The Hyundai Ioniq 3 won’t be coming to Australia in spite of everything, with the Korean brand confirming the business case didn’t stack up.
“We will not be going to import it,” a Hyundai Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.
“Sadly the business case is just too difficult given we want to source Ioniq 3 from Turkey – the associated fee of importation is high and the automotive can be fighting in a really price-sensitive segment.
“The numbers just don’t work for us given the competition and the worth we would wish to put on it.”
CarExpert understands Hyundai Australia will slot a unique electric vehicle (EV) into the Ioniq 3’s place, but it surely’s unclear just what that model can be.
The Ioniq 3 had been confirmed back in April by Hyundai Australia sales director David Rodda for local release in early 2027.
It might have sat towards the underside of Hyundai’s local EV lineup, above the pint-size Inster. It also would have been the second Hyundai Australia model sourced from Türkiye, following the moribund i20 N hot hatch.
The Ioniq 3 is just the most recent in a string of EVs cancelled for our market in recent months.
The Nissan Leaf small SUV earlier this 12 months was delayed indefinitely, with the Japanese brand later confirming the business case didn’t stack up.
Isuzu Ute Australia cancelled the D-Max EV earlier this week, acknowledging the electrical ute would have struggled to sell in addition to the already low-volume Toyota HiLux BEV, while Jeep Australia not appears to be going ahead with launches of the electrical Compass, Recon and Wagoneer S SUVs.
The increasingly competitive local EV market has seen brands not only cancel planned EV launches, but in addition slash 1000’s of dollars off prices – either permanently or via short-term offers.
Chinese marques have forced brands from other countries to increasingly sharpen the costs of their EVs, and in addition import their very own models from China where production costs are typically lower.
For instance, Nissan is seeking to import vehicles developed by its Chinese partner Dongfeng as an alternative of importing the Leaf, while Mazda has delayed the launch of EVs developed in-house in favour of taking Changan Mazda-developed models globally.
Even Hyundai has gotten in on the sport, importing the Elexio developed by the Beijing Hyundai three way partnership.
The mid-size electric SUV is priced from $58,990 before on-road costs, though it’s currently being offered from $57,990 drive-away, undercutting the mid-size, Korean-built Ioniq 5.
Hyundai hadn’t given any indication where the Ioniq 3 would have been priced.
As a small electric hatch, it might have faced off against a growing variety of cut-price Chinese models on this segment, including the GAC Aion UT (currently priced from $31,990 drive-away), Leapmotor B05 (from $35,990 drive-away) and MG 4 EV Urban (currently priced from $29,990 drive-away).
Non-Chinese brands have cleared the decks for this onslaught, opting to deal with SUV segments as an alternative.
Cupra has discontinued its small Born electric hatch here, Volkswagen scuppered plans to bring the related ID.3, and Peugeot only imported a handful of E-308 hatches before pulling the pin.
Using a 400V version of the E-GMP platform utilized by the larger Ioniq 5, the Ioniq 3 offers a selection of 42.2kWh or 61kWh batteries, good for WLTP range figures of 344km and 496km respectively.
Available only in single-motor front-wheel drive guise, the Ioniq 3 produces between 99.5kW and 107.8kW of power, and as much as 250Nm of torque.
It weighs between 1550kg and 1660kg, making it as much as 215kg lighter than the Kona Electric small SUV, which is not based on a dedicated EV platform.
Hyundai offers a wide selection of EVs in Australia, starting from the Inster and Kona Electric on the low end of the worth spectrum, as much as the pricier Ioniq 5 SUV, Ioniq 6 sedan and Ioniq 9 three-row SUV. Despite this, in the primary half of 2026, sister brand Kia delivered greater than twice as many EVs in Australia.
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
