The hydrogen and battery concept car is still only an idea, but there’s always hope.
Whether you think of yourself as a car person or not, chances are you’ve heard of the DMC DeLorean. Its appearance in the Back to the Future films has made it a cultural icon, and the car may now hold the record for most recognition.
However, you might not realise that it owes a lot of its origins to a Hyundai concept that was unveiled all the way back in 1974. The Pony idea appeared that year, and a more sporty twist on the design, the Pony Coupe concept, followed suit the following year. Even though the Pony hatchback went into production, the coupe never saw the light of day due to technological constraints and other mitigating circumstances, including Hyundai’s relative newness in the market.
SangYup Lee, the director of the Hyundai Design Center, questioned the feasibility of producing a sports car by a firm that had not yet manufactured a single vehicle. I don’t think so.
Therefore, it was never put into production, except that it was.
In the words of legendary auto designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, “huh.” was his initial reaction upon seeing the concept. It seems reasonable. The idea of “let’s build something out of it” led to the creation of the DeLorean as we know it today.
To be fair, though, it only sort of works.
The Hyundai N Vision 74 concept is a hydrogen-powered work of art with an attitude that leaves nothing to the imagination, sharp creases, large wings, squinting headlamps, and all. Yes, the back side window is reminiscent of a DeLorean, but Lee is adamant that we “don’t claim it looks like a DeLorean (since) we did it first!”
Okay by me as we’re talking about nothing but silhouette racing here. The aerodynamic wheels’ hubs evoke images of the cooling fins on early 1980s racecars like the BMW M1 Procar and Lancia Beta Montecarlo. It’s hardly shocking that there’s a huge diffuser under the car, either.
You’d need all that aero if you ever got behind the wheel of one of them. They haven’t told us yet, but it’s probably going to be pretty quick considering the 85 kW fuel cell and 62 kWh battery produce over 671 hp and over 664 lb-ft of torque. Also, the power can be split between the left and right rear wheels, and there are three separate cooling channels for the battery, fuel cell, and EV motor.
This is difficult to confirm, as the N 74 is merely a concept designed to shine a spotlight on how far the Hyundai brand can push the E-GMP EV platform. The name “Vision” comes from Hyundai’s vision for the future of its N performance brand as it relates to electrification, hence the name.
Meanwhile, the Ioniq 6 N, which will arrive at dealerships sometime next year and electrify the N brand, is a good indicator of what Hyundai N electric is up to in terms of production.
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