Brave new world

KIA AND HYUNDAI HAVE MANAGED TO DELIVER KNOCKOUT EVS ON THEIR SHARED PLATFORM, SO CAN SWEDEN'S POLESTAR PUT A GLOVE ON THESE KOREAN HEAVY HITTERS?

- JEZ SPINKS

IF HYPE WERE a power source, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 would be fully charged before getting anywhere near a plug point.

While the Korean brands' first electrified efforts - the (unrelated) Ioniq sedan and Niro SUV, respectively - flew somewhat under the radar, their first vehicles to sit on a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) platform are stylistically driven, head-turning blips that have stirred the internet.

The Ioniq 5 landed last year in a blaze of retro-futuristic glory and its limited allocation sold out within hours. It's no easier to get your hands on Kia's swoopier, curvier version, with Australia's 2022 EV6 supply currently limited to 500 against a backdrop of consumer eagerness that saw expressions of interest thrash those of the company's previous halo model, the Stinger sedan.

Context is also needed for pricing. Both EVs are much bigger than pictures suggest - they're midsized rather than compact - and, in the current industry climate, demonstrating technological credentials and achieving healthy margins is a greater focus for manufacturers than volume. So, if any hopes had been held out that the brand once renowned for budget-priced motoring might lead the way for affordable electric cars, the EV6 dashes those with a starting cost of $67,990.

The base Air undercuts the $71,900 entry fee to the Ioniq 5, at least - crucially making it eligible for the generous $3000 rebates offered on top of stamp duty exemptions in New South Wales and Victoria.

Our variants here, though, are the EV6 GT-Line AWD and Ioniq 5 AWD that are holding fort as range flagships until the arrival of performance versions that will be badged, respectively, GT and N (see sidebar, right).