Following some delays and turmoil over strategy that have been reported on over the last several months, Hyundai today at last revealed its latest electric vehicle. The creation in question is called the Ioniq, and kind of looks like it wants to be a Tesla Truck when it grows up.
Of course, this is in no small part due to the fact that the majority of the vehicle was literally under several thick layers of veil during this supposed unveilng. But that’s just how the cookie crumbles in the rightfully paranoic automotive industry, as corporate espionage, is a very legitimate threat to every automaker in the United States and beyond.
So, it may be a bit premature to call the Ioniq a blatant Tesla Truck ripoff, but we will be proceeding with caution from here on out. As Hyundai has not exactly adorned itself in accolades over the last several years of its EV pursuits. The first several years weren’t much better, either. So a desperately cynical (or is it the other way around) attempt at copying Tesla is definitely not outside of the realm of possibility here.
Especially since this is just a concept that won’t see commercial production before at least 2022, assuming Hyundai doesn’t scrap it entirely in the meantime.