Hyundai’s New Ioniq 3 Has Hot-Hatch Looks, But Can It Beat BYD?

[Narrator] This is Hyundai's new hot-hatch, the Ioniq 3,

a fully electric urban runabout that's small on the outside,

but surprisingly large on the inside.

It sits in Hyundai's garage below the still-popular Ioniq 5,

and thanks to that sleek front-end straight roof-line,

it boasts a class-leading drag coefficient of 0.263.

This means the long-range version manages

more than 300 miles on a single charge.

Built on the same underpinnings as its sibling brands,

Kia's EV2, you get a top speed of 106 miles per hour.

Inside, the Ioniq 3 has Hyundai's new entertainment system

based on Android automotive OS,

to go with an almost outsized 14.6 inch display.

Thankfully, physical switchgear for functions

such as heating and volume are here as well.

The flat floor sees cabin space maximized,

and Hyundai claims three adults in the rear

can sit comfortably side by side.

There's also a surprisingly generous 441 liters

of luggage storage,

including what Hyundai calls its mega box,

a concealed space beneath the trunk floor,

big enough to fit an entire suitcase,

but it's the competition that will define the Ioniq 3.

We've only just seen BYD trounce

this car's 10 to 80% charging time

of 29 minutes by two thirds,

and the Chinese brand will be rolling that tech out fast.

Hyundai's president and CEO told me

they're also working on super-fast charging,

and dropped a hint of hope for US fans of this European EV,

telling me the Ioniq 3 could play

a bigger role for the corporation,

and that in some markets in North America,

it could be a very well-received product.