Hyundai keeps hitting home runs with its EVs. Every electric car it sells is a sales hit, and it doesn’t take a data engineer to see why. All you have to do is look at them. The company’s design department is killing it right now, pushing out some of the most interesting-looking cars I’ve seen from a “normal” brand in decades.
That department has yet another hit on its hands, as far as I’m concerned. Its latest creation, the Ioniq Three, is a concept introduced at IAA meant to preview its new B-segment small car for Europe. It’s giving miniature shooting brake vibes, and I’m in love.
Hyundai describes this design language as “Art of Steel,” harkening back to its capacity as a large-scale producer of the stuff. The company describes the sharper lines—like on the fascia and along the sides of the body—as reminiscent of the “aesthetic quality of steel.” To me, this car feels like an amalgamation of Hyundai and Kia products in one car.
Here’s what I mean: The front’s thin headlights are extremely Sonata-esque. The sides, meanwhile, sort of remind me of the angular body panels seen on the sides of the Elantra. The back end, with its falling roofline and abrupt cutoff, is very similar to an EV6. In some ways, the car’s overall shape somewhat feels like a Honda CRZ—a hybrid hatchback from Honda that never got the love it deserved.
The Ioniq Three’s longer nose and bigger wheel arches give it more of a shooting brake stance, though, which I adore. The yellow-tinted glass for the cabin and the rear wing is fun, too. It matches well with the interior, a yellow and grey smorgasbord of fun angles and pixelated displays (including one on the steering wheel that smiles back at you).
Hyundai describes that face as “Mr. Pix,” a persona programmed within the Ioniq Three that offers “playful storytelling through ‘hidden surprises’ and interactive design elements.” That could be fun or unnerving, depending on your age and how much you rely on Chat GPT to get through the day. The square screens on the dash are also customizable, allowing them to display different features depending on what the driver wants to see in front of them. Hyundai cleverly describes them as “Bring Your Own Lifestyle (BYOL)” widgets.
There’s no telling how much of the design the upcoming production-spec Ioniq 3 (the number, not spelled out) will borrow from the Three concept, though, considering Hyundai’s past transitions from concept to production, there’s a very good chance the road-going hatch will reflect what you see here. And that makes me happy. Even if it’s just an unexciting economy hatch, cars should look fresh and exciting. Hyundai’s smart about this, and it has yet to fumble with one of its EVs. I don’t see that changing here.
Not like I’m likely to ever see the Ioniq 3 in person. While Hyundai hasn’t said where it plans to sell the small hatchback, here’s a nice, big section in its press release talking about the importance of the European market for the brand (did you know that 80 percent of Hyundais sold in Europe are also built there?) That, combined with America’s apathy for all things not shaped like a RAV4 or an F-150, suggests the company has no plans to bring the Ioniq 3 stateside.
That’s a shame, considering this car is supposed to be the spiritual successor to the Hyundai Veloster, the company’s funky three-door hatchback sold here from 2011 to 2022, culminating in the Veloster N, one of the best hot hatches I’ve ever driven. While I didn’t expect this electric car to live up to the N driving-wise, it would’ve been nice to see a return of the Hyundai hatch to American soil. Alas, we can’t all get what we want.
Did I not comment on the electric Veloster?
I’ve wanted this car to exist since the Ioniq 5 was a concept.
Of course, I was also furious it would inevitably be barred from the US, etc.
It’s weird; despite being a sporty electric, the Ioniq 3 is apparently front-wheel drive.
I’ve been sad about the excessive technology in EVs since the Ioniq 5 was a concept as well, so the AI-powered vehicle with their latest software architecture would have made me unhappy as well.
At least I don’t have to feel like we’re “missing out” because of the SUV-only market.
I would probably be perpetually angry about this thing specifically if I wasn’t already hyperfixated on Slate.
Dear Hyundai,
Please bring this to the U.S. Please.
Lunar Rover? The yellow glass reminds me a bit of the visors Apollo-era astronauts had while walking on the moon.
Some curious (possibly in a bad way) aero choices up front and a hideously thick C-pillar will need some more work before it’s ready for primetime. Of course, on the moon, wind resistance isn’t a big deal, and traffic is so light you don’t really need to see what’s off to the side behind you.
The front grille looks perfect for a scrolling alphanumeric display kindly displaying things like “Get the F out of my way!” and similar.
The interior. as shown, would be a non-starter for me. The front seats remind me of the molded plastic chairs my parents bought in the swingin’ 60s. Rear legroom looks tight, and the backs of the front chairs look unyielding.
The steering wheel and IP aren’t doing it for me, but maybe I could get used to them.
Still, I agree, Hyundai and Kia are doing some pretty cool designs these days.
Want.
One Hyundai car which is neither a sales nor a design hit… the Ioniq 6.
My sister and BIL both have one. They love their cars. They sold their Tesla’s and like the Ioniq’s a lot more as daily drivers. They ride nice. The Telsa’s rode like a buckboard and the back seat in the 6’s is actually habitable by full size humans despite the swoopy rooflines. They also like not seeing a car like theirs at every other stop light.
The interior shot has the sort of seats that give off the vibes of “look kinda cool but are not comfy to sit in”.
The moonscape rendering is an interesting choice.
I like the idea of this reincarnated Veloster, but the production version will absolutely not look like that.
The first thing I thought was that it’s son of Veloster.
It’s nice, but of course a lot of what’s there is likely just concept car frippery.
I’d love to see a scaled down Ionic 5 from Hyundai: smaller and cheaper, but with similar practicality and style.
I don’t know, I’d rather have some cargo space in the back rather than a swooping low roofline. If we’re talking shooting brakes, something like the old Honda HRV (a beautiful car that unfortunately never made it to North America).
We got two gens of HRV from Honda in the states of course, but not the earlier/boxier JDM ones that you’re likely referring to. The first gen (for the US) HRV was cavernous in back IIRC: back when I was car-shopping for my sister, I test drove all the first-gen HRV flavors FWD/AWD, manual/auto (I know there is a hypen in there somewhere… I’m just not bothering) and though it was a bit appliance-like, I enjoyed it. Cargo room was enormously Fit-like. I also liked that it used a naturally aspirated old school 2 liter motor, instead of the newer, high-strung turbo ones from Honda. The new/current HRV is biggers/softer/more mainstream-looking, but it lost the Magic Seat goodness and Tardis-style capacity of the previous gen. Still not a bad car at all, just a little less amazing than the other one.
Agreed & I have the same “I’d rather have some cargo space in the back rather than a swooping low roofline” opinion about nearly every crossover and SUV these days.
Ditto. Brick-shapes are best for an SUV. Swoopy “coupe-crossover” is not.
Throw that interior out and start over. Someone has tried to make an old washing machine and wringer into a driver’s seat and somehow failed worse than anyone could have imagined.
I was trying to decide what those front headrest resemble. Definitely has old washing machine vibes. My other thought was those gross continuous loop cloth towel machines in old timey gas station bathrooms.
Was the second copy of the side view meant to be a pic of.. the back of the car?
If this had taken the place of the Ioniq 5, I would never have stopped talking about it.
Electric Veloster. Yes.
Since it inherited the Veloster’s extinction in North America, of course, I would also never have run out of loud, unprompted crossover-hate. It would have overwritten my entire vocabulary.
So it’s probably best for my ability to exist even briefly in public spaces that it’s so late.
Customizable interface is neat, though if “Bring Your Own Lifestyle” is actually supposed to be clever, it’s going over my head.
It’s the right shape and it can be rear-drive since it’s electric. Maybe by the time it’s legal to import, we’ll have a way to hack out all the tech or replace it with some kind of insane 2040s Linux distro for ex-connected cars.
I’ve liked the Ioniq5 from the beginning. The 80’s-ish styling, but it’s a little big for me and I can’t make all-EV work. I’m not saying I’d buy one, but I’ve been hoping that the little Venue gets restyled to look somewhat like the Ioniq5, but reality tells me it’s more likely to look like a Tuscon. This is ok but to me it recalls a Veloster more than anything else.
I’d like an AWD “N” version weighing right at or slightly under 3,000 lbs with the Ioniq 5 N’s 641 horsepower drive system, please. Shrink the dimensions and use a more power-dense, less-massive, lower-kWh-count battery, if you must. Bonus points if you exchange all the tech for actual buttons.
If I can’t go trolling for Tesla Model S PLAIDs at a fraction of the cost, then I’m not interested.
I’d like to propose, for consideration of the board, Autopian Auto.
Jason Torchinsky – CEO
Product Planning lead – Toecutter
Design Team Adrian and The Bishop (If only so I can watch them argue)
Lead Engineer – David Tracy of course
And Beau can launch the dealer network.
But how did it get on the moon? Why are there no tire tracks? Can the batteries handle the type of thermal changes the moon has? And no way you can fit in that interior with your EVA space suit.
Maybe not a full EVA, but your plugsuit should fit.
…wait
I’d be more popular if I didn’t get it…
I think the photo was faked!
I don’t know,maybe a 13 y/o designed this. They seem to hire anybody these days.
Hm, I think I must be with the minority on this one.
Yeah, I think its fine as a concept car to show to the crowds at auto shows, but I wouldnt want it in my driveway. Way too busy, and the details dont really flow together
Exterior yes
Interior no
It won’t actually look like that.
Yes I know. It is a concept car I was just making an opinion.
It’s incredible, but the center lock wheels MUST go on. Also EVs and few-spoke wheels with lots of dead space are range killers, so that will go, and it’ll need side mirrors in the US. If they can limit changes to just about that alone though, I’m all for it. It’s interesting and striking but in a good way, not in a BMW iX kind of way.
The article mentions that at least for now, it’s supposed to be a B-segment car for Europe, so it might not need mirrors if it’s going to stay there
This looks very cool, but can you imagine sitting in the back seat and staring at those humongous front-seat headrests? No thank you.
back seat is only for kids and dogs, and they won’t care.
Yeah, that’s probably true, I’ve been in the strange position lately of having both a 17-year-old who wants to drive everywhere and a carsick-prone wife who prefers the shotgun seat. So I’ve been spending an unexpected amount of time in the backseat of my own vehicle, which probably biases me towards thinking about that area more than I should
It’s already, there’s no legroom and headroom for humans in the rear seats anyway. They’re purely a parcel shelf.
I like the front end. That’s it.
Exactly like that? Given the lack of rear view mirrors, I guess the first rule of Italian driving is still valid on the moon.
It is good looking concept tho.
That’s damn near perfect what I want in an EV. Great looks, plus I’d imagine good range being smaller than most of Hyundai’s other Evs. I’d just want it a four door to more easily cram my tween kids in the back.
I think it is a 4 door. Look at the cut line in front of the rear wheel. And if it’s for Europe, you can be sure it will be a 4 door based on the existing competition.
Sort of an electric Veloster replacement, effectively?