Hyundai Ioniq 9 News

Hyundai has recalled thousands of examples of its Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade and Ioniq 9 SUVs, as well as the Sonata sedan.It affects 3445 units for the 2025 model year in relation to a software issue with the digital driver display, according to a notice from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications Sports and the Arts. “Due to a software issue, the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) may fail to illuminate the visual vehicle speed, fuel level and other critical safety information,” the notice reads.“A loss of safety system warnings whilst driving, could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders.”A spokesperson for Hyundai Australia said there have been no reported instances of the issue in Australia.The brand will contact owners of affected vehicles to arrange an appointment to rectify the issue via a software update. If the vehicle is Bluelink enabled, the update will be delivered automatically over-the-air (OTA).Hyundai has had a solid start to 2026, with models such as the Kona and Tucson some of the most popular SUVs in Australia currently. The brand recently recalled nearly 5000 examples of its Ioniq and Kona EVs earlier this month. 

Australia electric car owners are about to realise the full potential of their vehicles.Power giant AGL has announced a new Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) trial to allow EV owners to power their homes and be paid to send power back to the grid.V2G technology allows electric vehicle owners to use the energy stored in their vehicles to power their home or send power back to the grid to earn credits during periods of peak demand.Electric car batteries are typically about five times the size of conventional home batteries, which could deliver huge potential for Australians.When paired with roof-top solar, V2G technology could allow some to effectively live off the grid.AGL Head of Innovation and Strategy Renae Gasmier said: “To unlock the full potential of their electric vehicles, owners need to think about them as more than cars, but rather as home batteries on wheels. The typical electric car battery can store enough energy to power the average home for around three days.”The new technology was green lit last year when Federal Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced Standards Australia has signed off on a new protocol allowing the technology to be approved for use in Australia.This streamlined the process for car and charging device manufacturers to get their vehicles approved for V2G use.“Vehicle to grid charging is now ticked, enabled under the law of the land and will become a reality before Christmas, in the real world,” said Bowen at the time. “Possible today, technically possible today, thanks to these changes, but next couple of months, an opportunity for the companies to get their registrations in and get it happening.”Currently V2G is only being trialled in South Australia, but AGL opens it up nationwide by bringing in all major national electricity market Distribution Network Service Providers.AGL has joined forces with BYD, Hyundai, Kia and Zeekr to make the service available to select vehicles.Owners of a Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9 and the soon to be launched updated Ioniq 6 can take part.Kia’s EV3, EV6 and EV9 can also be part of the trial.Kia Australia boss Damien Meredith said: “Amid cost-of-living pressures, this unlocks the potential for Kia EV owners to transform their cars into mobile energy assets. Bi-directional charging is a game-changer, and we look forward to help introduce V2G to the Australian market on a much larger scale.”Hyundai Australia chief Don Romano said the trial will be able to show Australians its electric cars can do far more than just drive.BYD Atto 3 with some modifications is currently eligible with the plug-in hybrid Shark 6 ute and Sealion 6 a possibility further down the line.Zeekr currently has three electric vehicles on sale, the X small SUV, 7X mid-size SUV and 009 people mover. It is unclear which Zeekr vehicles can take part in the trial.

Hyundai’s just-released Ioniq 9, a large, three-row electric SUV, has come through independent Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety testing with a maximum five-star rating.Evaluated against the organisation’s latest 2025 protocols, the dual-motor, all-wheel drive six- and seven-seater 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 impressed across ANCAP’s four key pillars - Adult Occupant Protection (84 per cent), Child Occupant Protection (86 per cent), Vulnerable Road User Protection (77 per cent) and Safety Assist (85 per cent).In announcing the result ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg said, “Consumers and fleet buyers can be confident the Ioniq 9 provides high levels of protection for occupants, as well as other road users.”Adopting test results from sister organisation Euro NCAP, ANCAP called out numerous Ioniq 9 safety highlights including a stable passenger compartment in frontal offset testing and maximum points for protection of the driver in the full width and side impact tests.At the same time maximum points were awarded for child dummies in the frontal offset and side impact crash tests, with head-protecting airbags extending to the third row.The car’s active bonnet, designed to minimise injury in a pedestrian impact, also came in for special mention as did “high levels of performance across a range of collision avoidance test scenarios – particularly detection and crash mitigation with cyclists and motorcyclists”.Further detail on the Hyundai IONIQ 9's safety performance is available at www.ancap.com.au.

Sorry, Swifties. While we appreciate the cultural phenomenon that is singer/songwriter, artist and philanthropist Taylor Swift, this is not a paean to a great pop star, but, rather, a reference to the year that marked Japan’s stellar ascension as the biggest threat to the established carmakers of that time. Their fear was existential as well as actual.

Hyundai's biggest and most luxurious SUV yet wears an equally impressive price-tag.

Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 is already priced in its home market of South Korea, but will the upcoming upper-large electric SUV work in Australia if its pricing is reflective of local specs?Riding on the same large-format E-GMP underpinnings as Kia’s dramatically styled EV9, the Ioniq 9 wears a more curvy visage topped and tailed by the Ioniq sub-brand’s signature pixel-style LED lights.Hyundai has previously indicated to Australian media the Ioniq 9 will kick off from under $100,000 when it arrives locally around the middle of 2025, although with Korean pricing and specs we might have a better idea of what exactly that might look like.The Ioniq 9 is available in three grades in its home market, the base Exclusive, which starts from the equivalent of $76,733, the mid-grade Prestige which starts from $83,580, and top-spec Calligraphy which starts from $89,036.However, all grades in Korea start with the basic rear-wheel-drive motor option (160kW/350Nm) and it is more likely that higher grades in Australia will be dual-motor all-wheel drive (226kW/605Nm), which for the Korean market adds an additional $4000 to the price. And there are many optional equipment items on Korean-delivered vehicles which may be packaged up as standard on Australian versions, adding additional numbers to the price, and likely pushing at least the Calligraphy variant over the $100,000 mark.For reference, the Kia EV9 range spans from $97,000 to $121,000 before on-road costs in Australia.Either Ioniq 9 drivetrain gets a large, 110kWh battery providing a combined driving range of 532km for 2WD versions or 503km for AWD versions, according to the Korean measuring standard. By comparison, the long-range Kia EV9 is currently capable of 512km, although this is to the more internationally recognised WLTP standard.Luggage space is a massive 620 litres (although this is to the more lenient SAE standard compared to the more widely accepted in Australia VDA standard), which expands to 1323L when the third row is folded flat. Towing capacity to Korean standards is 2500kg.Like other Ioniq products, the Ioniq 9 comes with vehicle-to-load technology as standard, and it can top up from 10-80 per cent in a claimed 24 minutes when connected to an ultra-fast 350kW DC charging pylon.Some features standard on Korean versions we might expect to see in the Australian market include a power tailgate, recycled plastic yarn rooflining, and heated seats for the first two rows. Higher grades get cooling for the front seats, a premium Bose sound system, remote parking and the top-spec Calligraphy grade even gets self-levelling suspension, two-tone interior colour schemes with suede headlining, and a digital reversing mirror.Speaking to CarsGuide at an international preview event for the Ioniq 9, the brand said the Hyundai three-row EV would separate itself from the EV9 thanks to a focus on increasing interior space and aerodynamic efficiency, although the objective was to benchmark premium SUV rivals rather than beat-out its sister brand’s large EV offering.Expect to learn more about the Australian versions of the Ioniq 9 closer to its mid-year launch window.

How a pair of big, boxy and brash SUVs aimed at conservative middle America paved the way for a chic yet green and ultra-efficient electric vehicle (EV) SUV flagship

A new year brings a fresh array of vehicles for Australia — but some get us more excited than others.

In 2025, no other car company in Australia will offer quite the combination of body styles and powertrain choices for buyers seeking an SUV or crossover with three rows of seating as Hyundai.

There’s no love lost between these two competitors!Hyundai and Kia may belong to the same family, but to the outside world they are fierce rivals that fight tooth and nail against each other.In fact, they were bitter enemies for decades, until Kia’s bankruptcy during the Asian financial crisis of 1997 led to Hyundai’s takeover (outbidding a determined Ford), to create what we know today as the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG).Since then, both brands have risen to global prominence, particularly in electric vehicles (EVs), sharing technologies which Hyundai has long maintained that it led the development of.Fair enough, but Kia was first with a seven-seater EV SUV in the striking shape of the highly-acclaimed EV9 in 2023. In North America — the market it was designed to conquer — it is now firing on all… electrons. It’s a big hit.Almost two years later, Hyundai has responded with the Ioniq 9, claiming that while it may share DNA with the colossal Kia, much has changed and improved in the interim years, creating a superior product.With Australian sales set to commence before the middle of next year, here are nine reasons to wait for an Ioniq 9 instead of buying an EV9 right now – and three good reasons to stick with the Kia.This one’s a no-brainer, since the Ioniq 9’s 110.3kWh allows for a WLTP range of up to 620km, versus the 99.8kWh version of the EV9’s current-best effort of 512km.Range anxiety is less of a concern in the newcomer.The Hyundai EV SUV’s grander dimensions are music to the ears of many potential buyers of family-sized three-row SUVs.For the record, the Ioniq 9 measures in at 5060mm long (+50mm over the EV9), 1980mm wide (no difference), 1790mm high (+35mm) and with a 30mm-extended wheelbase of 3130mm.Not only does that translate to more room for humans, it also means more space for luggage. Some 620 litres (preliminary figures) to 1323L, versus the EV9’s 573L to 1233L, depending on whether they’re in seven or five-seater modes.Hyundai said this is the longest-wheelbase vehicle of any model it produces.When the Ioniq 9 launches sometime in the second quarter of next year, the most powerful version with dual motors is expected to offer about 320kW of power. The Kia equivalent, in the meantime, musters 283kW.Yes, the intriguing EV9 GT has been announced for North America with power figures that are expected to be north of 360kW, but there is no confirmation of it coming to Australia just yet.Hyundai said the Ioniq 9 breaks new ground for the brand with its elevated interior quality and presentation, calling the cabin a “natural lounge” that provides a “calm and caring space”.Of course, we’ve only seen (and driven) specially-prepared prototypes of the Hyundai, so we won’t know for sure if the production versions are as alluring. But the brand is making a big song and dance about this, as well as the acoustic laminated side glass, triple door seals, reinforced body structure and available Active Noise Cancellation tech.That EV9 GT promises to provide some outstanding acceleration and speed, but in HMG’s hierarchy of sub-brands, the Hyundai N division is the apex performance predator, focusing on eclipsing BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG’s efforts.N’s first EV model, the Ioniq 5 N, pushes out boundaries like a nuclear blast. If they apply the same brilliance to an Ioniq 9 N, it would be one heck of an electric family hauler.At the Ioniq 9’s reveal party, Hyundai admitted that the delay in getting its version of the EV9 to market had to do with redesigning and/or evolving the E-GMP architecture in a number of areas.These have led to the introduction of a revised front power electronics (PE) system for better suspension control and packaging, changes to the rear PE’s gear ratios for more effective hill climbing, a new two-stage inverter to boost efficiency, dynamic torque-vectoring tech for improved handling and stability, a rough-terrain traction-control set-up with AI assistance, self-levelling dampers for a more-isolated ride, second-gen regenerative braking control and more.Plus, the floor is now flatter to enhance comfort and cargo capacity.The Ioniq 9’s body debuts the use of aluminium in new areas of a Hyundai, including in the front, side and rear panels.Of course, this makes for a lighter yet stronger body, and lowers the centre of gravity in the process, boosting dynamics as well as overall efficiency.Hyundai has managed an impressive drag coefficient of 0.26 Cd for the most aerodynamic version of the Ioniq 9 (smaller wheels, digital exterior mirrors), compared to the EV9’s 0.29 Cd.EV6-aside, many of Kia’s latest EVs are beginning to look like Matryoshka dolls, or Russian dolls, in their samey, cookie-cutter way. The coming EV3 seems to be a shrunken version of the recently-released EV5, which looks like a smaller EV9.In contrast, the Ioniq 9’s design appears to have nothing to do with the crisp Ioniq 5 hatch and ultra-smooth Ioniq 6 sedan.That all said, here are three reasons to just go out and buy the fabulous EV9.In the metal, the Ioniq 9 is a pleasant design, with a few provocative styling elements, but it plays it safe.Meanwhile, the EV9 is a stunning piece of automotive design, with breathtaking lines that perfectly and precisely telegraph the brilliant advanced electrification tech underneath, whilst also being timeless and utterly original – at least until its cookie-cutter siblings came along.Is there a more-stunning three-row SUV in the world today?The two extra years in Kia’s seven-year warranty is all the peace of mind you need, especially when Hyundai refuses to budge from five years.Word on the street is that the EV9 GT will shoot to 100km/h from standstill in less than 4.5 seconds, while no Ioniq 9 for now can dip below 5.2s – at least, not until an N version comes on stream. We can only dream!