New Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV: seven-seat cabin teased ahead of reveal

• All-new seven-seat electric SUV
• Platform shared with the Kia EV9
• Full reveal in November 2024

There’s not long to go until the new Hyundai Ioniq 9 is unveiled, but we’ve already been given a sneaky teaser sketch of the electric SUV’s interior. 

It’s our second official look at the new Hyundai Ioniq 9, following a shadowy silhouette image shown off last week, and it gives us a few more clues about the seven-seater electric SUV. So far, we know the Ioniq 9 will be the largest EV in Hyundai’s lineup, sharing its platform with the Kia EV9, and it will sport an evolution of the brand’s trademark futuristic styling that we’ve seen on the Ioniq 5 and 6.

What can we see in the Ioniq 9 interior image?

We already know the Ioniq 9 will have three rows of seats – that’s backed up by the three seatbelt slots we can see in the sketch – but there are some other details you might not spot at first glance.

Simon Loasby, head of Hyundai Design Centre, describes the cabin as “the ultimate lounge-like environment". The sketch shows the Ioniq 9 with a flat floor stretching right from front to back, which should give passengers plenty of room to stretch their legs. The roofline does appear to drop away quite dramatically at the back, though, and the rearmost window looks much smaller than the front two. Hyundai claims there will be “ample space” across all three rows, but we’ll have to test it for ourselves to see if headroom is affected in the back seats.

The internal door design looks to be pretty simple, with a big D-shaped area housing the armrest, window controls and door handle. Those handles look similar to the ones fitted to the Ioniq 5, while it looks like there will be ambient lighting for the front and middle rows of seats. Another detail you might have missed is the ‘Bose’ script at the rear, implying that the Ioniq 9 will get a sound system from the American firm.

Is there anything else we know about the interior? We expect the dashboard tech to be pinched from the Santa Fe – Hyundai’s other seven-seat SUV – including its dual-screen dashboard layout. It will also have touch-sensitive climate controls, a steering column-mounted gear selector and a row of physical shortcut buttons.

What else do we know about the Hyundai Ioniq 9?

Hyundai didn’t give much away with the first teaser image, but there are some clear styling details which, combined with what we know about the 2021 Hyundai Seven concept car, can help us piece together the look of the new SUV.

First off, the Ioniq 9 has a gently sloping roofline, mirrored by the strong body crease that runs from the headlights to the tail-lights. This is in stark contrast to its sister car, the Kia EV9, which embraces a much blockier, squared-off design. Hyundai describes this shape as “Aerosthetic”, combining both aesthetic appeal with aerodynamic efficiency.

Hyundai’s range of Ioniq EVs stand apart from their combustion-powered siblings with a ‘pixel’ design language for the front and rear lights, and the Ioniq 9 will be no different. The teaser image gives us a glimpse of the headlight and tail-light designs, which will be made up from a collection of many small square lighting elements.

Powering the Ioniq 9 should be the same battery and electric motor configurations available in the Kia EV9, which was recently awarded the Carbuyer Large Electric Car of the Year award. That could mean a single-motor setup with 201bhp and a dual-motor option with 379bhp, while its maximum range should be around the 350-mile mark.

How much will the Hyundai Ioniq 9 cost and when can I buy one?

UK pricing is yet to be confirmed, but we expect more information to be revealed following the car’s unveiling in November 2024. The Kia EV9 starts from around £65,000, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Hyundai Ioniq 9 commanded a similar figure when it goes on sale next year.

Read more about Hyundai’s new small EV, the Hyundai Inster…