Hyundai Ioniq 9 2026 News

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. As the automotive world embraces technology at a rapid rate with autonomous driving, connected cars and electrification, even the biggest names in the business are forced to reinvent themselves. Hyundai, the world’s third largest car brand, has declared that it is no longer simply a car maker but is something more.“ So we are not a normal OEM , “ declared Jose Munoz, global president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. “I think by now you've seen that we are more of a tech company that happens to be also an OEM.”Munoz explained why this is more than simply a rebranding exercise to compete with the likes of Tesla and other emerging brands from China that straddle the world of technology and cars, pointing to Hyundai Group’s expansive portfolio of companies.“Because we control, we own, Boston Dynamics,” he said.“We created a lot of companies related to autonomous driving, like 42Dot, Motional. We have made the best deal ever with Waymo on literally tens of thousands of robotaxis that we're gonna produce in the United States and expand it to the world. And we… with local partners like Momenta in China. We got an exclusive supply from NVIDIA… and we also have a fantastic partnership with the state-of-the-art, the number one company in the world, which is Amazon. Not to mention others like Santander, GM, TBS In India, Mubadala in the Middle East, etc.”The deals he is referring to include the robotics company Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai took ownership of in 2020 and specialises in commercially available robots. While 42Dot and Motional are both autonomous driving software companies owned by Hyundai but based in South Korea and the USA, respectively, and Momenta is a Chinese joint-venture in the same space.Hyundai’s deal with Amazon is described as a ‘broad partnership’ that encompasses a variety of deals including online vehicle sales in select markets as well as the integration of Amazon Alexa into Hyundai vehicles and the car maker’s use of Amazon Web Services.This all comes in addition to Hyundai Group’s diverse business interests that include making its own steel, container ships and logistics businesses that can all help with the production and distribution of its cars.“So our group is not a normal group, so we have a lot of companies,” Munoz added.“We won't get into all the details, but you can see we have more than 50 affiliated companies in all areas of the business. So not only vertically integrated and creating the steel, also the distribution with Glovis, with our own advertising with Innocean. But then we are in many other businesses like robots for the factories. And then as mentioned, sales finance, Rotem in the military and other applications.”All this investment in technology is part of a plan to not only ensure the business is ready for what car buyers are interested in, but also make Hyundai appealing to investors and drive the share price up.“So I think the result is fantastic, and obviously, this is being accompanied by the top rating in the world in terms of the financial performance,” Munoz said.It appears to be working, with Hyundai Motor Company’s share price dramatically increasing over the past three years, despite up and down sales numbers - particularly in Australia.

It might feel like V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) functionality for electric vehicles has been ‘coming soon’ to Australia since the dawn of time but the technology looks like it’s finally close to local introduction with Hyundai using its Ioniq 9 pure-electric SUV for a groundbreaking standards-compliant demonstration.V2G is a bi-directional charging system that allows an EV to supply stored energy to a home during blackout emergencies or monetise its export to the electrical grid during peak periods.The company said it has completed Australia’s first V2G discharge, doing so in compliance with the relevant ISO (International Organization for Standardisation) 15118-20 protocol, using a StarCharge Halo 7.4kW bi-directional DC charger.This comes as the federally-funded Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is pushing EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure development, including large-scale V2G trials. Hyundai said, “This Milestone supports HMCA's commitment to manufacturer-approved, standards-compliant V2G deployment” adding the StarCharge Halo received Clean Energy Council (CEC) listing in March 2026 and is AS/NZS 4777.2 compliant.Like other EV models already on sale in Australia, the Hyundai Ioniq 9’s 800-volt electric architecture allows fast, high-power DC charging and bi-directional energy flows. Australia adopted national V2G and V2H (Vehicle-to-Home) standards in 2024 and ARENA forecasts up to 2.6 million Australian homes could adopt V2G by 2040.But testing, alignment and approval of regulations and hardware (including vehicles) as well as establishing grid standards and gaining network approvals has proved to be a lengthy process. Hyundai said it is “helping establish a standards-based pathway for scalable, manufacturer-supported V2G and V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) deployment across homes, buildings, energy networks and virtual power plants.”Hyundai Motor Company Australia CEO Don Romano added, “This (V2G discharge) is the result of sustained technical work by Hyundai's R&D teams in Korea and Australia. “Getting this right is essential because V2G will only scale in Australia if consumers, energy providers and governments can trust the technology."Electric cars can do far more than just drive. They can power homes and support the grid. “This first V2G discharge using ISO 15118-20 with the IONIQ 9 demonstrates that we are delivering real innovation, not just talking about it," he said.Hyundai models under evaluation or development for V2G in Australia include the Ioniq 9, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 as well as future Ioniq platforms. Mitsubishi has also been working on V2G capability for some time for its Outlander plug-in hybrid, which has taken part in earlier trials for the technology in South Australia.

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.