Overview
- The decision removes plans for the compact Ioniq 3 to go on sale in Australia after Hyundai quietly took down the model page and told Drive that the numbers did not work for the market.
- Hyundai builds the Ioniq 3 at its Izmit plant in Turkey, and the company says the added cost of importing cars from that factory pushes retail prices above rival models from Chinese brands.
- The Ioniq 3 is on sale in the UK and Europe, where it is positioned as a value compact EV with two battery choices (42 kWh offering about 213 miles WLTP and 61 kWh offering about 308 miles WLTP) and Hyundai’s new Pleos Connect infotainment.
- Hyundai CEO José Muñoz has warned that low‑cost Chinese EVs are taking top market positions in places without trade barriers, a dynamic the company says risks squeezing legacy automakers’ margins and shaping where they sell new models.
- For buyers, the immediate effect is less choice and potentially higher prices in Australia’s entry EV segment because Chinese brands are already undercutting imports, a trend that could influence which models manufacturers decide to bring to other price‑sensitive markets.