Here's The 2017 Hyundai IONIQ to Take On The Prius

Hyundai on Monday revealed its 2017 Hyundai IONIQ ahead of its official reveal at Geneva in March and my goodness it’s already yelling at me.

The hatchback has been in the works for some time by now, which we already knew. Hyundai cleared up some of the technical details that we were waiting on — but not its fuel economy, apparently.

Sheesh.

For starters, the Ioniq (I can’t caps anymore, sorry) is powered by Hyundai’s all-new 1.6-liter Atkinson-style cycle engine and a lithium-ion polymer battery that produce 103 horsepower and 42 horsepower respectively. Hyundai didn’t specify what the total combined output of the Ioniq could be, so we’ll have to wait on that because apparently the combined horsepower number maths harder than just adding the two together.

According to Hyundai, the internal combustion engine is the world’s most heat-efficient engine — although Toyota cited the same 40 percent thermal efficiency figure when it unveiled its new Prius engine.

The Ioniq’s power is shifted through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission because CVTs are just plain silly. Hyundai said the transmission has been optimized for the hybrid system, and transmits more than 95 percent of the power to the wheels.

In addition to powertrain improvements, the automaker detailed weight savings in the car. Hyundai said an aluminum hood and tailgate helped to cut roughly 25 pounds from the overall weight of the car, in addition to extensive use of high-strength lightweight steel.

Inside, the Ioniq looks like a Hyundai — good or bad.

The setup looks fairly plain, and we already know that it’ll sport Apple’s CarPlay. Compared to the 2016 Prius, which I drove last year, the Ioniq looks fairly sleepy, but far from brash like higher trims of the Prius.

Hyundai didn’t specify how much, or when the car would go on sale. We know it’s coming this year, but now at least we know what it looks like and some of what’s underneath.