Following recent confirmation that both the Hyundai Prophecy and 45 EV concepts are heading to the production line, the South Korean has taken a trip down memory lane to explain how many of its recent concepts have either spawned or inspired subsequent production models.
2012 Hyundai i-oniq Concept
The first concept mentioned by the South Korean automaker is the i-oniq, presented at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2012 as an electric sport hatchback with a range-extending petrol engine. It was followed up by the road-going Hyundai IONIQ four years later which, we must admit, looks absolutely nothing like the concept. In fact, we could easily find more similarities with other manufacturers’ models (specifically, Nissan’s Z) than with the i-oniq.
2014 Hyundai Intrado Concept
Nevertheless, there have been some recent Hyundai concept models that do more closely resemble production models. For example, the Intrado Concept from the Geneva Motor Show in 2014 went on to inspire the Kona that landed in 2017.
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2016 Hyundai RN30
Then we come to the radical Hyundai RN30 from the 2016 Paris Auto Show. While it hasn’t spawned a direct production model, it did preview the company’s first N performance model which later arrived in the form of the Hyundai i30 N. The i30 N TCR racer was launched shortly after.
2017 Hyundai FE Fuel Cell Concept
In 2017, Hyundai presented its sensual FE Fuel Cell Concept and just a few months later, it had morphed into a production model in the form of the Nexo. The design similarities between these two are striking and prove that fuel-cell vehicles can look good (we’re looking at you Honda Clarity).
2018 Hyundai Le Fil Rouge Concept
More recently, Paris Auto Show in 2018 saw the launch of Hyundai’s Le Fil Rouge concept (below). A road-going variant hasn’t become a reality and instead, Hyundai has used design cues from the concept to influence the new Sonata and Elantra.
As for the Hyundai Prophecy and 45 EV concepts bound for the production line, it is hard to say how different they will look when on the roads but we’re keeping our fingers crossed not too many alterations are made.