Electric Hyundai SUV being considered for market launch

Hyundai New Zealand has confirmed that the Korean marque’s latest fully electric SUV is being considered for launch in our market, alongside the marque’s award-winning Ioniq 5. 

The Hyundai Elexio is the brand’s first Chinese-built electric vehicle to arrive Down Under, having recently launched in Australia. Sized between the Kona and the Ioniq 5, it shapes up as a rival for the likes of the BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y.

The pure plug-in comes with an 88kWh battery pack and a WLTP-rated range of 546km. Its single-motor powertrain sends 160kW of power and 310Nm of torque to the front wheels. Hyundai boasts that the model takes just 38 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% when connected to a 350kW DC fast charger.

Under the skin, the Elexio is built on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform. This means it’s a direct cousin not only to the Ioniq 5, but also the likes of the Kia EV6.

The Korean-branded, Chinese-built EV is also the beneficiary of Australian suspension and steering development, ensuring in theory that it is made to handle the country’s more aggressive roads. 

Beyond its key battery details, the Elexio’s biggest strength is its tech. The dashboard is led by an enormous 27-inch 4k panoramic touchscreen spread across the passenger side over to the centre. Whilst there are other, longer screens out there in the market already, few have the height and overall size of the Elexio’s.

Other features include vehicle-to-load capability, a 506-litre boot space (1540-litres with the back seats folded flat), remote parking, over-the-air updates, satnav, a head-up display, and more. 

Hyundai New Zealand’s electric vehicle line-up has endured mixed fortunes of late.

The pure electric second-generation Kona that had been slated to launch locally in 2024 instead skipped our market. The Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 meanwhile have both produced middling sales results. The Ioniq 6 is currently not on sale here, but that will soon change with the arrival of the second-generation model. 

By contrast, Australia gets the Kona Electric, the Elexio, and the diminutive fully electric Inster hatchback — another non-starter for the New Zealand market. At least for now.