The first time we ever saw the Hyundai Ioniq 6 in spy shots, the vehicle appeared to look more like an Elantra than the Prophecy concept that previewed it. However, in this latest batch of spy photos, we get a better look at its body and even though its proportions are still different to the Prophecy’s, it actually bares a much stronger resemblance to it than we previously thought.

This is a good thing because the Prophecy is one of the most successful sedan designs in recent year, featuring a low and wide stance and lots of cool design details all around (as well as inside). The recently spotted prototype is our best look yet at the Ioniq 6, and even though it’s heavily camouflaged, we can make out many of the design details.

We’re pretty sure the basic shape o the headlight clusters will be very similar to the concept’s although, the headlights’ interior design may be different. The headlights are placed quite low, just like they were on the Prophecy, and the entire front end looks quite low overall.

Gallery: Ioniq 6 spy photos

From the side we can see that just like Mercedes with the EQE and EQS models, the greenhouse is bigger than it would be in a traditional ICE sedan. The Ioniq 6 is not as odd looking as the two Mercedes models from a side perspective, but the greenhouse is definitely bigger than average for a sedan, while the front section is short, stubby and the overhang is not very large either.

Hyundai opted to put a lot of camouflage on the prototype to cover the rear. It therefore looks considerably higher than it will be on the production car - it won’t have a hump, like this prototype - that’s there purely to hid the actual shape of the rear volume.

One telltale sign of what the rear end will look like is the seam in the camouflage which runs from the C-pillar down and back. It is most likely a zipper that opens to allow testers to use its trunk. The rear light clusters (which are clearly inspired by the Prophecy’s, although they’re nowhere near as outlandish) are also placed quite low further confirming that the vehicle will have a very tapered back section.

Experience would tell us that when a manufacturer has prototypes such as this one out testing, it has finalized a vehicle’s exterior design. However, one report coming from Korea Economic Daily says Hyundai is actually going to delay the vehicle in order to update its design, as well as upgrade its powertrain.

Gallery: Hyundai Prophecy Concept at IAA 2021

The source points out that the redesign this model is going to go through will be significant, even if it’s already very late in its development cycle. Apparently, they are going to lengthen the vehicle by 2 centimeters, making it almost 4.9 meters long, and this may or may not also be linked to the other modification they are said to be making.

The aforementioned powertrain upgrade is reportedly concentrated around improving the vehicle’s range by fitting it with a larger battery pack, up from 72.6 kWh (which is what the Ioniq 5 has) to 77.4 kWh, allowing the vehicle to travel over 500 km on one charge. Finally, the source article says Ioniq 6 will also come with a light-up faux grille which could display messages, although this will most likely only be available on markets where such a system would be legal.

Ioniq 6 was expected to debut in early 2022, but if the rumor about the delay is true, then we should see it sometime in May or June. It will be followed by the Ioniq 7 electric SUV in 2024.

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