Hyundai is reportedly considering expanding its all-electric lineup to include smaller, more affordable cars based on its new Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).
In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Thomas Schemera, global head of marketing at Hyundai, hinted at the brand’s interest in creating a smaller E-GMP based car.
Already used in the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60, the E-GMP is Hyundai Motor Group’s new, dedicated all-electric platform.
It’s rear-wheel drive-based rather than front-wheel drive-based, like the platform used in the Hyundai Kona Electric.
“I would vote for such a project,” Schemera said.
“It would make sense to extend all the benefits associated with the E-GMP platform to smaller vehicles.”
A Kona Electric successor could also be rolled into the all-electric Ioniq sub-brand.
Hyundai has already confirmed its all-electric Ioniq sub-brand will offer a range of three vehicles by 2024.
The range will expand to include the Ioniq 6 mid-sized sedan set to be revealed in late 2022 or early 2023, as well as an Ioniq 7, a large SUV that’s set to follow in 2024.
Hyundai’s potential plans to use the E-GMP platform for smaller, more affordable vehicles mirrors Volkswagen’s plans to use a shorter version of its MEB architecture for such vehicles.
Announced at the Munich motor show, the Volkswagen ID Life concept promises to be a small electric vehicle on sale by 2025 with a starting price in Europe of around €20,000 (A$32,000).
In response to this, Schemera said, “If they offer cars on that scale for 20,000 euros, we have to have a look and maybe come close or beat it.”
Schemera said these discussions are already taking place at Hyundai, as the company needs to react quickly.
When asked if Hyundai would be in a position to offer a small E-GMP car in 2025 at a similar price to the VW ID Life, Schemera told Automotive News Europe, “Maybe it won’t take that long.”
The challenges of building a small car on the E-GMP platform is not engineering, but creating enough volume to meet profit targets according to Schemera.
If Hyundai Motor Group succeeds in creating smaller E-GMP cars, Schemera doesn’t see the point in developing new internal combustion-based small vehicles.
Hyundai R&D boss Albert Biermann had previously confirmed future smaller, more affordable EVs would continue to share platforms with internal combustion engine vehicles.
In addition to the Kona Electric, the Hyundai Ioniq Electric and Kia Niro EV share platforms with petrol hybrid and plug-in hybrid Ioniq and Niro models.
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