Hyundai has provided a preview of the interior of its soon-to-be-launched IONIQ 5, the first vehicle to use the manufacturer’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The company notes that the dedicated electric vehicle platform houses a flat battery that enables a spacious and customizable interior.
“IONIQ 5 is a statement of design that offers an optimistic look at what customers can expect in the new EV era,” said SangYup Lee, senior vice president and head of the Hyundai Global Design Centre. “The long wheelbase is translated to a new dimension of space. We designed this special space as a perfect place to recharge – your home away from home.”
One notable feature of the IONIQ 5 is that the driver and passengers can freely enter and exit the cabin on either side, even when parked in a narrow spot, because the flat floor allows the center console to slide back and forth. Hyundai says this has resulted in a fundamental rethink of the conventional center console beyond functioning merely as a static storage box. The company’s ‘Universal Island’ replaces the console and, according to Hyundai, becomes the centerpiece of the IONIQ 5’s living space experience.
While developing IONIQ 5, Hyundai says it put considerable thought into what consumers were looking for in a car. One clear demand was the need for more eco-conscious mobility solutions with lower environmental impact. The company’s designers addressed these concerns through the use of eco-friendly, sustainably sourced materials.
For example, the seats are clad in an eco-processed leather that is dyed and treated with plant oil extracts from flaxseed. Other soft furnishings throughout the cabin are made of textiles derived from sustainable fibers such as sugarcane bio components, wool and poly yarns, as well as material woven from fibers made from recycled PET plastic bottles. Surfaces such as the dashboard, switches, steering wheel and door panels are coated in a polyurethane bio paint composed of oils from rape flowers and corn.
