Hyundai’s New IONIQ V Seems to be Type of Like a Cybertruck for Regular Folks

Hyundai simply introduced a brand new EV that appears like a much less dorky Cybertruck, and it’s much more sensible than Tesla’s upcoming two-seat Cybercab.

The Korean automaker unveiled the IONIQ V at this time on the 2026 Beijing Auto Present. The brand new EV, with a particular single-curve silhouette, is a part of Hyundai’s push to revive its EV enterprise in China. It’s the primary mannequin from Hyundai’s IONIQ EV lineup accessible in China, in addition to the primary devoted IONIQ manufacturing automobile constructed particularly for the Chinese language market.

The automobile arrives as Hyundai’s gross sales in China have struggled amid intense native competitors. In 2024, the corporate offered simply 125,726 vehicles within the nation. In the meantime, BYD cemented its dominance, turning into the world’s largest EV vendor after delivering greater than 2 million electric vehicles globally that very same yr.

“China is a necessary marketplace for Hyundai Motor Firm. The world’s most demanding EV shoppers, the quickest growth cycles, the deepest battery provide chain, and a complicated innovation ecosystem. That’s the reason we’re tripling down on our dedication to China,” stated Hyundai Motor Firm CEO José Muñoz in a press release.

This automobile is simply step one in Hyundai’s larger EV comeback plan for China. The automaker and its native accomplice, BAIC Group, dedicated a mixed 8 billion yuan (about $1.2 billion) to their Beijing Hyundai three way partnership below a deal reached in December 2024.

The IONIQ V is the primary of 20 new fashions Hyundai plans to introduce in China over the following 5 years. The corporate can be aiming to succeed in 500,000 annual automobile gross sales available in the market.

Hyundai says the long-range model of the IONIQ V will provide over 600 km (about 372 miles) of driving vary below China’s CLTC testing customary. That’s not unhealthy, but it surely nonetheless lags behind some high-end Chinese language EVs. BYD’s premium model Denza, for instance, lately unveiled the Z9 GT with an estimated range of over 1,000 km (about 644 miles).

Inside, Hyundai is leaning laborious right into a minimalist, screen-heavy design. The IONIQ V largely skips bodily controls in favor of a 27-inch ultra-thin 4K panoramic show. It additionally ditches a conventional instrument cluster, relying as a substitute on a head-up show. That method stands in distinction to some automakers which are beginning to bring back physical buttons, but it surely’s nonetheless not as over-the-top as BMW’s recently announced 7 Series EV, which is loaded with screens, together with one which stretches throughout the underside a part of the windshield.

Nonetheless, regardless of these few drawbacks, the IONIQ V’s distinctive exterior design will undoubtedly flip some heads. Sadly, for now, you’ll solely be capable of get your palms on one in China.