Hyundai style manager Luc Donckerwolke believes that autonomous vehicle innovation as well as electric powertrains might assist to prolong the life of the little MPV – as well as he has admitted that a successor to the ix20 is in the pipeline.
The Korean brand’s infant people-carrier – a low-volume design in the UK – had been expected to be canned after the introduce of the new Kona little SUV. However, Donckerwolke – who joined Hyundai at the begin of 2016 as senior Vice-President Design, states that MPVs might be well fit to the versatility afforded by self-driving cars, as well as able to maximise the practicality offered by the removal of a combustion engine.
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When asked if he had a replacement for the ix20 on the drawing board, Donckerwolke replied, “Yes, we do. We don’t phone call it the ix20 yet however yes, it’s there.”
He added, “The SUV has contaminated all segments of the market, really, because of this ‘adventure flavour’, which cannot be reached with an MPV. The SUV provides you performance together with the alibi that you are a dynamic person. It conveys the perception that you have a great deal of lifestyle. It’s a pure advertising thing, really.
“We are at the point of a shift now, with what’s going to occur with autonomous vehicles. as well as if you have all of that assistance, why would we confine ourselves to the bundle that we currently had? even more so when you have electrification. That’s exploding the whole theory of the packaging as well as the layout.
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“So looking ahead, the MPV – by which I mean the sense of the maximum utilisation of the area you are occupying with the floor of the cars and truck – is going to ended up being a necessity, as well as almost a rational approach. however we’re speaking about 10 or 15 years from now.”
Donckerwolke was not accountable for the Kona – a cars and truck he states will have “unique elements” that will not be showed other designs in the Hyundai line-up – since he joined after the manufacturer’s California studio won the interior idea competition for the car’s design.
But he’s preparing a new style language that’s likely to be introduced on the next Sonata, due by 2019. “I’m truly excited about the next Sonata,” he said, “because it’s the one that’s going to relaunch the style of Hyundai. I believe for the brand Hyundai, at the moment, it’ll be a huge step forward. We’ve frozen the style of it already as well as it’s making a huge change.”
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