if you recall hyundai was to begin production of the much anticipated ionic six electric sedan in
the second quarter after an initial postponement in early 2022 and hyundai did follow through with
that promise in an unprecedented move hyundai produced over 100 units of the production ionix
6 between february and march 2022 for the first time however strangely enough these units are
not destined for consumers in this episode find out why hyundai produced these units and how it
may affect the final delivery schedule of the company's first ever dedicated electric sedan
which fans would love to call korean porsche so before we go on we'd highly appreciate your
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and please don't forget to like comment and vote on the question that's presented at the end of the
video ionic 6 is arguably the most sensational model to be released by hyundai because it was
supposed to be based on the spectacular prophecy concept which stunned the world with its sports
car-like sleek profile and low stance coupled with the sloping rear end that bore striking
resemblance to classic porsche however when the prototype was unveiled to the public in late 2021
with the impending production coming up catastrophe ensued as the ionic 6 was nothing
like the concept unlike the prophecy concept which was basically a sports car with four doors
that had its sight clearly at the likes of the exotic porsche taycan and audi gte tron the ionic
6 was a stubby and bloated eyesore that appeared more like a replacement for 90s hyundai elantra
with the terrible public reception the management at hyundai quickly changed its plan to release the
product at the beginning of 2022. hyundai made a drastic move to overhaul the original ionic 6 to
improve not only aesthetics but also the overall packaging of the vehicle including extending the
range the performance and upgrading various technology the original ionic 6 called for
a 72.6 kilowatt hours long-range battery that was found in the initial ionic 5 with slightly
less power of 215 horsepower for the single motor rear-wheel drive version and 302 horsepower for
the dual-motor all-wheel-drive version compared to the latest version with a larger battery of
77.4 kilowatt hours the improved ionic 6 would now host the larger battery as the sole battery
along with a more powerful power electric system of the latest ionic 5 long range which now boasts
225 horsepower for the single motor rwd model and 321 horsepower for the dual motor awd model
as a result the all-wheel drive models 0 to 60 miles per hour time improves to incredible 4.7
seconds from the previous 5.1 seconds also due to the bigger battery and the improvement in the
software the range now is expected to surpass that of the ionic 5 epa certified estimate of
303 miles or 488 kilometers as well as the kia ev6 is 310 miles or 500 kilometers the report
has it that the latest prototype has reached up to 400 miles or 640 kilometers during testing
so it remains to be seen how much further the latest iteration of egmp-based ev can travel on
a single charge from the same 77.4 kilowatt hours battery in the context of the technology another
improvement that the new ionic 6 is expected to receive is the latest level 3 self-driving
autonomy which is a significant upgrade from the previously planned level 2 system currently found
in the ionic 5 and the ev6 the level 3 autonomy is what's considered a hands-free conditional
automated driving system that actually delves into the self-driving realm much like the tesla's fsd
whereas the level 2 system is a partial hand-free system as part of the advanced driver assistance
system or adas that works in conjunction with smart cruise control and lane following assist to
help you maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you similar to tesla's autopilot the
level 3 system that's known as highway driving pilot or hdp by hyundai is a state-of-the-art
system that has just recently been introduced on the latest genesis g90 flagship sedan
and will give the ionic 6 a definite advantage over the competition in addition to its already
segment-busting 800-volt system that enables the ultra fast charging speed of 18 minutes 10 to 80
percent which is even faster than that of the much more expensive 800 volt porsche taken's 22 minutes
on to the supposedly porsche-like design after revealing the uncladded body of the prototype
it was evident that the ionic 6 was indeed influenced by the prophecy concept
with the iconic sloping belt and window lines that integrate into the large rear spoiler but
the reservations still remain as it's not nearly sleek and low to the ground however the latest
rendering based on the prototype certainly looks promising the rendering that's known to be a close
resemblance to the actual production model shows the arrangement of the front light assembly that's
not too different from the prophecy concept that features the signature parametric pixel cubes and
the led elements to render a tidy futuristic look accentuated by the new hood creases to give it the
contemporary vibe which extends to the rear of the vehicle that tapers off and its sportiness
fortified with a unique porsche like whale tail spoiler the front bumper now hosts the sensors
for the aforementioned level 3 self-driving system as well as accommodating the innovative lighting
grille a lighting grille is lcd or led panel that displays charging status emergency info as well as
other customizable graphics and information and will become hyundai's trademark feature
on all of its electric cars as traditional grills will no longer serve a purpose on evs
another version of rendering of the rear quarter view based on the revision to the rear bumper
now shows more likeness to the original prophecy concept that featured a prominent application of
the parametric pixel theme throughout so now that all areas of the vehicle are updated it
should be ready for production correct yes it certainly is according to the latest reports
in fact it's now reported that 143 units of the production ionic 6 are actually produced on a
sample run at the ionic 6 assembly line at hyundai asan factory which has been converted from a
sonata assembly line being ready since early this year to coincide with the original launch schedule
but what's the deal with such a small batch production
apparently the sample units are actually not destined for any customers or even for the press
for marketing but they are solely for internal evaluation only as you recall we raised an issue
pertaining to the possibility of another delay to the launch of the ionic 6 in our prior episode
and cited that the reason was to ensure that the product would be perfectly free from any problems
before the release as specifically instructed by the corporate chairman mr chung-yui-sun
and as such hyundai wasn't taking his orders lightly as they actually followed through
creating such a large batch of the actual production strictly for internal evaluation
in an unprecedented move all 143 units will be put through a rigorous test regime in total secrecy so
as not to allow any leakage of the design or technical details this is the first time ever
for such large-scale testing would be done on the production models and not the prototypes and
many are wondering why this is necessary many believe that the initial production run is to
test out the new manufacturing process involving electric vehicles as it's the factory's first ever
experience but more importantly a delay tactic to postpone the launch as the entire industry
is faced with the supply chain problems and the battery supply and price volatility issues brought
on by the russian invasion of ukraine whatever the real reason might be one thing for sure is that we
would be treated to the most thoroughly tested and proven production vehicle to ever come from korea
and as it stands from the latest indications from the factory the production is set for
the second week of august and the pre-order is to commence in the same month with the first delivery
in september of 2022 in korea interestingly the largest market is expected to be the u.s for the
ionic 6 and it appears that north america would be receiving the first ever electric sedans ahead
of europe in q4 2022 with the rest of the world scheduled for 2023 and when it does the estimated
starting price is expected to be just under 50 dollars which represents a phenomenal value for a
large sedan with a length of nearly five meters with great charge speed range and performance
that's comparable to evs costing double the price as for the end of the video question even if the
styling may be a bit disappointing would you choose the ionic 6 electric sedan over the
ionic 5 or the ev6 if it means receiving them earlier than the popular crossovers
please vote and share your views by clicking on the link in the comment section below or in the
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