Podcast ep.11 | How IONIQ 5 marks a new era for Hyundai
- Hyundai Motor released a new episode of its podcast, Are We There Yet?
- Episode 11 features Raf Van Nuffel, Product & Pricing Director at Hyundai Motor Europe; Yasin Savci, Senior Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe; and Thomas Bürkle, Chief Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe
- The three guests join host Suzi Perry to talk about how Hyundai developed IONIQ 5
- Listen and subscribe to podcast here
Hyundai Motor has released the eleventh episode of its bi-weekly podcast, Are We There Yet?. In “How IONIQ 5 marks a new era for Hyundai”, host and motorsport and technology presenter Suzi Perry meets with various speakers at the IONIQ 5 Driving Experience: Raf Van Nuffel, Product & Pricing Director at Hyundai Motor Europe, Yasin Savci, Senior Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe, and Thomas Bürkle, Chief Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe. The speakers chat with Perry about IONIQ 5’s electrified features, sustainable materials, and futuristic design.
The IONIQ 5 Driving Experience included a press conference, a product workshop, a sustainability workshop and test drives of Hyundai’s latest all-electric model. The media event took place in Valencia, Spain between 28 June and 2 July.
In the eleventh episode, Van Nuffel highlights the unique customer benefits of IONIQ 5 – many of which stem from Hyundai’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The EV-exclusive platform enables an impressive 481-kilometre range, class-leading 800V battery technology for ultra-fast charging, and innovative Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology.
Ep.11: How IONIQ 5 marks a new era for Hyundai
To demonstrate V2L two-way charging capabilities live, a juice machine was plugged into an IONIQ 5 to provide fresh Valencian orange juice.
The whole process was quite different from what we’ve done before. From the beginning, it was clear we wanted to do something very customer-centric and not just benchmarking competitors. We really started from what the customer is looking for. And based on that, we started building this vehicle, and that meant we spend a lot of attention to the interior space, the roominess, but also the comfort and the whole mood onboard the vehicle, as well as the driving and the charging experience. So, everything around the car is really based on customer-centricity.
After sharing his first impressions of IONIQ 5 and talking about his passion for sustainability, Yasin Savci notes that the interior of the BEV is upholstered with sustainable materials. From fabrics that contain biomaterial to recycled plastic, IONIQ 5 is a vision of the future. He also mentions that the IONIQ 5 models have floor mats made of ECONYL® regenerated nylon, a highly robust material made entirely from waste such as nylon fishing nets. As explained in episode 8, the ghost nets are collected by Healthy Seas’ partner organisation Ghost Diving and, together with other nylon waste, regenerated by Aquafil.
When you open [IONIQ 5], it is not this classical way of luxury design appearance with big glossy surfaces and chrome finishes. We wanted to tell a new story and underline the well-being character of this car – this new kind of balancing of our urban and high-speed life. We also wanted to express the new sustainability in the car. We have put it on many surfaces, on many materials, and we wanted to make sure that this is visible and gives a new way of design styling. We call this: nature-inspired imperfection.
Thomas Bürkle talks about IONIQ 5 from a design perspective. Due to Hyundai’s major steps in electromobility, the company has taken the opportunity to mark this era with a completely new design. He describes how the three-metre wheelbase, thanks to the E-GMP, gives the BEV a unique silhouette and bold appearance. And to balance out an overstimulating world, IONIQ 5 boasts a pure and clean design.
The interior was a big challenge but also a big opportunity because we have this completely flat floor, which gives us the opportunity to create more legroom and more space inside the car. We thought: What is the charm of electric driving? [It’s] the quietness of the car. So, you could almost say it’s a living room atmosphere. We call it: Smart Living Space. And this feeling of well-being – in a comfort zone – like sitting in a lounge – this is all due to the E-GMP platform.
Subscribe to Hyundai’s podcast, Are We There Yet?, and listen to episode eleven now to hear what the experts have to say about IONIQ 5.
The eleventh episode of Are We There Yet? is now live and available to listeners on Spotify, Apple, Google, Podcasts, Stitcher, Acast and other podcast streaming platforms. It is produced by Fresh Air Production.
About Raf Van Nuffel
Raf Van Nuffel is Product & Pricing Director at Hyundai Motor Europe. He has been at Hyundai Motor for more than a decade, starting in 2010. Before joining, he worked for seven years at another automobile manufacture.
About Yasin Savci
Yasin Savci is a Senior Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe. Before joining Hyundai Motor back in October 2019, he worked at another automaker for eight years. Savci has a background in industrial and product design.
About Thomas Bürkle
Thomas Bürkle is Chief Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe. He currently leads the Hyundai Motor European Design Center in Germany. Before joining Hyundai Motor back in 2005, Bürkle was employed as a designer at a German automobile manufacturer.
Press contact
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Natasha Waddington
Head of PR
natasha.waddington@hyundai.co.ukRobin Hayles
Head of Product & Technical PR
robin.hayles@hyundai.co.ukEmma Illman
Product Press Officer
emma.illman@hyundai.co.ukHarriet Ward
PR Coordinator
