2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Electric Sedan Captured In Best Spy Shots To Date

Hyundai inaugurated the E-GMP platform tailored to dedicated EVs earlier this year with the Ioniq 5, followed shortly by the equivalent Kia EV6. Genesis is putting the finishing touches on its own bespoke electric crossover – the GV60 – but the architecture will underpin a great variety of body styles. One of them will be the good ol' saloon, and the Ioniq 6 coming next year will be the first sedan to ride on these underpinnings.

A near-production prototype was spotted the other day in the United States with less camouflage than ever before. The car looks just about ready to lose the disguise and show how the final version has changed compared to the Prophecy concept introduced about a year and a half ago. The showcar kind of looked like a four-door electric Porsche 911, so it will be interesting how its road-going sibling has been designed.

The Ioniq 5 wasn't that much different than the Concept 45 before it, so we have high hopes Hyundai has managed to retain the allure of the Prophecy. While this test vehicle has conventional side mirrors, another prototype caught in South Korea earlier this year had cameras to mimic the 2019 showcar. Also not noticeable in the latest spy shots is a similar integration of the third brake light on a spoiler affixed to the trunk lid.

It's fairly obvious judging by the extra disguise on the door handles at the back that the Ioniq 6 will have conventional rear doors rather than the Prophecy's suicide doors and its lack of a B-pillar. Much like it's the case with the Ioniq 5 and EV6 crossovers, the handles themselves likely remain flush with the doors for better aerodynamic efficiency and only pop out when needed.

Some will be disappointed to see the Ioniq 6 has fairly sizeable overhangs, similar to a car powered by a combustion engine. The Ioniq 5 has cut them down to a minimum to extended the wheelbase as much as possible, but at least in the case of the rear overhang, it's significantly longer on the upcoming EV. Perhaps that's not all too surprising since we're dealing with a sedan after all, so it needs the elongated rear for the trunk.

The Ioniq 6 is scheduled to go on sale next year and will be followed in 2024 by the Ioniq 7 serving as a larger electric SUV. Meanwhile, Kia and Genesis are also working on a generous array of E-GMP-based vehicles as everything from performance cars to minivans will be underpinned by the EV-only architecture.