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Hyundai's New Design Strategy: No Visual Continuity Across Models

Will "Chess Board" vs. "Russian Dolls" work?

By Rain Noe - April 23, 2020

in Cars

Conventional car company design rules say "All of a brand's models must share styling cues. The brand DNA must not have any mutations." As evidence of this approach, if you look at even tiny thumbnails of models on automakers' websites, whether they offer a few models or many, the vehicles always read as a family.

Audi

BMW

Mercedes-Benz

Hyundai, however, is going in a different direction. The first clue--though no one realized it was a clue at the time--is when they debuted their 45 concept last year:

The 45 is based on the first concept car Hyundai ever commissioned, 45 years ago in 1974. (It was designed by no less than Giorgetto Giugiaro.)

This year Hyundai unveiled another concept, their all-electric Prophecy:

As you can see, there's no visual consistency whatsoever between the models.

Any observer might guess that there's no one at the helm of the design studio, or that the design team has split into factions, or that they're throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. But SangYup Lee, Hyundai SVP and head of their Global Design Center, revealed to Auto Express that both concepts--which will both spawn production versions--are part of an unusual plan:

…The new models would be the start of a new design philosophy in Hyundai that would avoid the 'Russian Doll' strategy employed by many other car makers.

"Our cars will be more like a chess board where you have a King, Queen, Bishop, Knight," Lee told us. "They all look different and function differently but when they're together they come as one team. This is what the Hyundai look is all about - diversifying our design to fulfill our customer's lifestyle.

"The 45 is more inspired by the 1970s…. The Prophecy is inspired by the 1930s streamlined era.

"These two cars show how much of the design spectrum we are capable of."

Do you think the strategy will work? Will customers be confused, or have we as a society outgrown the "Russian doll" system?

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Michael DiTullo

3 years ago

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This is basically Nike's design strategy. Most models don't look much alike, but there is a Nikeness to them that transcends a shape or a line, it is more of an idea... While I'm big believer in having a well thought out design language in most cases, in my opinion it is better to have a line up of all great models in terms of function, features, pricing, and design that a line that is consistent but not aesthetically pleasing, woefully low on features, and over priced (looking at you all the other brands mentioned in this post).

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no spec

2 years ago

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I wonder if it's less about not supporting VBL and more about the economics of commodities. as auto sales plummet managers are looking for anything to draw attention to their product, successful designs are quickly copied across a line and by competitors, driving the next design cycle. I think its even more true for sneakers, but what's different for sneakers is the collectability and low costs of production, so fashion for all intense purposes is mass customization. that can't happen for auto's, so once the industry has consolidated enough, VBL will return to the remaining corporations still in the game.

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no spec

3 years ago

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is it the demise of VBL, or more of a typical "house of brands" based on price point approach?

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Marius Dirgėla

3 years ago

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Great, I hop it works. Yet articles like this one keep me wondering - do we all understand that the primary purpose here is to position Hyunday alongside Merc, Audi and BMW in the minds of the audience? Nicely played, though.

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Anders Hansen

3 years ago

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I'd say this shows confidence in the qualities of their cars and the strength of the individual value props. This is unlike BMW which plaster their cars with stereo-typical visual cues, as if to be hundred percent sure that people understand it's a BMW. I have to say I really admire this more abstract approach to a creating a brand image, and what might connect future Hyundai design is the unique individuality and a design specifically tailored each car. Not like Mercedes where its hard to tell the difference between a C- and S-class, which is good for C-class owners, but not so good for those who have paid three times as much for a S-class.

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Bradford Waugh

3 years ago

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What an interesting idea. I guess the question would be what's more important to a company: brand recognition or the most beautiful concepts? I think some companies are locked-in. I don't see Porsche losing their headlights or BMW.....well, nevermind about BMW. However, in the domestic market I think design character is a little more divorced from the parent brand. I'm not sure the current civic shares anything with it's original besides the name but it's still sells well. I would also be curious if having a shared brand image helps with efficiency in production. You only need to figure out your major hinge geometry once or flaws are more fully resolved when you've already design 6 similar vehicles. Great article though, I'll be following their design offerings to see how things go.

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