Hyundai’s new concept car for autonomous vehicles has more space than a roadster.
According to the Korean automaker, SEVEN Concept is its first electric SUV.
This high-tech car will be debuting at Los Angeles’ 2021 AutoMobility auto show. The coach doors are pillarless and open wide for entry.
Passengers can relax in comfortable lounge chairs, or on the spacious banquette.
According to a press release, it also features a mini-fridge, an enormous monitor in the sunroof’s interior, and shoe-care pockets that “refresh passenger’s footwear.”
Hyundai designed The SEVEN in a post-pandemic perspective. According to Hyundai’s website, the ‘perfect hygiene lounge’ features bamboo, mineral plaster, antibacterial fabrics and ‘ensures all surfaces… remain clean at all time’.
Under the bench, there are sanitizing compartments and the interior of the cabin is submerged in ultraviolet-C radiation, which may inactivate any viruses.
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To allow easy access and exit, the coach doors of Pillarless on the passenger side open wide.
According to the press release, The Seventy-Eight ‘goes beyond just transporting you. It reimagines time and space that you travel in. ‘Enjoy your leisure time, work, and communicate with others flexibly and comfortably – just like you would in your living space at home.’
Sangyup Le, chief of Hyundai Global Design said that the SEVEN interior “cares for passengers and families as a living space.”
A panel with pixels lights welcomes you when the engine is started.
SEVEN Concepts Vision Roof Display is a panoramic OLED screen with a background sound and can stream any content.
Fluid seating arrangements are possible because the frame has a flat floor that extends beyond the third row.
SEVEN Concepts Vision Roof Display features a panoramic OLED screen in the interior that allows you to stream or create a serene backdrop.
Fluid seating arrangements are possible because the frame has a flat floor that extends beyond the third row.
The Universal Island and Smart Hub are a mobile console that has a 27-inch screen. They can transform the vehicle into an entertainment or workspace.
Airflow in automobiles borrows heavily from passenger planes: The roof rails have vents that allow air to flow from the roof to the ground and then out through an exterior conduit behind the rear wheels.
You can drive the SEVEN with a joystick, which folds down when it is not being used. Similar design features were seen in Hyundai’s Prophecy 2020 Concept Car.
This year, the carmaker introduced its Ioniq electric vehicle line with the Ioniq 5 compact crossover and Ioniq 6 sedan. The Ioniq 6 is due in 2022. Sedans are given even numbers; sports utility vehicles receive odd numbers.
There are sanitizing storage compartments under the banquette, which is upholstered with antibacterial fabrics intended to ‘ensure all surfaces … remain clean at all times,’ according to Hyundai
When you turn on the engine, a panel of pixels lights greets you with an animated ‘welcome light sequence’.
In a statement, Thomas Schemera, Hyundai’s chief marketing executive, stated that Ioniq is a concrete proof of Hyundai’s vision for ‘Progress for Humanity’.
Although the company claims it will start making the Ioniq 7 by 2024, it is safe to assume that the production model will be less glamorous than the SEVEN Concept.
Last week Hyundai announced plans to spin off its Urban Air Mobility Division into a new company, Supernal, in order to develop autonomous ‘self-flying’ electric taxis by 2028.
The company said it will also be working to integrate the aircraft, which will have seating for up to five passengers, into existing transit networks and create necessary infrastructure, which might include vertiports.
The S-A1 personal air vehicle, a prototype Hyundai flying taxi was first presented at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas.
Jaiwon Shin from Supernal stated, “In adding anew dimension to mobility,” in a November 9 statement.
Shin assured that Shin would not rush to complete the Air Taxi.
Pictured: This week’s AutoMobility LA unveiling of the SEVEN Concept from Hyundai is an electric prototype SUV. Although the Ioniq 7 will be available in 2024 by the company, the production version will probably look much more flashy.
Pictured: Hyundai’s concept flying taxi, the S-A1 Personal Air Vehicle, which was unveiled in January last year
He stated that Supernal has ambitious goals, but not being the first to market. ‘We are working to build the right product and the right integrated market, and we will leverage Hyundai Motor Group’s scaled manufacturing expertise to ensure Advanced Air Mobility reaches the right price point and is accessible to the masses.’
Hyundai said it envisioned a future in which passengers use a single app — analogous to current rideshare platforms like Uber, Lyft and Bolt — to plan multistage journeys from their home to their destination.
They explained that such trips could involve taking a car, or train, from your home to an Advanced Air Mobility “vertiport”, an electric vertical takeoff and landing craft, as well as an e-scooter, for the final mile.