Image Credit: Captain Electro.
Hyundai has finally decided to take its trophy-winning Ioniq show on the road to China, but rather than packing a suitcase and booking a flight, they've gone completely mental and created an entire "Ioniq Universe." Seriously - I'm not joking. After winning every award known to man with the Ioniq 5 and 6, the Koreans have looked at the most competitive car market on the planet and said, "You know what this needs? More astrology." Oh boy… Bold and shiny for sure, but about as subtle as a bagpipes solo in a library.
The whole concept is based on the idea that the Chinese customer is the Sun. Yup, if you live in China and want to buy a new Hyundai - you're a star, literally. Every car and service is supposed to orbit around you like a bunch of loyal planets. To hammer this message home, Hyundai is naming its future Chinese models after planets. I can't wait for the marketing department to realize that selling a car called "Uranus" might be a bit of a challenge at the local pub. "Aye, I've just parked Uranus in the driveway." Yeah… No - it doesn't have the premium ring they're hoping for.
Image Credit: Hyundai.
The Venus Concept is the first "planet" in this new galaxy, and it's painted a shade of gold so bright it could blind a hawk from three miles away. It's got a single, sweeping curve from front to back that makes it look like a bar of soap from the year 3000. It's got a clear spoiler and wheels that look like they were stolen from a spaceship. But the best part? The brake discs are inspired by the "Golden Record" from the Voyager space mission. I guess nothing says "I'm stopping for a red light" like the synthesized sounds of 1970s Earth hurtling through the cosmic void...
Inside the Venus, things get even weirder. It's all glowing crystals and suede. The seats are called "Venus Curve" - I assume this is a marketing way of saying they'll hold your backside while you pretend to be Captain Kirk. There's gold metal everywhere. It's not a car interior - it's a high-end disco in a galaxy far, far away. Sleek, cramped, and absolutely ridiculous. I love it, even if it makes me cry with laughter.
Image Credit: Hyundai.
Then we have the Earth Concept. The Venus is for people who want to look like they're winning a race in a vacuum, but the Earth is for the "sturdy" crowd. Boxy and rugged, it's finished in "Aurora Shield." It has sharp lines that look like they were carved out of a mountain with a very angry chisel. It even has exposed bolts on the wheel arches to show everyone you're "outdoorsy," even if the closest you ever get to "off-road" is a gravel driveway in the suburbs.
The interior of the Earth is a "Little Earth" theme. It's got "air-hug" seats. I'm not making this up. The seats use air modules to wrap around you like a needy relative. Hyundai says it's like sitting on a cloud. I say it's like being cuddled by a bouncy castle. It's designed to keep you calm while you're stuck in a ten-mile traffic jam in downtown Beijing. It's all very "Zen" - exactly what you need when you've spent sixty thousand dollars on a car that looks like a high-tech brick.
Image Credit: Hyundai.
Hyundai hasn't actually given us any hard specs for these concepts yet. No horsepower, no battery size, no 0 to 60 mph times. They're keeping the "science" part of their science-fiction project a secret for now. But they did mention something called EREV technology. This means they're sticking a small gas engine in there to act as a generator. So, it's an electric car that carries a little internal combustion security blanket. It's a vegan with a pocket full of bacon "just in case" they get hungry on a long walk.
To survive in China, where there are roughly 130 different EV brands all trying to kill each other, Hyundai is partnering with a local AI company called Momenta. They want the cars to learn how to drive themselves through the chaos of Chinese traffic. Good luck with that. Navigating a busy intersection in China has nothing to do with driving. It's a high-stakes game of Tetris played at 40 miles per hour. If the "Ioniq Universe" can handle that, it can handle anything. Hyundai has sold over 550,000 EVs globally so far, but this is its biggest gamble yet. Let's just hope the "Universe" doesn't end in a big bang.
Image Credit: Hyundai.
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