The Hyundai Ioniq 6 has lost its prominent ducktail rear wing and gained a sporty new N Line variant as part of an early facelift.
Less than three years after it was revealed, the rakish electric saloon has been redesigned with influence from 2022's race-inspired RN22e concept car, which itself previewed the hot Ioniq 6 N, due to be revealed this summer.
Revealed at the Seoul motor show in Korea, the new Ioniq 6 is said to feature "more refined curves and enhanced proportions for a sleek and beautifully balanced silhouette".
In keeping with its billing as what Hyundai calls an "electric streamliner", its swooping, wind-cheating proportions are broadly unchanged, but the bonnet's profile has been raised and now leads into a sharper, "shark-nose" front end with a prominent splitter that "appears to slice through the air".
Meanwhile, the headlights have been swapped for much slimmer LED items with a pixel motif – matching the newer Ioniq 9 SUV – and the lower body is now finished in black to emphasise the car's aerodynamically optimised silhouette.
The rear end has been heavily reworked too, with the addition of a chrome-trimmed rear bumper and the removal of the prominent ducktail rear wing in favour of a subtler extended boot lip designed to "maintain aerodynamic performance while achieving a smoother, more refined silhouette".
Speaking to Autocar at the Seoul motor show, Simon Loasby, vice president of Hyundai styling, said: "We look at it now and we’re like ‘why didn’t we do that before?’. Time sometimes helps you and then it looks as though it always looked like this, because that’s how it should’ve looked."
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The headline includes, "drops ducktail", but a photo legend includes, Original spoiler set-up is replaced with duck-tail".
So, is the ducktail being dropped, or added? And, should 'duck tail' include a hyphen, or not?
The headline includes "drops ducktail", but a legend with a photo includes "Original spoiler set-up is replaced with duck-tail".
Which is it?
Looks good but it would be even better if they added changed the saloon boot opening to a liftback like an Audi A5.