Hyundai Motor on Monday launched its new Ioniq plug-in, the last of the three-series green car Ioniq models.

Hyundai‘s Ioniq lineup now features three eco-friendly car options -- the hybrid, electric and its latest plug-in, which merges the key functions of the hybrid and electric functions into one. Using both an internal combustion engine and rechargeable batteries, the new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle model offers fuel efficiency of roughly 20.5 kilometers per liter and a driving range of more than 900 kilometers -- the longest range offered among available plug-in hybrid models in Korea.


“With the launch of the Ioniq plug-in, Hyundai’s eco-friendly platform is now finally complete,” said Lee Kwang-guk, executive vice president of domestic sales at Hyundai, during a press conference held at the Hyundai Motorstudio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Monday.

“The competition and demand for environmentally friendly cars in today’s worldwide car market is fierce ... and although the eco-friendly car market in Korea is not that big yet, it is quickly expanding,” Lee added, noting that the company is looking to be a leading player in the global green car market with its latest Ioniq series.

The Ioniq series has been sweeping awards. It was named Car of the Year 2017 in Norway. The Ioniq electric was named Car of the Year 2017 in Sweden as well as the greenest car in the United States.

The 2017 Ioniq plug-in is available in two trim options: the N and the Q. The N trim has a starting price of 32.3 million won ($28,500), while the Q starts at 34.1 million won. However, according to Hyundai officials, the owners of the electric vehicles are eligible to receive 5 million won in government subsidies, dropping the prices to 27.3 million won and 29.1 million, respectively.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)