Hyundai has revealed the Vision N 74 concept car, a design exercise that pays homage to the brand’s history, while also hinting at its future. And it is that this retro-futuristic aesthetic coupé keeps in its entrails a hydrogen fuel cell; therefore, it is a fully electric car.
SangYup Lee, the chief designer of Hyundai, explains that the Vision N 74 is the result of the union of two different projects. On the one hand, the Korean firm wanted to test a high-performance hydrogen powertrain; on the other, it was also intended to celebrate the legacy of the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe prototype, which was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.
The result is an electric muscle car equipped with two motors on the rear axle, which produce a combined power of 680 hp (500 kW) and a torque of 900 Nm. The 62.4 kWh battery pack is associated with a 95 kW fuel cell. The 4.2 kg capacity hydrogen tanks take just 5 minutes to fill, and the total autonomy of the set is over 600 km.
The vehicle boasts a very advanced cooling system, with separate channels for the battery pack, fuel cell, and motors. Since it is a high-performance model, the thermal management of the mechanics is key to achieving good performance in sports driving.
The Vision N 74 could be Hyundai’s “halo” model
The bodywork of the Hyundai Vision N 74 pays homage to the coupes of the 1970s. The double headlamps, the elongated hood, the pronounced wheel arches, the triangular rear window, the drop in the fastback-type roof, the “blind” on the rear window… All these winks take us back fifty years in time. Despite its compact appearance, it measures 4,952mm long and 1,995mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2,905mm. The height for its part stands at 1,331 mm.
There are also some nods to the current IONIQ range, as evidenced by the use of the “Parametric Pixel Light” light signature. We must not lose sight of the fact that, to a certain extent, the IONIQ 5 drinks from the design of the production Hyundai Pony, much less radical in its approach than the Giugiaro prototype that inspires the Vision N 74.
The designers claim that this concept serves as a halo model, as well as a declaration of intent for Hyundai. Although at the moment a possible arrival in production has not been finalized, the truth is that its launch in the medium term would not be ruled out, probably as an electric battery without a fuel cell.
