Space age Hyundai touches down

26 February 2002: The Hyundai HCD7 concept car which made its debut at the recent Chicago Auto Show is the product of the California-based Hyundai Design Centre, which also produced last year’s HCD6 open-topped roadster concept and the Santa Fe SUV.

The HCD7 is a study based on a super-executive sized car, a category above the current luxury XG30. The HCD7 is a front-wheel drive saloon with an all-aluminium DOHC 4.5-litre V8 engine, electronic traction control and automatic ride-height control.

Features include a jewel-like headlight assembly featuring upright projector beam lamps vertically stacked. The tail lights are also vertically stacked and fitted into the bold rear bumpers.

Martin Frost, Senior Designer at the Hyundai California Design Center, says they have created a luxurious interior 'that might be found on an executive jet aircraft'.

"The occupants are treated to comfort and elegance. The instrument panel is simple yet elegant – tailored after the most stylish, most readable watch faces. The door panels have been curved in a concave arc – similar to the fuselage of an executive jet to create a cocooned feeling for the driver and passengers."

A seven-inch LCD flat screen colour monitor pops out of the dashboard when the owner inserts the ignition card into a slot.

February 2002