Hyundai’s 45 Concept A Vision of Intelligent Design

Hyundai has unveiled the 45, an electric vehicle concept, at the Frankfurt Motor Show as homage to its heritage and a future image of a new era of the Korean company’s automotive design focused on electrification, autonomous technologies and intelligent design.

The progressive 45 Concept puts a twist on a 45-year-old icon, the Hyundai Pony Coupé Concept, to introduce an entirely new in-car experience for self-driving vehicles of tomorrow.

Taking a look to the past is essential for moving forward, and the dramatic exterior styling of the 45 excites the imagination and draws inspiration from the vehicle that first established Hyundai’s design DNA, the 1974 Pony Coupé Concept.

The iconic character of the 45 is defined by its monocoque-style body, aerodynamic and light-weight design inspired by aircrafts from the 1920s. The car’s name also owes itself in part to the 45º angles at the front and rear, forming a diamond-shaped silhouette that further foreshadows the design direction of future EV models.

The new concept strips away complexity, celebrating the clean lines and minimalistic structure of the original coupe concept. Combining heritage with vision, the 45 incorporates the evolution of Hyundai’s ‘sensuous sportiness’ design language. ‘Sensuous’ stands for enhanced emotional values that customers can experience through design, and ‘sportiness’ is determined to implement those values through innovative mobility solutions.

“As an icon of Hyundai, the 45 reveals how Hyundai heads towards the future through heritage,” says Sang Yup Lee, senior vice president and head of the Hyundai Design Centre. “Through the 45, built upon our design language, Hyundai wants to present its vision on how to reshape people’s in-car lifestyle in the era of electrification and autonomous driving.”

Style Reimagined

The 45 reinterprets the concept’s distinctive lattice radiator grille with a ‘kinetic cube lamp’ design. The iconic front-end presence with the kinetic cube lamps evokes analogue emotions, while at the same time applying cutting-edge technologies. It also takes Hyundai’s lighting architecture to the next level, allowing people to instantly recognise the vehicle at a distance.

With its modernised fastback profile, the 45 epitomises stability and dynamism, characteristics accentuated by the vehicle’s significant width and forward-oriented posture. The precise yet energetic factors of the exterior are delivered throughout the cabin, which is structured by a dynamic daylight opening (DLO). The DLO terminates in the fast angle of the C-pillar, which generates a feeling of dynamic forward motion, even when standing still.

New technology is visible in the 45’s design. At the bottom of the door, a special garnish highlights its long-range battery capability and, through active LED lights, drivers can intuitively know how much longer they can drive even before they get in the car.

The 45 also highlights future technological developments that may influence forthcoming Hyundai models, such as a hidden camera monitoring system in the vehicle, leaving room for self-driving system applications, and other upcoming technologies to emphasise Hyundai’s open architecture for the future.

A Consumer’s Lifestyle

The 45 embodies Hyundai’s ‘style set free’ strategy for future mobility that emphasises personalisation of design and function. As the new era of future mobility opens, Hyundai reimagines the in-car experience in a self-driven vehicle. The interior becomes a unique living space capable of transforming to accommodate a range of passenger lifestyle demands.

Hyundai’s design team has taken the inside space beyond driving to focus on the vehicle’s evolution into a living space. Inspired by furniture designs, the minimalist cabin is fitted with an inviting fusion of wood, fabric and leather, creating a warm atmosphere that is both relaxing and spacious.

For occupants, the car delivers a comfortable and communal environment, with lounge chair-style rear seats and front seats that can rotate to face other passengers. Pushing design and technology further ahead, front-seat passengers can interact with the infotainment system via a projection-beam interface. This replaces a single central touchscreen with a series of displays and functions integrated into the dashboard itself.

The fully electric powertrain finally enables a complete reimagination of how cars are packaged. The space is fully maximised with batteries and motors positioned outside or below the passenger compartment.The seats swivel towards occupants as they open the door for convenient entry and exit.

Clean lines, ergonomic placement of controls and a ‘high-end electronics’ feel for the interior fixtures further enhance the feeling of space, while reinforcing the simplistic modernity of the 45’s design. The car reimagines storage space in a range of novel ways, including refining the concept of door-mounted device pockets by introducing a horizontally elongated shape that allows books or tablet PCs to be stored. Furthermore, the storage space uses a transparent material, so it is easy to see the content.

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