Hyundai has revealed a new electric SUV concept, the Seven, intended to present a look at some of the design language of the planned Ioniq 7 SUV which is expected in 2024.
Pixels galore
The overall design is pretty much as expected considering the teaser images that Hyundai already released - a relatively square SUV shape with a pronounced wheel-arch design and the extensive use of Hyundai's signature LED "pixel" lighting. A light bar consisting of these "parametric pixels" stretches across the front fascia of the Seven while below, a pixelated grille is flanked by daytime-running lights also made up of the little squares.
A panoramic glass roof built into the rearward-sloping roofline tops the car, and a pair of coach doors open to reveal the interior. Well, on one side at least. The concept is asymmetric meaning that although viewed from one side it's a four-door, on the other side there's no rear door at all.
The rear may actually be the most eye-catching part of the Seven's exterior design with yet more pixels arranged in a light bar below the beltline and extending up and around the faintly retro single-piece glass tailgate in a ring.
Lounge life
A number of elements add up to produce a stunning interior, every bit as impressive as the outside. The concept's flat floor and the fact that it's meant to represent Hyundai's "future vision of autonomous mobility" has allowed the designers to have a little fun.
The two coach doors form a sort of grand entrance to the cabin and instead of a steering wheel and conventional rows of seating, the driver's seat is a swivelling chair with a joystick attached for controlling the vehicle; the stick folds away when not in use.
The two main seats can be slid and swivelled to the occupants' preference and a footstool (or "Universal Island" in Hyundai's parlance) occupies the space in front of the passenger seat which, itself sits behind and offset from the driver's seat. Little luxury extras include a mini-fridge and a shoe-care compartment to "refresh passengers' footwear".
The absence of a rear door on one side has meant that the rear seats can wrap around like a corner-unit sofa. The cloth-like materials and bamboo wood used do give it a properly lounge-like look and feel.
Above, the glass roof is actually an OLED screen which can display content or simply be adjusted to provide atmospheric ambience.
Will it make production?
One of the exciting things about the Seven is that despite its particularly conceptual nature, there are at least some elements of the design that will likely make it to production version of the Ioniq 7.
The interior is probably the most outlandish part given that it's designed around the concept of total vehicular autonomy, and the Ioniq 7 is due in just two years' time. The asymmetric door arrangement, although seen before on other production cars is also, perhaps, a bit out-there, and the Ioniq 7 will probably end-up as a three-row SUV.
There's nothing too fanciful about the exterior though and, as already seen with the Ioniq 5, Hyundai's concept didn't lose a vast amount in the translation to reality, so don't totally count-out the lighting signatures, imaginative rear-end and overall shape. The Ioniq 6 saloon, due next year, may give some indication as to how far Hyundai intends to stray from its well-received concepts.
What can we expect?
Following the current Ioniq 5 and the upcoming Ioniq 6, the Ioniq 7 is intended to be the third entry in Hyundai's all-electric Ioniq sub-brand.
Hyundai is keen to point out that the Seven's specifications are those of a concept vehicle and shouldn't be taken to be reflective of any production car. That said, the Seven is based on the same E-GMP platform as the current Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, so there's no reason the Ioniq 7 couldn't feature the same 585hp twin-motor set-up seen in some EV6 models. It's even possible that the same 77.4kWh battery pack could provide the power, though that may be boosted to account for the Ioniq 7's extra size and weight.
The concept, Hyundai says, features 350kW DC fast charging capability and has been engineered to exceed 480km in range.
It's not totally clear yet if the Ioniq 7 will make it to Ireland following its 2024 launch, but Kia has confirmed that its seven-seat SUV, the EV9, based on the same underpinnings as the Ioniq 7 and due to launch around the same time, will be coming here, so there's a good chance the Ioniq will too.