Outrageous Hyundai Concept Three drops a big tint on future Ioniq 3 hatch at Munich

An attractive electric hatchback is set to hit the UK next summer, if Hyundai’s Concept Three goes into production as the new Hyundai Ioniq 3, in the same way as the company has previously done with its show cars. 

Strip away the Concept Three’s coach-style doors, funky interior and styling extravagances – including big wheels and a pixel-screen front grille – and you’ll have the basis of a Volkswagen ID.3 rival. It could potentially be priced from around £28,000 to position the Ioniq 3 between the Inster small car and Kona Electric SUV in Hyundai’s electric car line-up. At 4,288mm long, the concept is larger than an ID.3, and just 52mm shorter than Hyundai's own i30 petrol hatchback. 

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“We wanted Concept Three to have a very sporting stance with a clear silhouette defined by aero hatch profile and typical EV-specific proportions with the low front,” Eduardo Ramirez, Hyundai Design Europe chief designer, told Auto Express. 

Although Hyundai gives its EVs their own character rather than following the same design language from small to large cars – think how different the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9 look – the pixel lighting theme that connects all three of those cars is widely used on the Concept Three. The large pixel squares on the front, which look like a grille at first glance, are capable of showing the movement of the car’s animated companion, Mr Pix. Meanwhile, the rear lighting is an evolution of the pixel-based displays on existing production cars, deploying parametric pixels that give the light bar a 3D effect rather than the retro 2D lighting on the likes of the Ioniq 5. 

That front animation is one element that won’t make it through to production, although Simon Loasby, the head of the Hyundai Design Centre, said it’s not beyond possibility for production. “We can do it, but it’s about adding cost into the vehicle and would it move the car on in the eyes of the customer,” he told Auto Express. “But there is a fun factor to doing it. We get too serious sometimes and it gives impact and is memorable.” 

The front end also features active air flaps to cool the battery, and a narrow band of LED lights. The rear is adorned by what looks like a pair of central exhaust pipes that, on closer inspection, are actually speakers designed to "deliver an emotive experience through sound,” according to Ramirez.

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“This is the first compact car under the Ioniq brand and it’s been a lot of fun developing it,” added Loasby. Playful elements across the car include frequent appearances of the Mr Pix character, and the wording ‘May the downforce be with you’ stamped onto the huge rear diffuser. The diffuser is another element that will be stripped away when the production version, which has been designed in tandem with its more extravagant concept sibling, is revealed next spring. 

“Obviously they had some liberty in designing the concept car, but the dimensions are very very close to what you’ll have with the final vehicle,” Hyundai’s European boss Xavier Martinet told Auto Express. “The exterior is quite close, and the interior will be more traditional, although don’t expect it to be boring.”

The concept’s cabin is, according to its designers, supposed to represent a living room, with each item in the car representing an individual piece of furniture. 

Though no indication of powertrain was given on the Concept Three, which is a styling study rather than running prototype, the production Ioniq 3 is expected to use the group’s 58kWh battery as a starting point, offering 201bhp and a range of over 275 miles. 

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