Siblings compete over the dumbest things. Control of the armrest. What to name the cat. What to call a 7-seat electric SUV.
Big brother Hyundai has given in and let little brother Kia have the win on that last one, according to a new report. Hyundai will change the name of its upcoming 3-row electric vehicle (EV) because of Kia’s success.
Names and Numbers
Hyundai calls its EVs Ioniq models. Its electric 2-row SUV is the Ioniq 5. Its EV sedan is the Ioniq 6. It had planned to call its battery-powered 3-row SUV the Ioniq 7. Based on a well-received concept car, the Ioniq 7 could have some innovative interior elements and a curvy exterior dominated by hundreds of pixel-style lights.
Er…the Ioniq 9. Industry publication Automotive News reports, “Hyundai plans to change the name of its forthcoming Ioniq 7 three-row crossover to Ioniq 9.” Hyundai won’t comment but says, “More details will be shared on the next Ioniq model closer to its launch.”
The move, assuming it’s real, comes in response to Kia. Hyundai Motor Group owns the Hyundai and Genesis brands and just over a third of Kia. The two companies often share parts, keeping the designers isolated from one another (even discouraging social interaction to keep their designs from growing too similar) but giving them the same mechanical parts to work with.
Kia calls its EVs…well…EVs. The company sells the sporty electric EV6 2-row SUV and the boxy, retro-futurist electric EV9 3-row SUV. It plans a smaller EV5 with a similar design ethos.
The EV9 hit the market first. It’s been an early success by some measures – one of just three finalists for the World Car of the Year award.
Its success has been enough, apparently, to make Hyundai give in. The big brother company will apparently name its equivalent to copy the little brother’s success. But if Mom and Dad ask, it doesn’t want to talk about it.
