Hyundai Teases the Ioniq SEVEN Concept
Hyundai Motor Company has revealed teaser images of the Ioniq SEVEN, an all-electric SUV concept scheduled to debut at AutoMobility Los Angeles later this month. The model is supposed to preview the automaker’s future design and technology innovation as it transitions toward electric vehicles, potentially previewing the upcoming sport utility vehicle to be added to the brand’s Ioniq lineup. Though it doesn’t resemble the Ioniq 5 all that much and we were under the impression that was the model foreshadowing the brand’s upcoming EVs.
No matter. Hyundai has a lot of uniquely designed models that share just enough to make it apparent that they’re still part of the larger family and most of what we’re seeing of the SEVEN concept is of its comfy, cozy interior. These teasers really make you want to curl up inside the SEVEN with a Tolstoy novel and a blanket to see how long you can get by uninterrupted.
While one would probably be more comfortable in a Mercedes-Maybach, Hyundai’s photos do an outstanding job of presenting a congenial space. Kudos to the interior design department and the photographer that managed to fall just short of including a sleeping kitten to maximize visual tranquility.
But a glimpse is all we’re getting here. Hyundai has declined to share any mechanical details about the SEVEN, saying all would be revealed on the morning of November 17th. Of course, then we’ll just have the specifications of a concept vehicle intended to foreshadow the spirit of another SUV we won’t see for another year or two.
From Hyundai:
SEVEN captures Hyundai Motor’s future design and technology innovation in the electric mobility era and hints at a new SUV model coming to the IONIQ family, the company’s dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand.
The teased images reveal a form following function design that dares to diverge from traditions of the internal combustion engine era. SEVEN’s lighting architecture is defined by Parametric Pixels, IONIQ’s unique design identity connecting analog with digital emotions.
SEVEN’s interior suggests a premium and personalized lounge ambience, deepening the space innovation that Hyundai Motor has shown with IONIQ 5. Furnishings trimmed in sustainable materials offer a refined, eco-friendly mobility experience that reflects the changing lifestyles of its customers.
No word on how eco-friendly those sustainable materials actually are. But, as the automaker said the car would be offering a “mobility experience” we’re pretty deep into the meaningless, cliched corporate expressions.
The point is that the inside of the SEVEN looks like the kind of place someone working on the Starship Enterprise might take a load off. EV concepts have really let automakers run with designing a lounge on wheels and this one seems to be shaping up quite nicely. But we know the odds of it retaining those characteristics are slim once its been massaged to adhere to the necessary safety regulations and production requirements befitting an actual production vehicle. We just hope whatever the SEVEN ultimately results in retains some of the charming lighting and seating elements we’re seeing in these teasers.
[Images: Hyundai]
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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I'm guessing this "reveal" is to excite the non-car people.
That first picture? Ugly. This is like getting teased about impending shocks from an electric cattle prod. No thanks.