If choosing between the spectacular IONIQ 5 and equally breathtaking Kia EV6 is creating a headache, the upcoming EV plans from the Hyundai Motor Group could cause an aneurysm.
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In North America at least, some of the most anticipated EVs from the Hyundai Motor Group is none other than the upcoming production SUVs based on the Hyundai SEVEN concept and the platform sharing Kia Concept EV9, which have been unveiled recently.
Attraction to large SUVs is nothing new in the US, as its large models like Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride, and Genesis GV80 have given a new lease on life for the Korean automaker when it was struggling with lack lustered sales on account of not having large SUVs in the lineup, as they have become some of the most successful models in the company’s history.
While offering one of the fastest charging times in the world, thanks to its 800-volt ultrafast charging architecture, the large Hyundai motor group SUVs are to receive 100 kWh batteries, which to date would be the largest size yet to come from the Korean automaker.
We will explore what to expect in terms of the next generation 3-row electric SUVs from the Hyundai Motor Group, as there are expected to be no less than 5 all-new models in the next few years.
The tremendous interest in the upcoming large SUVs is understandable, not only due to the concepts’ groundbreaking vision of what a sports utility vehicle should be in the all-electric age in the near future, but because it will be the eventual replacement for the extremely popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, two cars that have rewritten the book on the formula for successful family SUVs. Like the Palisade and the Telluride, EV9 and SEVEN concept are first and foremost very attractive, proving that a big SUV doesn’t always have to look like a tank.
Kia Concept EV9 (top) and Hyundai SEVEN Concept offer a different take on the future of electric SUVs
The EV9 features powerful and utilitarian edgy styling that might be able to give the likes of the Range Rover run for its money, but it actually gets its inspiration from Kia’s legendary body-on-frame SUV Mohave, or Borrego, as it was known in the US before its discontinuation. Likewise, the sleek and futuristic SEVEN Concept draws inspiration from the new trend-setting Hyundai Staria minivan, which its spacecraft-like styling is influencing just about every new model upcoming from Hyundai, including the next Grandeur large sedan, also known as Azera when it was sold in the US.
The production versions of the EV9 and the SEVEN concept will use the extended version of the EGMP dedicated EV platform, which measures a whopping 3,100 mm or 122 inches. This is in fact an inch longer than that of Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac escalade at 3,071mm, and sure enough, Hyundai has admitted the newest large SUVs are as large as the American behemoths and are expected to compete with them directly. Interestingly, EV versions of Tahoe and the Escalade are expected to be released in 2024, which happens to be the same target release date as the Hyundai group large SUVs.
The production Kia EV9 is to have a wheelbase of 3,100 mm (122 in) and compete with the likes of Chevy Tahoe
While offering one of the fastest charging times in the world, thanks to its 800-volt ultrafast charging architecture, the large Hyundai motor group SUVs are to receive 100 kWh batteries, which to date would be the largest size yet to come from the Korean automaker. The estimated range is 400 miles or 650 km when they are first released in 2024, but then it is expected to be increased up to the elusive 500 miles or 800 km when the Hyundai’s hybrid Lithium-Metal batteries, which is just one step below on its way to becoming a completely solid-state battery, are ready for commercialization in 2025. As for the power electric systems, Hyundai large SUVs are to be offered from configurations that range from 225 hp single motor system, up to 321 hp dual motor system.
But that’s not all. There will also be a high-performance power electric system with the power output of up to nearly 600 hp, derived from the Kia EV6 GT and the upcoming Hyundai IONIQ 5 N high-performance models, that would be offered on the top of the line trim Hyundai and Kia large SUVs, as well as the Genesis version of the product that’s expected to be called GV90.
Top-tier models will receive the high-performance power electric system ranging from 483 to 576 hp
The Genesis GV90 will take after the ultra-luxurious G90 sedan that has been just launched, in terms of opulence, technology, and performance, to be the most luxurious Hyundai group product ever produced. Although the concept version is not available like the Hyundai and Kia siblings, as with the case of the latest G90 sedan, the GV90 is to inherit the design philosophy introduced by the stunning X concept. Also, it will be a culmination of all the state-of-the-art technology offered by Hyundai, including the first commercial application of the level-4 self-driving autonomy that can make the car virtually driverless. This groundbreaking technology is to be commercialized after its application in Robotaxis in 2023.
With the price expected to reach $100,000, the 3-row 6 or 7 passenger GV90 is to be the most expensive passenger car from Korea in history. The Hyundai and Kia versions are expected to be much more affordable, with a starting price of $60,000 when they are released in 2024.
Genesis GV90 is expected to be the first Korean passenger car to hit the $100,000 price tag
But what if even the $60,000 entry price was too steep for your budget? There would be no worries, as Hyundai has you covered. As featured in our previous issue, Kia has the EV7 coming, which will slot nicely between the ultra-large EV9 and already sizable EV6. Codenamed MV, the EV7 is expected to be not too different from the EV6 crossover in terms of the real estate that it occupies. However, where it will greatly differ is the height, to offer a boxier shape to allow for more interior space, ultimately to create room for 3 rows of seating. It will essentially be an electric vehicle version of the Sorento midsize 3-row SUV. Other areas of the midsize electric SUV will virtually be the same as the EV6. From the battery size of 77.4 kWh and the power electric system that ranges from 225 hp rear-wheel-drive to 321 hp all-wheel-drive.
So what about Hyundai’s version, you may wonder. Yes, Hyundai will also offer its version of the EV7, known by its development code name ME, which again is a 3-row version of the IONIQ 5, riding on the same incredibly long 3,000 mm or a 118-inch wheelbase.
Kia EV7 will essentially be an EV6 with the 3-row seating configuration
Before we go any further, we need to clarify the naming confusion involving the upcoming electric SUVs from Hyundai. Although many still refer to the largest Hyundai SUV as IONIQ 7, as that was the name that was associated with it as a model that was to follow IONIQ 5 crossover and IONIQ 6 sedan, it now appears that that nomenclature has to be given to the smaller SUV. That’s the reason why Hyundai has stopped referring to the model represented by SEVEN concept as EV7, but simply as the IONIQ large SUV. It’s most likely that the largest SUV in the IONIQ lineup is to be called IONIQ 9, with IONIQ 8 to be a large sedan or coupe, according to the naming convention of Hyundai that suggest the even numbers to be sedan or coupe, and the odd numbers as SUVs.
Going back to the subject of the IONIQ 7, unlike the EV7, where prototypes have already been spotted, giving us an idea of its approximate shape, for the Hyundai version, we have no idea what it looks like as of this moment. However, our sources tell us that it should look more like the IONIQ 5 as visualized in the rendering by Alexis Poncelet, offering the full suite of the parametric pixel design theme that made the IONIQ 5 so unique and futuristic. As the rendering suggests, the rugged-looking midsize 3-row SUV is also to have a higher roof as well as more ground clearance, strengthening the vehicle's functionality as a true sports utility vehicle.
Aided by the new engineering for better efficiency that’s currently being worked on for the IONIQ 6 sedan, the range of the midsize SUVs are to approach 400 miles or 650 km, which is nearly 100 miles improvement over the EV6 and the IONIQ 5, while still offering the same great 800-volt ultrafast charge time of 18 minutes, 10 to 80%.
IONIQ 7 - A rugged SUV version of the IONIQ 5 as visualized by Alexis Poncelet
The estimated release date for the Kia EV7 and the IONIQ 7 is 2023 with an estimated starting price of just under $50,000.
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