Hyundai Seven Concept previews Ioniq 7's futuristic design

LOS ANGELES — This is the Hyundai Seven Concept, and it’s meant to act as a preview for an incoming electric SUV for the Ioniq brand. It leans more toward the concept side of the spectrum than a production car, but expect the final SUV to take design cues from the Seven Concept.

Since the design is likely the biggest takeaway from the concept, we’ll start there. Comparisons to the Ioniq 5 are inevitable, as the “Parametric Pixel” lights dominate both in front and in back as major design elements. The narrow full-width strip is augmented by nicely proportioned lower pixel headlights, and the continuation of the “pixel” design into a quasi front grille is also attractive. Hyundai says its streamlined roof and extra-long wheelbase are clear breaks from its internal combustion engine offerings, but there’s still no mistaking this for a big, rugged-ized SUV. The strong, chunky fenders make sure you know that Hyundai wants this car to at least suggest off-road capability.

Despite the show front end, the Seven Concept stands out the most from its rear. The utterly massive rear window dominates the entire back, as the only other design elements are lights and a narrow lower bumper that says “Seven” on it. There’s a strip of body going right through the glass with a Hyundai logo on it, and you’ll notice the logo is slightly different from that found on new Hyundai models today. It’s a white background with a body color logo.

As for what’s powering this concept, Hyundai says the whole thing rides on its E-GMP platform. A target range of 300-plus miles is quoted, but Hyundai is no more specific than that. We also don’t know how much power it makes. However, Hyundai specifies that charging at a 350-kilowatt charger will take it from 10% to an 80% charge in 20 minutes.

 

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Moving to the interior is where the Seven Concept takes an even deeper trip into Concept Land. You’ll see that the interior is rather living room-like with swiveling lounge chairs and a curved bench seat in the rear. You enter via pillar-less coach doors, so it’s super easy to get in and out, and the flat floor makes it that much easier to move around once inside. 

Designers imagined the interior as one we’d use when autonomous vehicles are all the rage … someday. The “control stick” (steering device) can retract away when not necessary. It features home appliances like a mini fridge and “shoe-care” compartments to theoretically make your shoes smell better. 

And in case you were worried all of those exposed feet in the cabin would stink it up, Hyundai is happy to explain that the Seven Concept features “segment-leading hygienic features.” It’s equipped with both a Hygiene Airflow System and UVC sterilization. The former is an airplane-inspired airflow management system that takes in air via roof-rail-mounted air intakes, then flushes it out an exterior vent by the rear wheels. It’s able to isolate airflow between front and rear occupants and reduce cross contamination of air between people in different parts of the car. Theoretically, the driver won’t have to smell their stinky kids in the rear. Yay?

As for the UVC sterilization, that process activates as soon as you get out of the vehicle. UVC sanitizing lights activate and clean the entire space of bacteria and viruses.

We’re still not sure when it will arrive, but a production vehicle based loosely on this Seven Concept is expected in 2024. When it is revealed, it’ll likely be called the Ioniq 7.

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