When you think about hybrid vehicles, it’s hard to make way for speed on this topic for one too many reasons. As long as it’s not the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder or the McLaren P1, hybrid vehicles are not the way to go if your priority is speed.
Against all odds, however, Hyundai took a modified Ioniq Hybrid up to 160.7 mph (258.6 km/h). According to the South Korean manufacturer, that number applies to the peak exit speed of the Ioniq Hybrid at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The FIA-approved land speed record for production-based hybrid vehicles, however, is 157.825 mph (253.9 km/h). Hyundai came up with that number after averaging the car’s speed on the in and out runs. But as you can see from the pics and video, not everything is production-spec in this Hyundai.
On the powertrain front, the development team made four modifications to the otherwise standard vehicle. Starting with a low-restriction intake and exhaust systems, the team also recalibrated the computers that govern the engine, transmission, and hybrid system, then removed the air con and ancillary accessories. A single-stage nitrous injection system was added as well. Regarding visuals, Hyundai’s sole purpose with this vehicle was to make it as slippery as possible. Hence the front grille and underbody mods.
“We couldn’t be more proud in setting the FIA hybrid-category record with our new Ioniq Hybrid,” declared Mike O’Brien, vice president of Corporate and Product Planning at Hyundai Motor America. “Our engineering team really pushed the limits to set this new segment benchmark while demonstrating the impressive durability of the entire Ioniq vehicle platform. We expect this will be the first of many accolades for Ioniq," concluded the Hyundai official.
Slated to go on sale in the United States this winter, the top speed for the bone stock 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid stands at 115 mph (185 km/h). Also as standard, the Hybrid comes with a button that reads “Sport.” Hit that and the and the dual-clutch transmission will try its best to shift gear as quickly as possible. Don’t expect blistering performance from this eco-friendly vehicle, though. 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) arrives in 10.8 secs in ideal settings.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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