Despite relatively strong early demand a few years ago, most of the US market’s electric vehicles are suffering from a pretty decent slump. Hyundai is no exception, indicating recently that it would discontinue the Ioniq 6 sedan in the US after the 2026 model year (although we enthusiasts were relieved to learn that the high-po Ioniq 6 N performance variant would still make its way here). Still, despite a major slowdown in demand for long-range EVs like the Ioniq 5 and its Ford Mustang Mach-E and Honda Prologue competitors, the South Korean automaker remains committed to an eventual electric future.
Base Trim Engine
EV
Base Trim Transmission
Automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Rear-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
168 HP
Base Trim Torque
258 lb.-ft.
Base Trim Fuel Economy Equivalent (city/highway/combined)
127/94/110 mpge
Base Trim Battery Type
Lithium ion (Li-ion)
Infotainment & Features
9 /10
Hyundai Remains Bullish On EVs And Hybrids
CarBuzz sat down with Olabisi Boyle, Hyundai Motor North America’s senior vice president of product planning and strategy, to discuss the company’s future products. Although some of the conversation centered around the company’s body-on-frame plans – previewed by the surprising Boulder concept from the 2026 New York International Auto Show – she also acknowledged that the automaker would maintain its current course toward electrification and futuristic powertrains.
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“What I’ll say is our commitment to electrification hasn’t wavered at all,” Boyle told CarBuzz. “The market’s just not one dimensional, right? So, there are EVs, but Hyundai will also have EREVs, hybrids, and internal combustion vehicles, etc. … Our platform strategy has always been about optionality and making sure we have something that meets customers where they are. That’s not changing.”
It’s never good to have a product strategy that’s based on cycles.
–Olabisi Boyle, Senior Vice President of Product Planning and Strategy, Hyundai Motor North America
That multi-tiered approach should help the automaker adapt to changing consumer demands in real time, but Boyle was clear to say that Hyundai would not overreact to the sometimes-temperamental market. For example, although EV demand has tapered in the US due to governmental policy changes and lingering range anxiety, the sudden spike in gasoline and diesel prices due to America’s involvement in the current Iran conflict has led to a similar uptick in electric car demand.
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Future-Proofing The Lineup
The Hyundai executive pointed out that such trends – fuel costs, vehicle demand, and political support or opposition – often come and go. “Our electrification strategy has never been about policy adjustments, because things like technology, consumer adoption, infrastructure, those move in decades,” she said. So although it will continue to refine and develop internal combustion and hybridized powertrains, Hyundai is also focusing efforts on producing more power-dense batteries and improving the charging experience for its customers – by adopting the NACS port and investing in the IONNA charging network, for example.
LA Auto ShowSeyth Miersma/CarBuzz/Valnet
Another component of that future-proof product strategy is the new Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) chassis design, which will replace the still-impressive Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) with Hyundai’s next-generation EVs. IMA will take E-GMP’s 800-volt electrical system and pair it with standardized wiring, motor, and structural components, allowing it to build even more vehicle types without significantly impacting manufacturing complexity and cost.
2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 side profile parked in city Hyundai
The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America facility in Georgia will also help insulate the automaker from the political whims and consumer sensibilities of the moment by onshoring the production of certain cars to the United States, both reducing tariff liability and simplifying manufacturing logistics. There’s also a new Louisiana steel plant in the works, which the automaker confirmed yet again during the introduction of the Boulder, saying that the 2030 midsize truck would be manufactured in the US from genuine American steel.
