Hyundai Begins Deliveries of IONIQ 5 On East Coast

Hyundai’s third battery-electric vehicle has joined its fleet officially. Friday the 17th at 1 pm, the keys to the first East-Coast IONIQ 5 were handed to Ms. Sandra Bergland at an event held at Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, Massachusetts (about ninety minutes west of Boston).

“As a captain for a major cargo airline flying large freighter planes, I am immersed in technology and how it’s reshaped the industry. The IONIQ 5 is the perfect vehicle for me as I appreciate its progressive aerodynamic exterior design together with a spacious and smart interior, innovative connectivity, and advanced technologies; it’s redefining the industry and providing new choices for customers like me. After the wait, I’m thrilled to be among the first to drive the IONIQ 5 and embark on road trips that complement my active lifestyle without the need to stop at gas stations.” said Bergland.

Unlike many brands, notably Tesla, who typically launch EVs with the intention of primarily selling them within just one regional market until volume delivery is achieved, Hyundai is rolling out its IONIQ 5 in markets outside of California from the start. Holyoke is a city in what many call Western Massachusetts, close to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Campus. It is about 30 miles from Hartford, CT, and closer to Vermont than it is to Boston.

The IONIQ 5 is a new all-electric model from Hyundai that will compete directly with the VW ID.4 and Ford Mustang Mach-E. It has a base price starting at about $41,000 and its top trim with AWD has a price of $55,725 before dealer market adjustments and added aftermarket accessories. These prices are before federal, state, or local EV incentives which presently add up to about $10K in savings to Massachusetts EV owners.

The IONIQ 5 does not compete head to head with the Tesla Model Y. The Model Y is significantly more expensive. The least expensive Model Y has a price of $60,440. Comparably equipped, the IONIQ 5 will cost consumers about half what a Tesla Model Y will.

Gary Rome Hyundai hosted members of the New England Motor Press Association and other local mainstream media outlets as well. In addition to the Limited trim that Ms. Begland drive home in, a second IONIQ 5 from the dealer’s inventory was made available for ride and drives. A spokesperson from Gary Rome Hyundai told us that there are five more IONIQ 5s headed to the dealership now for inventory.

Our ride and drive convinced us that the IONIQ 5 could well become a leader in its segment. That will depend almost entirely on how many Hyundai can produce. There are only two battery-electric vehicles in the U.S. market that have been able to demonstrate a volume of deliveries greater than 3,000 units per month. By comparison, a Toyota RAV4 can often sell at 15-times that volume.

Although the IONIQ 5 was the main attraction, we took time to walk the dealer’s facility before joining the event group. We asked questions to employees, all of whom were happy to help. We were shown the construction area where the dealer is installing Level 3 chargers for the Kona Electric and IONIQ electric models the brand sells, along with the brand’s plug-in hybrid models. Hyundai has so many electrified models now it’s hard to keep count. No other automaker has more green models in production today aside from Toyota. One floor model on sale for immediate delivery that caught our eye was a new Elantra Hybrid. Gary Rome Hyundai had dozens of new, unsold vehicles on the lot and nearly 100 pre-owned vehicles for immediate delivery. One salesperson told us that orders for vehicles not on the lot are generally running about one to three weeks for delivery after order. None of the new vehicles we saw on display had market adjustments added to their Monroney sticker prices.

Our ride and drive host, Kevin Covington is a salesperson with about five years of service at the dealership. Kevin is what we’d call an EV expert. We found it easy to discuss living-electric topics with him. For example, Kevin was comfortable explaining the charging profile of the IONIQ 5 and comparing and contrasting it to some of its peers in the market. A second employee we spoke with was equally well versed in EV-speak and had a full understanding of the new technology that the IONIQ 5 and other BEV & PHEV models sold today by Hyundai offer.

Watch for our first drive impressions along with other coverage of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 this coming week.

Image of Hyundai IONIQ 5 with new owner by John Goreham.

John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American news outlets and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

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