While Hyundai traditionally hasn’t had the most exciting image, the Korean carmaker is slowly undergoing a shift in branding and identity with a slew of ultra-sleek concept cars that aim to take the company’s design language in a more futuristic direction. And while the latest Hyundai concept wasn’t done by the manufacturer itself, it nonetheless demonstrates an influx in interest in the brand.
Taking inspiration from the brand’s 1980s vehicles like the Hyundai Grandeur, this conceptual project — simply dubbed the Hyundai NINE — is the work of South Korean duo Jeesoo Kim and Yunsik Kim. Powered by an EV motor, this ultra-modern take on a station wagon features a super sleek, smoothed over body design with no externally visible hinges, door handles, panels, or body gaps. Combing traditional wagon silhouettes with slammed supercars, the NINE sports a low drag coefficient and a sloping windshield. In lieu of regular side mirrors, the concept also boasts a pair of low-profile pop-out cameras that serve in their place.
The fore-end of the car features a seamless, grille-less front bumper design and hidden twin vertical headlights, while the aft of the vehicle has been capped off with a transparent rear diffuser that affords a reduction in turbulence while sporting a more understated appearance than an aero-kitted sports car. The entire concept also rides on a custom-designed set of aero-inspired four-arm wheels — the rear two of which are partially shrouded beneath the bodywork’s rear fenders. The concept’s most noteworthy hidden features, however, is almost certainly its boot design. This unit consists of a wrap-around LED taillight and what appears to be the trunk’s decklid being set on a hinge that allows the items to pivot up, revealing a rear-facing bench seat — underneath which sits the actual trunk.
With this concept merely being an independent project, there’s almost zero chance the NINE will ever see the light of production, however, there IS a possibility that this rendered one-off may eventually influence the designers working at the Hyundai factory.
