Hyundai just won a 2020 Red Dot Design Award for its latest and sleekest concept car - the Prophecy. The design concept got a nod as the "Best of the Best" in the mobility and transportation category.
Released in March, just as the world went into hibernation due to the coronavirus, many probably missed this gorgeous concept car, which Hyundai insists will be hitting the roads in some form in the near future as a fully electric vehicle.
What more than likely will not be hitting the roads will be the concept's joystick driving mechanism, which takes the place of a steering wheel.
Still, Elon Musk and is electric Tesla fleet should be a little bit nervous by this gorgeous vehicle concept from Korea.
The Prophecy Concept brings life to yet another new icon of Hyundai’s electric car that will stretch Hyundai’s design spectrum into broader horizons, even if the design only partly see the light of day.
Company designers are calling it ‘optimistic futurism, which will serve as the ‘emotional connection’ forged between the human and car.
The key characteristic is most prominent in the immaculate side view, reminiscent of a perfectly weathered stone. The clean, simple and streamlined ‘one curve’ stretches from the front to the rear of the vehicle to define timeless design.
The deliberate restraint in its contour is at once present and recognizable even from a distance. The wheel looks like a propeller of an airplane, sucking in air flow down the side of the car, compelling it to adhere close to the car body.
Transparent acrylic material gives us a clear view into the beauty of functional components – an intentional design feature that is integrated in the spoiler, and in the headlamps.
The visionary concept clearly expresses Hyundai's latest design philosophy, Sensuous Sportiness, expanding on the era-defining example set by last year's "45" concept EV that stripped away complexity in favor of clean lines and minimalistic structures.
Leveraging the extended wheelbase and shorter overhang, Hyundai's designers have achieved something truly streamlined and beautiful to look at. And they know it.
"We have brought to life yet another icon that establishes a new standard for the EV segment as well as pushing Hyundai's design vision to even broader horizons," said SangYup Lee, Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. "With Optimistic Futurism, our aim is to forge an emotional connection between humans and automobiles."
The application of Hyundai's Sensuous Sportiness design philosophy is evident in the voluptuous side section, which is like that of a perfectly weathered stone.
The dynamic and elegant boat-tail line created by the rear quarter panels appear to propel the form forward even when it is standing still.
The transparent acrylic material provides a clear view of the functional components inside. This intentional design feature is integrated in the spoiler, headlamp and in the camera monitoring system (CMS), calling attention to the functional beauty of the components.
The pixel lamp lights, which were first seen on the '45', are another rather radical step forward. This progressive lighting technology is integrated into the headlamp, tail lamp and spoiler, calling to mind the abundant energy contained in the vehicle's battery cells. Pixelated lamps will be carried forward as a signature design element in future Hyundai models.
(If there is one note of mild criticism one can make this gorgeous vehicle, it would be the design of the headlamps themselves. They remind me of a 2006 Nissan headlamps, in shape, anyway, despite their high technology, which clearly reside in the 2020s.
They would do well to borrow the headlamps of either the 2020 Hyundai Tucson or Hyundai Sonata for this model.)
A wide air intake installed below the bumper takes fresh air to cool the batteries more effectively, delivering an even more eco-friendly EV to customers.
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