I think of all the major mass-market carmakers operating today, you could argue that Hyundai/Kia are making the boldest design decisions and have some of the strongest, most interesting car designs on the road right now. So when Hyundai shows off a car that’s supposed to reveal its new corporate design language, that’s something I pay attention to. When the brand also reveals said car (it’s called the INITIUM) is a hydrogen car, that’s something I want to roll my eyes at. I think I can do both.
First, let’s talk about the design, because I think there are a lot of interesting things going on here. Hyundai calls the new design language “Art of Steel,” which is an objectively goofy PR kind of name, but I think it still looks good regardless. Here’s what their press release says about it:
“Our challenge began from the manufacturing stage, where we pushed the formability of steel to the extreme to create a form of art,” Lee said. “With INITIUM, we’ve crafted a more SUV-like design that is both solid and safe, reflecting our dedication to our customers through ‘customer-centric design’.”
INITIUM’s iconic design integrates the HTWO symbol, representing Hyundai Motor’s vision for a future driven by hydrogen. The ‘+’ inspired graphic as part of INITIUM’s lighting signature blends with the bumper, creating a distinctive FCEV-specific design cue marked by unique lighting, solid volumes and refined elegance.
INITIUM’s distinct SUV-like aesthetic seamlessly integrates city living functionality with outdoor adventure capability with its bold lines and solid structure, balancing sturdiness and sophistication. The concept’s 21-inch wheels complement the overall design, with the vehicle’s rugged roof rack adding practicality for those with both urban and outdoor lifestyles.”
Mmm, yes, yes, that’s some top-notch press release horseshit right there, fresh and redolent! I think the design is great, though the FCEV (“Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle”) stuff is pretty unnecessary because nobody is driving hydrogen cars, and unless reality changes pretty dramatically, they won’t be, at least not for a long while.
I think the “plus-shaped” motif they’re referencing in the lighting design can just as easily be seen as an extension of Hyundai’s current “pixel” lighting design that features elements on grids of squares, which I feel is very striking and effective.
The proportions of the SUV aren’t particularly radical, but they work quite well; I think Hyundai is doing the surface details especially well, with the character line that flows into that reverse-raked C-pillar and the way the wheel-arch flares have those slot-like gaps in them, but most especially I like what they’re doing with the body panel cutlines. Look at the rear quarter; the cutlines for the panels are very intentional, the (I guess hydrogen?) fuel flap integrates well with the angled cutline that ends at the end of the cargo area window, and then a parallel cutline before the taillamp assembly forms an interesting band of metal. It all makes for visually interesting details.
Now, some of these design cues and ideas have been seen before in the automotive world. At first – and likely because only of the INITIUM’s color and general proportions and my own biases – I saw some Pontiac Aztek here, but upon closer inspection, it’s really quite different. If any car seems to have presaged these lines and look, it’d be the Renault R17 from 1971, seen in yellow up there. It has a similar fastback, a similar C-pillar (the Renault has louvers instead of a window there, but same idea), and the same sort of window graphic concept. It’s honestly a fantastic design reference to have, whether intentional or not.
The roof rack is striking as well, useful-looking and highly graphic, and I think overall this is an interesting direction for Hyundai to be going. I think some of the faceted, low-polygon look they’ve been playing with recently is being softened a bit here, and I suppose that makes sense. I’ll be curious to see how this adapts to other vehicle formats, if we can hope to have things other than SUVs in the future.
I also see Hyundai is keeping the four-light motif going, which is Morse code for “H.” Clever!
Now, the real question I have here is why the hell did Hyundai want to make their design showcase car a hydrogen car? There’s nothing really wrong with hydrogen fuel-cell technology, but there is plenty wrong with the availability of hydrogen. Sure, it’s the most abundant element in the universe, but down here on dirty old Earth, good flapping luck finding any that’s able to be dispensed as fuel unless you live in certain areas of Southern California.
Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda have all been beating the hydrogen drum for years, and what has it gotten them? As far as I can tell, nothing. Hell, a solid decade ago I drove a Hyundai hydrogen fuel cell SUV, the FCEV Tuscon (that’s it pictured above), and hydrogen cars are just as limited and useless as they were then, ten freaking years ago. Nothing has gotten any better. You still can’t easily live with a hydrogen car in 99% of the country, hydrogen is still expensive as hell (yes, more than gasoline), the tanks are still bulky and eat up a lot of interior volume, and there’s still just no compelling reason for anyone to want a hydrogen car.
So why do they keep pushing these things? What do they get out of it? Is it a sex thing? That’s the only answer that makes any sense.
Anyway, at least it looks cool, and I can all but guarantee you’ll see this new design language on almost anything but a hydrogen car in the near future.
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