[MUNICH] “People are down at the moment. All over the world, there are wars and politics. But how do we create something that can make somebody smile?” asks Simon Loasby, who is not a self-help guru but a senior vice-president at Hyundai Motor Group and head of Hyundai Design.

His prescription for a bit of cheer is the Concept Three, a racy little hatchback from Hyundai’s electric Ioniq label that made its debut at the IAA Mobility show in Munich on Sep 9.

The pure electric hatchback looks taut and mischievous, with a ducktail spoiler, muscular haunches and a stance that would turn any racer’s head. Hyundai calls the new shape an “Aero Hatch”, and says it’s meant to reimagine the compact electric vehicle (EV) silhouette. The show car’s Lemon Yellow glass makes the grey body pop, like a pair of cycling sunglasses blown up to epic proportions.

Peek inside, and the fun really begins. The driver’s seat is cheekily labelled “Troublemaker” while the passenger chair says “Thrillseeker”.

Instead of wing mirrors, it has camera pods that look suspiciously like the Death Star from Star Wars. Another reference to the world of Jedi and lightsabres hides in the rear diffuser – the aerodynamic panel that channels air under the car to press it down on the road for stability. Between its fins, designers added the words “May The Downforce Be With You”.

Scattered around the car is an avatar called Mr Pix, who either lives on little screens where he strikes playful animated poses, or is hidden deep in the hardware. You’ll need a magnifying glass to spot Mr Pix tucked into screws for an external speaker, but it’s easy to see the small but prominently placed screens where the character pops up and mugs at passers-by.

Hyundai also showed off a new “Bring Your Own Lifestyle” feature, a set of modular widgets that let drivers customise the control panels flanking the steering wheel, yet another way to make the car feel personal.

Loasby says fun touches like these are a way to connect with the younger crowd that the industry fears has fallen out of love with cars (or never developed a liking for them in the first place).

While the Concept Three is just a styling model for now, it will morph into a regular production car and go on sale about a year from now, most likely as the Ioniq 3. Loasby expects the final product to be a car for all ages, however. “It’s not just a boring car, and so we see not only young people buying it,” he says. “Buyers could be young or old but have the mindset of having a sporty compact hatch.”

Such cars are still rare in the EV world, which is dominated by sport utility vehicles and sedans. But Hyundai intends to stamp its mark on the sporty hatchback segment, as part of a wider strategy to have 21 EVs on the market by 2030.

That product offensive is part of a broader effort to fend off Chinese players, who are coming on strong. Loasby sees design as one way Hyundai can stand against that tide. “If you look at any customer survey anywhere around the world, any country, there’s different tastes. But the first two things customers mention are design and cost. So design is a key factor to use in your arsenal, to stand out and be unique,” he says.

“What’s interesting about the Chinese market at the moment is there is a lot of same-same stuff. There is a lot of, let’s call it Porsche Taycan-inspired design language. (They’re) great cars, but there’s kind of a safety in that zone at the moment, and there’s a chance to break out of that.”

At the same time, Hyundai wants to avoid being brash. Loasby says some rivals have gone overboard with their designs. “Too loud, too vulgar,” he puts it, refusing to name names. The Concept Three does have its playful flourishes, but the basic forms are clean and pared back. The Ioniq 3 will continue what Loasby calls the “puristic” forms of the Ioniq 5, 6 and 9, the current electric-only cars in Hyundai’s line-up.

Ultimately, the new Aero Hatch has one major goal when it hits the market. “We want not just the owner to smile, but for people to see it drive past and feel cheered up,” he says. “That would almost be like a medicinal thing.”

Hyundai didn’t provide performance figures or technical specifications for the car, and it remains unclear whether the company will slap its raucous “N” label on a high performance version of the Concept Three. That would give the car fearsome acceleration, boisterous digital engine sounds and possibly, timed jerks from the powertrain to mimic the gearshifts of a hard-charging petrol car.

The Concept Three does provide clues that an N version is in the works. It has external speakers that can blare out vroom-vroom sounds, like the ones that enable the N Active Sound+ systems in the Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai’s first high-performance EV.

“It is being discussed, and we have a really successful Ioniq 5 N. The Ioniq 6 N has just been launched, and so there is obviously an opportunity with the European hot hatch market,” Loasby says. “We’ll consider that.” As striking and cheerful as the Concept Three looks, turning it into a loud, tyre-screeching Ioniq 3 N would really get some people smiling again.

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