Hyundai to Show HED-1 Concept at Geneva
Five-Door Mini-MPV Would Be New Segment for Hyundai
Hyundai might not build the most interesting or best performing vehicles on the road today, but the automakers overall reliability and improvements in quality have turned it into the success story of the decade.
Today, the South Korean firm is considered one of the automotive worlds main players, a position that has surprised both analysts and some at the company itself. Though the brands portfolio of vehicles is quite diverse, Hyundai will continue to expand, presenting upcoming ideas in the form of new concepts.
At the Chicago Auto Show, Hyundai pulled the wraps off the Portico concept, a six-seater hybrid-powered minivan, a prelude to a production minivan expected to debut later this year.
While this spectacle of modern design impressed the media, improving ones image doesnt come without hard work, hence the release of yet another concept vehicle. Within the next month, the company will unveil the new HED-1 concept at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show in Switzerland.
As with the Portico, HCD-7 and HCD-8 vehicles, the HED-1 is Hyundais method of probing the publics reaction to its interpretation of a specific body style. The HED-1 is a compact MPV, a sort of mini-minivan thats of the same type as the new Mazda5, a popular class of vehicle in markets outside of North America, and one which Hyundai wishes to explore. The concept was designed in Germany at the firms European Design Studio, also responsible for last years E3 compact car concept.
From what can be interpreted from the single artists rendering Hyundai released, the HED-1 seems to be a continuation of the themes first explored with the E3, including rear-hinged suicide doors for easy access to the interior, and the use of large, flat-faced fenders. While these specific elements are carried over, the new concept appears to explore non-traditional shapes and lines, such as the arched hood and bumper, and the scalloped side panels. Large, triangular lights and integrated lower intakes form a nose thats modern, yet pleasing to the eyes (quite unlike some other concepts to be shown by the brand in recent years).
In order to keep the vehicle a surprise Hyundai chose to withhold releasing technical details, but it is suspected that the HED-1 will ride on the new compact car platform on which its sister-brand Kia Spectra is based. Information on the cars interior and powertrain will be released closer to or at the time of its official unveiling. As with the E3, the HED-1 wont necessarily be directly converted to a production vehicle; instead, it will have influence on future small Hyundai MPVs.