The star of Hyundai’s display at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show will be a hybrid concept car developed with a major emphasis on design. Dark teaser images give us an early look at the model.
The model’s design remains shrouded in darkness, but what we’re able to see suggests the yet-unnamed model will share very few styling cues with current members of the South Korean firm’s lineup. Hyundai explained that all of the concept’s parametric surfaces are connected from the body to either light or trim features, so it shouldn’t be boring to look at. Even its grille is unusual; the individual air shutters remain closed when the car isn’t moving, and they open to direct cooling air into the engine bay as it builds up speed. The headlights are shaped like the grille inserts.
Power for the compact, urban-dwelling design study comes from a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Hyundai is keeping additional specifications (like its horsepower and its range) under wraps for the time being, but it’s not to far-fetched to speculate the setup is built around a four-cylinder engine. Odds are it allows the concept to drive on electricity alone for short distances, too.
Another point with a big question mark hovering above it is what comes next. Many of the head-turning concepts Hyundai recently released have remained at the design study stage, but a crossover with a sleek-looking silhouette like the Los Angeles-bound concept would fit neatly into the company’s growing range of models; imagine it between the Kona and the Tucson, for example. Stay tuned, Hyundai will release more information in the coming weeks.
