► Your first look at Hyundai’s electric B-segment hatch
► Ioniq 3 due to arrive towards end of 2026
► And the exterior won’t look *too* different to this concept
Hyundai has given us its first look at its new Ioniq 3 with the reveal of the Concept Three at the Munich motor show.
Initially expected to be called the Ioniq 2, the Concept 3 name all but confirms that it will use the number three in production form, hinting at the potential for smaller Ioniq-branded models. It will also be the first electric Hyundai to be designed and manufactured specifically for Europe.
CAR magazine sat down with Simon Loasby, head of design at Hyundai and Xavier Martinet, president and CEO of Hyundai Europe to get the full lowdown on Hyundai’s next major EV.
The Concept 3 is Hyundai’s first look at a B-segment hatch, though the concept is closer in size to a car from the class above at 4277mm. Expect dimensions to shrink once the production model materialises.
Hyundai calls it an ‘aero hatch’ courtesy of its lower roofline and it won’t be an SUV. The upcoming model forms part of fully refreshed B-segment line-up in 2026, where it will be joined by a new i20 and Bayon crossover.
Though it won’t be treading on the toes of the dinky Inster EV, it will be the smallest Ioniq model to date and though it will look different to Hyundai’s other models, such is the nature of its design, sby says it shares common ground.
‘Ioniq stands for sustainable materials, the biggest wheelbase in the segment and it’s about pixels,’ he said.
The Concept Three comes from what Hyundai calls ‘art of steel’, which is it aiming the use of the material – it is the only car manufacturer that makes its own steel. It’s not the first time this design language has been shown as it debuted on last year’s Initium Concept, which has already evolved into the next Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel cell car.
‘I was having an 11pm phone call at home [with our designers], curving pieces of steel and this is what generated this design language’ says Loasby.
‘I printed these out and put them on my desk in the studio in Seoul because I knew SangYup Lee [global design chief of Hyundai and Genesis] would walk past and he would stop, and he stopped and said ‘holy sh*t, what’s that’ and I said ‘this is what we’re doing for this project for Europe’ and he ‘said that’s awesome’ and it was a groundbreaking moment.’
Details such as the yellow plexiglass are designed to highlight the Ioniq 3’s distinguishing features – its cool window line, spoiler lip and bold alloy wheels – as well as preview what a performance version could look like.
‘There are a lot of compact emotional cars around Europe and we need to do our own but be unique with that and do our own thing,’ says Loasby
The interior is a more far-fetched affair in typical concept car fashion. There are rear-opening doors, massive armchair-like seats and interesting digital and physical ‘Mr Pix’ motifs throughout.
But beneath these are themes you can expect to see on a production version. The square widgets on the dashboard preview that the car will have plenty of physical buttons – something Loasby is particularly keen on reenforcing – while the wraparound head-up display panel is a feature increasingly appearing on both the concept and the eventual production car across all manufacturers.
Hyundai also promises plenty of space, as despite the sloping window line, the roof doesn’t actually drop away until behind the rear passenger space, maximising headroom in such a compact package.
The Concept Three’s silhouette will also remain for the production version – Loasby says it’s his favourite overall detail on this concept.
The Concept Three is far from just being a concept. Xavier Martinet, head of Hyundai in Europe, says the ‘production model is very advanced, and the car will hit showrooms roughly a year from now’.
‘We needed the Ioniq 3 because between the Inster and Kona there is a gap,’ says Martinet.
‘We need a car to tab into the retail EV market and we truly believe the production version will be able to seduce not only fleet customers but also retail customers. Once this car launches we will be the only brand offering A-segment to E-SUV electric cars.’
(N.B. We had to wear the blue shoe covers to be able to go in the recently-painted photo studio!)
Senior staff writer, car reviewer, news hound, avid car detailer.
By Ted Welford
Senior staff writer at CAR and our sister website Parkers. Loves a car auction. Enjoys making things shiny
