Hyundai IONIQ What to Expect
Hyundai unveiled its concept for the IONIQ 7 at AutoMobility LA in 2021, and now the concept is coming to life as an upcoming three-row electric SUV. When the Concept IONIQ 7 was unveiled it was an eye-catcher. The SUV was intended to be category-bending with its unique personality and features.
The production vehicle is a long way from the Concept 7 which was originally unveiled. The new EV will make its debut sometime in the near future following the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 which are already for sale.
At a glance, the exterior of the Concept IONIQ 7 visually resembled that of the Kia EV9 because of the smooth panels and pixelated headlights. The IONIQ 7 has a more flowing design, however, with a swooped roofline making the exterior very aerodynamic.
The design looks somewhat rugged, with the cabin extending beyond the rear wheels, but it’s more modern in nature with its smooth lines and rounded edges. The wheels feature integrated Active Air Flaps, these deploy or retract based on brake-cooling and how much drag is needed. As mentioned before, the 7 has pixelated headlights, a signature of IONIQ, called the Parametric Pixel lights which give a Welcome Light Sequence when the car is started.
In the concept vehicle, the interior was unique and wholly uncar-like. The interior’s design was based on the idea of freedom of movement, meant to feel like a living space on wheels. It lives up to that name, almost not feeling like a car at some points. According to Hyundai, this is its future vision for more mobility in cars.
For starters, the pillarless coach doors opened outwards to reveal that the floor is flat and carpeted, giving the ability to furnish the back differently from the row-based seating arrangements we’re all accustomed to. The seats were supposed to give a lounge experience, with the back row being an L-shaped cushioned bench that looks like a couch.
The other seats could swivel around and their arrangement could be customized depending on whether the car is in driver-controlled or autonomous driving mode. There is also a Universal Island console, a multi-functional Smart Hub graphic user interface, and a mini-fridge in the concept vehicle.
We know from spy shots that the IONIQ 7 isn’t as outlandish as its concept vehicle was. The interior should be a sleek, roomy three-row SUV with plenty of room for passengers and gear.
Hyundai used several amounts of eco-friendly materials to reduce pollution from the production process of making the IONIQ 7 concept. These include the bio-paint on the exterior and interior, mineral plaster, bamboo wood and carpet, and bio-resin. Copper and hygienically treated fabrics with antibacterial properties were also used to ensure a clean interior. We’re not sure which, if any of these eco-friendly materials will appear in the IONIQ 7.
Along those lines, the Concept 7 also had a Hygiene Airflow System and UVC Sterilization system in place. The Hygiene AirFlow System takes in air through air intakes in the roof rails and pushes it through the exterior vent behind the rear wheels. It also takes in air through the dashboard and sends it out through the rear vents. This works whether the vehicle is moving or not and reduces cross-contamination among passengers. Unlike the Hygiene AirFlow System, the UVC Sterilization system only activates when the vehicle has no passengers inside.
How much of this design, or its other tech features will make it to the production model remains to be seen.
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 7 Engine and Specs
The IONIQ 7 concept is built on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) from Hyundai Motor Group. This is a BEV-specific architecture that provides an elongated 3.2-meter wheelbase and flat platform floor.
Because of the E-GMP platform it has, the IONIQ 7 should also be able to give a targeted driving range of over 300 miles and have ultra-fast charging abilities. With a 350-kW charger, the 7 should be able to go from 10% energy to 80% energy in around 20 minutes.
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 7 Safety
We don’t yet know what type of safety equipment and features the IONIQ 7 will feature, but we expect it to have similar features to the most current IONIQ 5 which features automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot detection with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, safe exit assist, and high beam assist.
We may see the 7 get even more features like evasive steering assist, highway control, front parking sensors, a blind spot monitor display in the gauge cluster, automatic reverse braking, remote parking assist, and rain-sensing wipers. This is what we’d like to see as standard, but the actual list of features has yet to be revealed.
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 7 Pricing
Likewise, we don’t have information yet on pricing for the IONIQ 7. Hyundai’s SUVs range between $20,000 to $35,000, with the exception of the NEXO, a hydrogen-fuel vehicle only sold in California, which goes for $61,470. Given all the details and extravagance promised in this model, though, we honestly can’t say for certain where the IONIQ 7 will fall price-wise.
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 7 Release Date
We don’t know yet when the IONIQ 7 will go on sale, but thanks to spy shots from Automotive News, we’ve seen the IONIQ 7 testing, and are sure to see it soon. According to TheKoreanCarBlog, the IONIQ 7 will debut on June 27th, 2024 at the Busan International Motor Show, in South Korea, and production will begin in July.
The IONIQ 7 will join a growing number of 3-row electric SUVs, and among those, the IONIQ 7’s biggest rivals may be other three-row EVs such as the Kia EV9, Mercedes EQS SUV, Rivian R1S, and the Tesla Model X.
Keep tuning in for updates as they become available.
Pictured: Hyundai IONIQ 7 Concept Images