Hyundai and Bisimoto built an 80-mpg Ioniq for SEMA
It may not have 1,000 hp, but it has carbon fiber wheels.
Last year, Hyundai and tuner Bisimoto teamed up to bring a 1,000-horsepower Santa Fe to the SEMA aftermarket trade show. This year, they're still working together, but their efforts have produced something a bit... greener.
Say hello to the HyperEconiq Ioniq, which is not at all difficult to both write and pronounce. It was built for a single purpose -- hypermiling, otherwise known as using a collection of (occasionally dangerous) tips and tricks to get some insane fuel economy numbers from your car.
The Ioniq's styling is usually on the milquetoast side, but not this one. Oh, no.
Hyundai has only offered up a small build list so far, but it's still quite impressive. The Ioniq Hybrid's gas-electric power train has been tweaked with new spark plugs, a bespoke low-friction oil, beefed-up generators and supercharging. A new exhaust was tuned specifically for increased efficiency, too.
Other modifications include low-rolling-resistance tires and aluminum brake calipers. Bisimoto also built a body kit to further reduce the Ioniq's drag coefficient, including rear wheel covers. A coilover suspension minimizes ground clearance, while carbon fiber wheels help to keep unsprung mass as low as possible. Inside, there's a set of racing seats and OBD-based vehicle monitoring.
The standard Ioniq Hybrid achieves an EPA-estimated 57 mpg city and 59 mpg highway. The HyperEconiq Ioniq, on the other hand, is seeing fuel economy "well over" 80 mpg over multiple Bisimoto tests, which is impressive no matter which way you cut it. We can't wait to see the HyperEconiq Ioniq in person at SEMA in early November.
