Hyundai is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the classic Grandeur flagship saloon by creating a ‘retro-futuristic restomod’.
The concept uses the same boxy design as the original car from 1986, but gets a new electric powertrain and a series of technological updates.
The most notable update to the exterior is the addition of the ‘Parametric Pixel’ headlights and tail lights, which use LED technology and debuted on the firm’s Ioniq 5 EV. Other more subtle updates include new wing mirrors and covered wheels.
Hyundai says its designers applied a ‘newness plus retro’ ethos to the interior, which has burgundy velvet and leather upholstery, while the centre armrest has a hidden pop-out compartment for valuables.
The cabin also gets bronze-coloured lighting to mimic the appearance of classic audio equipment, but the car has a state of the art sound system.
Elsewhere, there is a combination of classic and modern. The dials have been replaced by a wide touchscreen display, but the ‘80s style is retained through a single-spoke steering wheel and airplane-style gear selector.
Hyundai hasn’t detailed the car’s powertrain but it likely uses the same technology as the Ioniq 5. That means it will have a twin electric motor set-up making around 300bhp and a 73kWh battery providing up to 300 miles of range.
Hak-soo Ha, head of the interior group of the Hyundai Design Centre, said: “As our designers conceive the future, it’s important to look back on what we’ve created in the past and find inspiration in it.
“With the Heritage Series Grandeur, our designers have reinterpreted an important part of Hyundai’s history as a wonderfully unique blend of vintage and contemporary that reflects the boundless possibilities of our EV era.”
The Hyundai Heritage Series Grandeur is being displayed in Seoul this month, first at the Hyundai Motorstudio Goyang museum before moving to the Seoul Motorstudio.
