Hyundai announced Wednesday at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show a new all-electric SUV concept vehicle that features everything from lounge seating to what Hyundai calls a “hygienic” interior, an appropriate feature as we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Hyundai Seven is built on the automaker’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which also underpins the upcoming Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60.
Concept vehicles are exactly what they sound like — exercises in creativity and technology that can point to some possible future vehicle. Just because a vehicle shows up as a concept at an auto show does not mean that it will ever show up at your local dealer, however. In this case, Hyundai has created a full-size SUV concept, on a real, you-can-buy-it-at-the-dealer platform.
The Seven is one of the biggest concepts we’ve seen from the South Korean automaker, with a wheelbase that stretches 10.5 feet, which is longer than the Cadillac Escalade. The extra-tall grille also puts this concept firmly in the “dangerously large” camp of vehicles that includes the Escalade and other oversized SUVs and trucks.
With coach-style doors, adjustable seating, and retractable controls, the Hyundai Seven is also a vision of what the automaker’s autonomous vehicles may look like in the future. A bench seat sweeps around from the rear to the side, while individual captain’s seats are able to pivot and slide around. The driver’s seat features a retractable control stick that hides away when not in use.
Automakers love concept cars that tease a future in which people ride around in autonomous vehicles that look like luxurious living spaces. Other car companies, such as BMW, Volvo, and Audi, have projected similar ideas onto their concepts, with interiors transformed into “third places” in which we work, eat, sleep, and socialize.
Hyundai is also putting emphasis on hygiene, with the understanding that in our post-pandemic world, people may want features that can help keep their vehicles sanitized. The interior surfaces are comprised of renewable and recycled materials like bamboo, as well copper, and hygienically treated fabric.
Hyundai took inspiration from airplane cabins in designing an HVAC system that has both a horizontal and vertical mode to control airflow. And when everyone has left the vehicle, the Seven’s built-in UVC lights sterilize everything.
Unlike previous concepts, like the excessively rad Heritage Series Grandeur restomod EV, the Seven’s roots lie firmly in the future. How much of these design elements make it through to an actual production car will say a lot about Hyundai’s commitment to going big.
Of course, there’s always going to be quite the gulf between any concept car and the production model it may eventually come to preview. But, based on the work Hyundai has done here, it seems like it won’t be too long before we see something more production-minded. Let’s just hope that sweet, curved bench seat survives the adaptation.
