Hyundai Reveals its Largest Vehicle Ever—the All-Electric IONIQ 9

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Photo: Courtesy of Hyundai

Hyundai, the insurgent Korean automaker, just unveiled its flagship vehicle, the IONIQ 9 three-row electric Hyundai SUV. Revealed at the Sheats-Goldstein House—an iconic dwelling designed by sui generis midcentury-modern architect John Lautner at the peak of LA’s Benedict Canyon—the brand’s latest and largest vehicle is expected to go on sale as a 2025 model, starting around $60,000 and cementing the brand’s reputation on the leading edge of automotive design.

“Within Hyundai, IONIQ is our most innovative brand, and the product, therefore, is not there to conform to the mainstream,” says SangYup Lee, Hyundai’s design head, who worked previously in advanced design at Cadillac and Bentley. “A typical boxy SUV might have been safer in the market. But this design exists in the innovative spirit and serves customer benefit, so I think it’s worth it to try.”

Lee classifies the exterior design as “aerosthetic,” the ultimate in aerodynamics. And the clean, windswept shape really enunciates this. Up front, there is a seamless, grille-less black monolith which hides all the sensors for the advanced driver assistance systems. Lee refers to this as “the cassette” because, as technology advances, it can be popped out and replaced. Above this, the headlights adhere to the IONIQ signature “pixel” look, with stacked squared lighting sources that, Lee says, are reminiscent of nostalgic 8-bit video games like Tetris, as well as current ones like Roblox.

For the Hyundai SUV, a short hood and steeply raked windshield lead to a rounded roofline, creating a high-ceilinged cabin that Lee likens to a “living room lounge.” This tapers at the rear to a narrowed boattail, providing the vehicle with muscular thighs above the back wheels, and a teardrop contour, before terminating in a flat cargo door, which helps provide the big three-ton vehicle with an estimated 335 miles of range in its most efficient form. “To get the best aerodynamics, there’s this trailing edge, a sharp edge that runs all the way around the vehicle,” Lee says.

The IONIQ 9 has an almost avant-garde profile, appearing, like some of the most outré car designs, like something out-of-time. This is due, in no small part, to the Deco-esque flourishes—mainly added in the wind tunnel—that decorate the vehicle’s flanks, causing air to sweep over or to cling to the bodysides in order to enhance efficiency. “Streamlined aeronautic design from the 1930s is something that inspired us quite a bit,” Lee says.

Lee’s goal is to maintain a legible, elemental nature to his work at Hyundai, particularly on its electric vehicles. “When car design is simple, you can judge the design with a very simple statement,” he says. “When a car gets complicated, a lot of explanation needs to follow, and it becomes difficult to convey.”

Part of what makes Lee’s work so compelling—be it for Porsche, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Genesis, or Hyundai—is its lack of vanity. “If you think you are great as a designer, this is the start of failure,” he says. “Design always needs to be humble. It needs to be open-minded and adapt to find the hidden needs that the customer has. This is actually the core of design to me.”

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest