Hyundai Wants to Be Sexier Than Alfa Romeo

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Hyundai’s vice president of design, SangYup Lee, says the brand should be more than just a value nameplate and is setting his target extremely high. He thinks the company should be producing vehicles that are “sexier than Alfa Romeo.”

While we used a photo of a 2011 Hyundai Accent to head the article as a bit of a goof, the idea is only patently ridiculous if you don’t give it any serious thought. Hyundai’s designs have historically been a festival of mediocrity, but that’s not really the case anymore. The Korean brand has stepped up to meet is rivals and has even managed to surpass them in some respects.

Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo continues to impress enthusiasts but that has as much to do with its greatest hits as its does the modern cars. There’s still over dramatic, oddly attractive, and exceptionally fun — sort of like someone you dated during college but outgrew when you amassed enough self-respect to finally break it off. However, with the exception of the 4C, we’re not confident Alfa’s current lineup is their best visual work to date.

If pragmatism were the only deciding factor in purchasing an automobile, Hyundai would win the battle with most manufacturers without breaking a sweat. Fortunately for car-lovers, that isn’t the case. Flair and fun still turns heads and the Korean automaker has been doing a lot to get attention over the last decade. Its cars are much better looking now than they were ten years ago. But Hyundai still wants more expressive styling, which is why it recruited a bunch of top-shelf designers and made Lee vice president of design in 2016. His credentials include the concept vehicles that ultimately led to the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro and C6 Corvette Stingray. But he’s also worked extensively with Audi, Bentley, Porsche, and Lamborghini.

In a recent interview with Automotive News at the Concours d’Elegance of America in Michigan, Lee expressed his intent to start pushing the brand’s “ sensuous sportiness” design language into production vehicles and gradually transform the fleet into something truly breathtaking. The wait, according to him, will be about a year.

“[The Le Fil Rouge concept] (above) is one of the first cars indicating our future,” he said. “Sensuous sportiness is one thing, but at the same time, if you take a look at Hyundai cars, all the fronts look the same. We used to use the design strategy called ‘family look,’ so the same face on the car. Starting from this car, we’re not using this strategy anymore. The Hyundai look [will be] more [like] chess. You see chess as a king, queen, bishop, knight. They all look different, they function differently, but when together, they became one team.”

While Lee wants all Hyundai Group vehicles to be gorgeous he noted that the core brand will not overlap with Genesis in terms of design. “Even though Genesis was born from Hyundai, Genesis has to be completely separate,” he explained. “I used to work with Bentley before joining Hyundai. When it comes to luxury brands, heritage is so important. When you design Bentley, you have to memorize the Bentley bible, every single year of the car, and then do the sketches. The first thing you must ask when you look at the sketch is: ‘Is this Bentley enough?'”

“At Genesis, we have freedom. We have a bible, but it’s filled with empty pages at the moment. Hyundai and Genesis can’t be comparable. One is a luxury brand out to write a new legacy of originality and consistency. With Hyundai being a volume brand, it’s a Jekyll and Hyde brand, having a broad spectrum depending on the customer’s lifestyle.”

We’re already seeing the uniform look between Genesis’ models while Hyundai continues expanding in multiple directions. That’s likely to continue with the cascading grille helping to bridge the gap between differently styled models within the mainstream brand. However, if the Nexo and Kona are anything to go by, you can also expect even narrowed faux headlamps on the SUVs with the real illumination coming from cleverly disguised units masquerading as fog lights. The rest of the fleet is a little harder to make assumptions about, but we’ll presume serious expressions on their faces with downturned headlights and flowing bodywork with enough hard angles to keep things interesting.

When pressed on the market’s shift toward crossover vehicles, Lee noted it would be a challenge to keep consumers interested in sedans but seemed convinced everything would be fine if Hyundai stayed focused on solving the problem. “The sedan is not going to die,” he said. “That means you’ve got to do more on the sedan than the conventional three-box with a boring look. What are you going to do to make your sedan special? The SUV has to be very distinctive and is very important. But where do you want to take the sedan in the future?”

“[Hyundai’s] value is a given already,” Lee continued. “I’d like to see people [say], ‘Hyundai has some sexy cars. Sexier than Alfa Romeo.’ That is the message I’d like to give to the world.”

[Images: Hyundai Motor Group]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Cimarron typeR Cimarron typeR on Aug 06, 2018

    If only Cadillac could do want Genesis has /will do in the next decade. I think they're trajectory is more upward than any other mass market brand.The G70 is going to get a good long look from me. When I was shopping for my G37S I didn't think the Coupe was comparable dynamically, or interior-wise, but the exterior design was pleasing.Apparently, they've improved dynamically based on G80 reviews.

    • Bd2 Bd2 on Aug 06, 2018

      Cadillac models are getting the Escala-treatment. The new CT5 (replacement for the ATS) looks very promising. The CT6 is getting Escala cues for its facelift and looks more elegant and sporty at the same time. On a side note, it appears that Reuss is really the new head man at Cadillac and he'll wind up getting the credit for what JdN had put in place before his departure.

  • Superdessucke Superdessucke on Aug 06, 2018

    I fully expect Hyundai to be one of the few automakers still making enthusiast cars in 5 years. I'm watching them closely. Liking what I'm seeing so far.

  • EBFlex China can F right off.
  • MrIcky And tbh, this is why I don't mind a little subsidization of our battery industry. If the American or at least free trade companies don't get some sort of good start, they'll never be able to float long enough to become competitive.
  • SCE to AUX Does the WTO have any teeth? Seems like countries just flail it at each other like a soft rubber stick for internal political purposes.
  • Peter You know we’ve entered the age of self driving vehicles When KIAs go from being stolen to rolling away by themselves.
  • Analoggrotto TTAC is full of drug addicts with short memories. Just beside this article is another very beautiful article about how the EV9 was internationally voted by a renowned board of automotive experts who are no doubt highly educated, wealthy and affluent; the best vehicle in entire world. That's planet earth for you numbskulls. Let me repeat: the best vehicle in the world is the Kia EV9. Voted, and sealed, and if you try to deny it Fanny Willis is ready to prosecute you; but she will send her boyfriend instead because she is busy.
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