Hyundai Motor announced on the 26th that its first dedicated electric vehicle, the IONIQ 5, has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

According to Hyundai Motor, the IONIQ 5 successfully completed a total elevation change of 5,802 meters, driving from Umring La in northern India at an altitude of 5,799 meters to Kuttanad, the lowest point in southern India at an altitude of -3 meters. As a result, it was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in the institutional sector of the "highest elevation change driving for electric vehicles."

Hyundai's Ioniq 5 is traversing rugged roads across India to achieve the Guinness World Records highest elevation change in the electric vehicle institutional sector. /Courtesy of Hyundai

The driving team from Hyundai Motor's Indian subsidiary and the Indian automotive magazine EVo India endured these altitude differences and drove 4,956 kilometers in 14 days with the IONIQ 5. In particular, the IONIQ 5 overcame extreme cold in the Himalayas, mountain roads, and humid coastal climates while traversing from north to south India.

Kim Eon-soo, head of Hyundai Motor's India and Middle East region (vice president), noted, "The performance of the IONIQ 5, reflecting Hyundai Motor's technological capability under extreme conditions, has been proven. We have written a new history with the Guinness Book of World Records listing."

The IONIQ 5 is the first electric vehicle developed based on the Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP platform. It has been selected as the "2022 World Car of the Year," "2022 Car of the Year in Germany," "2022 Car of the Year in the UK," and "2022 Imported Car of the Year in Japan."