2013 NAIAS: Hyundai HCD-14 Concept
The success of the Hyundai Genesis and Equus have been proof that skeptics of the Korean brand should sit up and take notice. Once exclusively a budget focused brand, the sales success and resale value retention of the premium Genesis and Equus have caused Hyundai to evaluate in which direction it can take its upscale offerings. Once known for frumpy and ambiguously styled sedans and crossovers, Hyundai has been on a design renaissance the last several years. The only cars avoiding this trendsetting style are the Genesis and Equus sedans. In an effort to convey the design direction of these two cars, Hyundai unveiled the HCD-14 (presumably Hyundai Concept Design number 14). This rear-wheel drive sedan features a long hood, suicide doors, and a menacing grille, leaving an impression the car rolled off the pages of a Batman Comic Book. We like the slick roofline, winged Genesis badges, and simple upright grille. Hyundai executives were clear that this car is not a thinly disguised next-generation Genesis, but rather, a design inspiration for the direction Hyundai’s premium offerings will head.
Photos by Jason Muxlow
