Hyundai Motor Expands Future Design Direction & Performance At 2018 Busan Motor Show
Hyundai Motor has elaborated on a step forward in its design philosophy with providing a more detailed blueprint for ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ by unveiling the HDC-2 ‘Grandmaster’ SUV concept at the 2018 Busan International Motor Show. Also announced was a new N Brand Global Strategy with line-up expansion.
HDC-2 Grandmaster concept: A step forward with the Hyundai Look
Having first introduced the ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ direction with the HDC-1 ‘Le Fil Rouge’ concept vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, Hyundai further explored and elaborated on the philosophy with its latest SUV concept vehicle, the HDC-2 Grandmaster concept.
The Le Fil Rouge sedan provided a clear direction for Hyundai’s design philosophy, while the new SUV concept vehicle further proved the versatility of this design language that will be portrayed in future Hyundai vehicles, opening up new possibilities for an even wider spectrum of attractive designs.
“Today we showcased the HDC-2 concept vehicle as a blueprint for our evolved design strategy,” said SangYup Lee, Vice President and head of Hyundai styling. “Making a big step forward in terms of design with the Hyundai Look strategy, we will move towards becoming a brand that customers can really relate to emotionally. Moving on from being a brand that provides a great value, we will aspire to also become a brand that is widely beloved by our customers.”
Following the ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ concept, the HDC-2 Grandmaster model reinterprets Hyundai’s design DNA, and is designed through harmonization of four key elements – proportion, architecture, styling and technology – thereby bringing emotional value and desirability.
The concept name of Grandmaster is derived from the game of chess. While the world’s finest chess champion is called the grandmaster, the concept vehicle is named to indicate that just as the sum of all chess pieces completes the game of chess, all forthcoming Hyundai vehicles will come to form a harmonious vehicle line-up demonstrating the Hyundai Look while each maintains distinctive character and role.
The beauty is further enhanced by the architecture and styling. The new approach of this ‘Light Architecture’ creates a perfect silhouette to the front and the rear, not to mention its technological innovation, which couples spectacular design with a comfortable experience for drivers and passengers.
The design elements of ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ will be applied to Hyundai’s upcoming sedan and SUV models.
N Brand Global Strategy
Hyundai will further diversify its N Brand Product Portfolio including High Performance N models, N Line Vehicles with new design and performance enhancing elements and N Option, customisation parts by N, which will be available for the entire Hyundai line-up.
Thomas Schemera, Executive Vice President and head of the High Performance Vehicle & Motorsport Division, said “I am thrilled to share our vision for the Brand today with you. We will continue to diversify our products and tailor them to the unique needs and experiences of each customer, so that every Hyundai vehicle provides a fun-to-drive experience throughout everyday life.”
Hyundai’s N brand Global Strategy aims to provide a ground-breaking experience for drivers. Hyundai’s N line-up is based on the company’s philosophy of providing high performance driving technology and an exciting driving experience reminiscent of motorsports, granting dynamic feeling and sensation to everyday drivers.
The market response to the first N Model, ‘the i30 N’, has been so positive that the company is even considering increasing the production volume.
Elaborating on the high performance division, Schemera said “Our motorsports vehicles will spearhead the N Brand at the apex of the brand’s hierarchy. Not to mention that the valuable experience and technology derived from our success in motorsports will cascade down to all the future N products.”