LOS ANGELES — Hyundai introduced its highly anticipated all-electric, three-row SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday, along with a fuel-cell electric concept called the Initium.
The Korean automaker said the vehicles represent its next step in smart mobility, adding to a growing EV lineup that’s boosted the company’s sales for four consecutive years.
With an estimated 300 miles of driving range, the Ioniq 9 will be the first Hyundai equipped with the Tesla-designed NACS charger, allowing it to use 17,000 stations within the Supercharger network, as well as 30,000 IONNA chargers developed as part of a joint agreement with six other automakers.
It’s able to recharge to 80% in as little as 24 minutes. And if the SUV’s battery has power but the driver’s home is having an outage, its bidirectional charger will be able to send electricity back to the house.
“The Ioniq 9 allows Hyundai to meet customers where they are on their journey to electrification,” Hyundai North America Senior Vice President Olabisi Boyle said at the LA Auto Show.
With a clean, modern and luxurious design, the Ioniq 9 offers more interior space than any other electric in the Hyundai lineup. The second- and third-row seats are both available with reclining and foot-rest options and also fold flat, opening up 87 cubic feet of cargo space. It offers 22 cubic feet of storage space behind the third row when it’s upright.
Adding to the interior’s functionality, an innovative center console can move backward and is double hinged, allowing access from both the first and second rows. Regardless of where they’re seated, all passengers have access to 100-watt USB-C ports.
The Ioniq 9 will go into production at Hyundai’s 7.5 million-square-foot Metaplant in Georgia the first quarter of 2025 and be available for sale next spring. Pricing was not announced.
Hyundai also threw the wraps off its latest fuel cell electric vehicle concept — the Initium. One of three automakers that currently offers hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Hyundai has been developing the technology for 27 years.
Futuristic yet approachable, the Initium’s armor-like bumpers and grooved body panels contrast with headlamps made of four LED lights to represent hydrogen spelled out in morse code.
Hyundai Design Center Director Simon Loasby said the concept is “the beginning of a future powered by fuel cells” and embodies “our relentless drive for innovation, for sustainability and a future fueled by positivity and possibility.”