Hyundai has commenced trialling the new Ioniq Hybrid with selected fleet customers in Australia.
After the new battery-electric hybrid vehicle launched globally in 2016, it has undergone some improvements and is now being tested by the Australian Red Cross, the South Australian Government and Northern Alliance Victoria.
In total 70 vehicles have been distributed with 34 assigned to the Australian Red Cross, 1 to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, 28 to the South Australian Government and 7 to the Northern Alliance in Victoria.
So far Hyundai claims the cars have been well received by drivers and fleet managers with Australian Red Cross fleet manager Greg McClure commenting “Already the Ioniq is proving to be cost efficient and the safety features are on par with what we’d expect from a higher cost vehicle.”
Hyundai Motor Company Australia Chief Operating Officer Scott Grant said “We had an opportunity to import a small number of Ioniq Hybrids in advance of the full launch mid-year, so we placed them with fleet customers to get real-world feedback about the cars’ performance and practicality.
“The fleet customers are leasing the cars at a special trial rate and so far the program is going extremely well. The car is well liked and is proving cost-effective, reliable and comfortable to drive, with users averaging around 4.0L/100km in everyday urban driving. Feedback so far is very positive.”
Three drivetrains being hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric are available and will launch in Australia later in 2018 with full specifications and pricing to be released closer to the launch date.
What has been released however is details of the petrol-electric Ioniq Hybrid which uses a 1.6-litre engine and electric motor to produce 104kW of power and 265Nm of torque. The official combined fuel consumption comes in at 3.2L/100kms.
Australian Red Cross fleet manager Greg McClure said “Overall we’re getting about 3.5L/100km and we’ve recorded about 900km to a tank. For the staff and volunteers using these cars, this means fewer trips to fill up and more time in the communities we serve.”
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