Stunning Hyundai Prophecy Concept Green Lit For Production

Apr. 23, 2020 8:55 AM ET byRoger Biermann Concept /15 Comments

And will share a platform with another EV that's coming to showrooms soon.

Hyundai is firing shots at all corners of the motor industry, revolutionizing design and efficiency with models like theHyundai Sonata Hybrid. Meanwhile, the Korean company's premium sub-brand Genesis takes the fight to the elite with sharp sedans like the G70, G80, and G90 and the luxurious new GV80 SUV. There's no sign of the onslaught letting up, either, with concepts likethe stunning Prophecyforeshadowing more stunning designs coming our way. It won't just be an influence on future models, however, as Auto Express has confirmed that the Prophecy will head to production, in all likelihood becoming the second-generationHyundai Ioniq.

Hyundai's Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center, SangYup Lee, confirmed the news, claiming, "There will be a production version of the Prophecy coming after a production version of the45 concept."

The latter, in case you're unfamiliar, was a retro-inspired EV concept that debuted at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show and took influence from a 1974 concept called the Hyundai Pony Coupe. It's a hatchback-cum-crossover that will come to fruition as an all-electric model underpinned by a newskateboard EV platform- dubbed the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) - that will also underpin the next-gen Kona EV and other electric cars from the Korean group.

The same E-GMP will underpin the production version of the Prophecy, which will benefit greatly from the packaging of the new platform. It will enable short overhangs that maximize the amount of cabin space, creating a cavernous interior in a limited footprint, while the low cowl afforded by the lack of an engine ensures supreme visibility. There's hope the platform will allow designers to stick to the Prophecy's striking design, too, with Lee suggesting it's "not a traditional type of sedan" and that it will have more space inside and "more curvature" than a traditional three-box layout.

A few more details were dropped, such as the fact that Hyundai's design language will differ across its lineup, with designs that work coherently like the pieces of a chessboard coming together rather than the German trend of one design that gets resized according to where in the roster it sits.

The production version of the 45 is likely to debut before year-end, but the next-gen Ioniq is expected to only break cover late in 2021.