking 20-inch wheels.

Hyundai has already confirmed than an Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 7 are in the pipeline.

While pricing will be announced closer to the Q3 2021 Australian launch, best guesstimates have it starting between $60,000 and $70,000, rising closer to six figures for more expensive variants.

Hyundai claims the Ioniq 5 will be able to charge from 10 percent battery capacity to 80 percent in 18 minutes when connected to a 350kW ultra-rapid charger. A five-minute charge is claimed to add 100km of range.

The Ioniq 5 can also generate its own electricity for those who option the solar roof that is integrated in the uninterrupted panoramic glass roof. It can provide up to 210-Watt-hours of electricity; Hyundai says using the average annual sunlight hours of Korea it would provide about 1300km of driving per year, or a few kilometres per day.