Every year, Las Vegas turns into the epicenter of the tuning world when it welcomes the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. It’s hot rods, muscle cars, and tricked-out trucks galore. Hyundai is joining the excitement this year by bringing several one-off models and concept cars, including a super-efficient super-hybrid named HyperEconiq Ioniq.
The design study is based on — you guessed it — the Hyundai Ioniq, a relatively new model offered as a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, and, if you live in California, an electric car. Hyundai teamed up with Bisimoto Engineering to turn its eco-friendly compact model into a futuristic design study that “integrates the best hyper-miling, economy, and friction technology” to amplify the Ioniq platform. It promises to introduce SEMA attendees to the unfamiliar concept of fuel efficiency.
All it takes is a quick peek at the HyperEconiq Ioniq to tell it has received a long list of modifications. Riding on low-rolling resistance tires, it receives a full body kit that adds a front splitter, side skirts, a spoiler on the trunk lid, and covers over the rear wheels to reduce drag. Hyundai also lowered the Ioniq’s suspension to minimize ground clearance, which helps make the car even more aerodynamic. The HyperEconiq wouldn’t look out of place on the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week.
Weight is another important factor affecting fuel efficiency, so many of the aforementioned add-ons are made out of carbon fiber. The HyperEconiq also boasts carbon fiber wheels (like the Ford Mustang GT350R), aluminum brake calipers provided by Buddy Club, and lightweight Recaro bucket seats. Hyundai hasn’t revealed how many pounds the Ioniq lost during the transformation.
Similarly, technical specifications are exceptionally vague for the time being. All we know is the powertrain uses enhanced e-generators to return well over 80 mpg, an impressive figure which makes the concept considerably more efficient than its regular-production counterpart.
“The HyperEconiq Ioniq takes the Ioniq where we always knew it could go, without sacrificing drivability,” summed up Bisi Ezerioha, president of Bisimoto Engineering, in a statement. “Leveraging the outstanding Ioniq electrified platform and powertrain, we’ve focused on a variety of technical elements to bring efficiency, aero, and design to the highest level.”
We doubt the HyperEconiq Ioniq is anything more than a concept built to turn heads in Sin City, so a production model is highly unlikely.
