Hyundai reveals interior of first EV-platform car Ioniq 5

Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 5 teaser video. The passenger seat and the center console are slid backwards, revealing a leg rest below the passenger seat. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

Hyundai Motor has released teaser images of the interior of the Ioniq 5, the first car to be released under its new all-electric Ioniq brand.

The first car to utilize Hyundai’s EV-dedicated E-GMP modular system, the Ioniq 5’s interior has been designed under the theme “living space,” the company said, and will be equipped with a flat battery to increase the interior space.

The biggest feature that sets the Ioniq 5 aside from combustible vehicles is its “flat floor,” meaning the cockpit structure doesn’t have the raised section between the driver and passenger seat. This raised structure that extended to the backseat houses the driving axle on most cars.

According to a five-second video shared by Hyundai, the center console can slide back and forth in line with the front passenger seat, hence allowing the driver to enter the vehicle from both the left and right doors. A button-based electric gear shift will be placed near the steering wheel — a feature Hyundai calls Shift by Wire (SBW) that has already been included in a lot of the company’s latest releases.

Both the driver and front passenger seats will come with leg rests, which in the video were visible when the passenger seat slid backwards.

The Ioniq 5’s interior is made from eco-friendly materials, the automaker added. Part of the seat leather and arm rests use fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. A bio material extracted from sugarcane was used in the doors, dashboard, ceiling and floor.

Bio paints and oil made from flowers and corn was used to color fabric and components inside the cockpit, like steering wheels and switches.

The Ioniq 5 will be unveiled during a virtual world premiere event on Feb. 23.

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]