Hyundai To Distinguish Future Models With Unique Designs

Hyundai no longer wants all its models to look similar to one another, and is therefore pushing forward with a new design path that gives each vehicle its own unique look.

Speaking to Automotive News, company design chiefs Luc Donckerwolke and Sang-Yup Lee said Hyundai initially crafted a family look to build brand recognition. With that accomplished, they can now inject some sex appeal and emotion into the vehicles and better target customers.

The South Korean automaker has introduced two bold concepts in recent months to preview just how distinguishable its future models will be from each other. The first was the HDC-1 Le-Fil Rouge sedan concept that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March, complete with an evocative and sporty shape. Just a few months later, Hyundai revealed the HDC-2 Grandmaster SUV concept with virtually no common design elements with the Le-Fil.

“We’re not going to do clones anymore,” Donckerwolke said. “When you see two or three models looking the same, no matter how well executed they are, all interest is lost.”

Dubbed ‘Sensual Sportiness’, the new design philosophy will see all future Hyundai models adopting athletic shapes and, at the same time, be very different.

According to Donckerwolke, each vehicle should feature styling that appeals to its customers. For example, the Sonata and Elantra look very similar, but buyers of the Sonata are usually much older than those of the Elantra.

“It’s an illusion to believe a buyer of a compact has the same taste as the buyer of a midsize sedan,” he said.

We can hardly wait to see what Hyundai has in store for its upcoming models. If they manage to incorporate elements of the concepts into the production cars, then we should be in for a treat.