The Venus and the Earth look nothing like Hyundai’s current EVs, but the automaker insists that both will eventually distill into Ioniq-branded vehicles for the Chinese domestic market. There are no specific dates in the schedule, so let’s take a look in the meantime.
Starting with the Venus, it is a single-space saloon with novelty headlights, a massive panoramic glass roof spanning the distance from the hood to the trunk, and body quirks and creases that evoke faint Lamborghini vibes. Inside, the steering wheel is squared and wrapped in hi-tech fabric, the dashboard houses a giant ultra-widescreen display, and golden trim accents haunt you wherever you look.
Compared to the wild sedan, the Earth SUV comes across as – pardon the pun – a bit more grounded. It still looks like a Moon rover more than it resembles any Hyundai EV currently in production, what with the boxy, angular body and rugged aesthetics. It’s also a fairly high rider with Rolls-Royce-style rear-hinged doors and hi-tech seats inside that use an air pump to keep those side supports inflated.
All powertrain details were omitted during the premiere of the two cars in China. If you were to ask us, we’d venture the guess that Hyundai is trying to reboot its Ioniq EV lineup in the country after a sales slump. To that end, the company says it cooperates with local vendors and design crews to ensure a product worthy of the Chinese market. This makes it sound like there will be no exports, although only time will tell for sure.
