HYUNDAI SAW THE EV PUSHBACK COMING FROM A MILE OFF WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID

It’s an exciting time to be at Hyundai with ongoing introductions of new vehicles designed to move the company, and customers, toward electrification. At the recent LA Auto Show, Hyundai launched the Ioniq 9 to take the brand's electrification portfolio upmarket, and while there, CarBuzz caught up with Olabisi Boyle, Senior Vice President, Product Planning and Mobility Strategy, Hyundai Motor North America, about Hyundai’s plans for not just an electric future, but a hybrid one too.

"Our product is fantastic both on the EV side and the other diverse powertrains," said Boyle. "We've been really smart in our strategy with respect to the electrification transformation because we knew there was going be an early adopter phase and then an early majority phase."

Predicting Both The EV Revolution And The Pushback That Would Accompany It

The fact that Hyundai has these two distinct classifications is proof that it didn't dive headlong into the electric revolution without thinking it through and planning for all eventualities. Those are two very different customer groups and they’re looking for different things in their EVs. “We knew the early adopters were going to be more into the tech and they didn't worry about affordability,” she said. “We knew the early majority would be worried about affordability, they could take it or leave it.”

The industry has experienced the "leave it" side of things recently as EV demand didn't just reduce after the early adoption wave, it seemingly went backward. Automakers that had previously committed to pure electrification, skipping the step of HEVs and PHEVs, have scrambled to revise product strategies at great expense, and they're now in a do-or-die scenario where they can't afford to make any further mistakes. But in knowing the gulf between two types of EV buyers existed, Hyundai was able to predict the market wouldn't shift as rapidly as early trends suggested. “There was always going to be a transition,” says Boyle.

To compensate, Hyundai ensured that the vast majority of its vehicle lineup had alternative options, like hybrids and plug-in hybrids, to cater to those who still wanted the 'older' technology in a new car. Across Hyundai's entire lineup, only two combustion models don't have hybrids, those being the Santa Cruz and the Palisade; every other ICE model is available with at least two powertrain options.

Designing EVs That Make Ownership Easier Is Key

To Olabisi Boyle's point about needing to be in it from the beginning with great platforms, the new Ioniq 9 is a great example of this, and its development forced Hyundai to change its approach to designing new EVs. It joins the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 in the growing EV lineup but arrives as a more expensive model that won't necessarily attract the mainstream in the same way as an Ioniq 5 might.

“This is a new product. What do people think about the car as a space today? Cars really can and are more than just getting from A to B,” she explains. “Cars can become a place for connection and belonging. The engineers, the product planners, and the designers need to say in that space inside the vehicle, 'What is the driver going to do physically? What is the passenger going to do in every single row, first, second, and third?' You're developing the vehicle almost from the inside out."

That approach means USB ports for everyone, a button that lets people move the second row out of the way to exit rather than waiting for someone to let them out of the third row, and relaxation seats for the second row. It also means integrating NACS ports, so there's no need for an adapter. These small details make a big difference in a family’s daily life. So does the ability to charge your EV in a way that works best for you.

Converting The Non-Believers With A "Try Before You Buy" Approach

It's one thing to cater to a variety of powertrain needs, but if Hyundai wants to get EV-resistant shoppers to acclimatize gradually, there's no point pushing them into a hybrid and letting them stop there. So Hyundai allows customers to live the EV lifestyle on a short-term basis with the Evolve+ subscription service. It helps the indecisive.

“I don't know if this is going to work for me. Maybe I try it out with my college kid over the summer for three months and I put my credit card down and see how they like it. [We] see if we find charging spots or maybe I can't have a charger at home and I use Hyundai Home to get the charger installed with a vetted installer,” said Boyle of the thinking process Hyundai wants shoppers to have. It’s all about choice: delivering electrification in a way that works for everyone without pigeonholing every buyer into the same one-size-fits-all box that inevitably doesn't fit everyone.

“This EV transformation is not just that you have a fabulous, award-winning, world-class vehicle," explains Boyle. "I now need to bring people to see if this lifestyle can work for them."

It’s a comprehensive strategy that isn’t just about building good cars, but about helping people integrate them into their lives, whether gas, hybrid, or electric. “I think we did the right things by having a diversity of powertrains and flexibility in our plans,” said Boyle. “So now it’s the execution, which is the real challenge. Let’s play with the mixes, but we have the foundation to allow us to do that. I've seen the new products. We have opportunities in our lineups to help us with the mix as we make this transition through EV. It's sincerely a good place to be.”

2024-12-04T05:55:47Z