Hyundai’s Ioniq is set to shake up the local hybrid market

Hybrid vehicles have always been a tough sell in our country due to lack of incentives and tax breaks from the government during the past decade. With the introduction of the new excise tax scheme effectively dropping the price of hybrid vehicles in half, it seems Hyundai is taking advantage of the small market share by bringing one of their latest alternative energy platforms in the Philippines. And boy does it look pretty darn good.

Say hello to the Hyundai Ioniq. Launched at the 2018 Manila International Auto Show much to the surprise of visitors and journalists, the Ioniq is a 5-door liftback that’s powered by a 1.6-liter Atkinson cycle engine that makes 105hp mated to a dual clutch 6-speed transmission. Combined with the lightweight 12 volt battery and electric motor that’s good for an estimated 43hp, and the Ioniq makes a peppy 139hp all-in-all.

With a low drag coefficient, a combination of aluminum and high-strength steel, the Ioniq is efficient with fuel estimates at 24km/l for combined driving conditions, a bump above what the Prius, it’s main competitor, can achieve. This is all, of course, estimates and numbers on reports we’ve read, and real world Philippine conditions will be the real test.

While the Ioniq was originally launched in 2016, it’s great that Hyundai is shaking up the market by bringing in their first hybrid vehicle in the Philippines. The Ioniq nameplate also has 2 more variants, a purely electric vehicle, and a plug-in hybrid one. No news on whether all variants of the Ioniq will be available locally, but the fact that Hyundai decided to bring the Ioniq in is a good indicator that things are looking good for consumers wanting to do their part in keeping emissions and pollution low.

The price of the ioniq is Php 1,498,000, already below current competitors, and will be available in November of 2018. Stay tuned for more details as we get them.

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