Hyundai has been very busy this year. With barely two months before 2019 ends, the South Korean carmaker has yet to wrap up its surprises. In fact, Hyundai is planning to unveil a new SUV concept at the upcoming 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. To this end, the company just released a couple of teaser images and a video.
The show vehicle – dubbed Hyundai Plug-in Hybrid SUV Concept – is set to be unveiled at the 2019 AutoMobility LA, a press and trade event at the LA Auto Show. Representing the seventh in Hyundai Design Center’s concept series, the SUV Concept has been touted by the carmaker as groundbreaking.
For now, we still don’t know whether the Hyundai Plug-in Hybrid SUV Concept is just a technological or design concept. We also don’t know whether the LA Auto Show vehicle is an upcoming model from the South Korean carmaker. But the teaser images and video point to a possible name – Vision.
The Hyundai Plug-in Hybrid SUV Concept expresses a sporty yet emotional character. This is in line with Hyundai’s Sensuous Sportiness global design language. As the teaser images and video reveal, the concept is laden with a number of concave and convex lines throughout the body.
A closer look at the teasers reveal that some elements found in typical vehicles are missing on the Hyundai Plug-in Hybrid SUV Concept. These include conventional door handles and side mirrors. The missing side mirrors may mean that the concept employs cameras to fulfill their functions. The conventional door handles may have been replaced by touch-sensitive sensors or by a keyless entry system.
Hyundai seems to be placing greater emphasis on the Plug-in Hybrid SUV Concept’s front grille that features a very intricate diamond-like pattern. Hyundai calls this part Parametric Air Shutter Grille. When the SUV is at a standstill, the grille stays shut and shows off its diamond-like design.
But once the vehicle starts moving at higher speeds, the grille cells move or open in a predetermined sequence, controlling airflow to the powertrain while helping boost aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. This could be the highlight of the concept, as the grille’s diamond-like design is featured on the Vision logo.
Another feature teased in the images and video is an evolved version of the Hidden Signature Lamp originally found on the 2018 Le Fil Rouge concept and on the 2020 Grandeur.
Hyundai has more features to reveal – such as the details of the plug-in hybrid powertrain -- once it officially unveils the SUV Concept at 2019 LA Auto Show. And it looks like it could be more groundbreaking than the teaser!
(Via Hyundai)