Hyundai has just presented one of its wildest ideas to date: the INSTEROID concept car.
The car is based on the small electric car INSTER, but everything has been turned up a notch – in terms of design, sound, attitude and, not least, gaming references.
INSTEROID was unveiled at an exclusive event in Seoul on April 1 and will now be on public display at the Seoul Mobility Show from April 3 to 13. According to Hyundai, the concept car is designed to “challenge conventions and create emotion.”
The car is an imaginative interpretation of the INSTER. But where the INSTER is compact and practical, the INSTEROID is wide, low and aggressive with racing-inspired details, large spoilers and aerodynamic elements.
Inside the car, you'll find an uncompromising cockpit with real racing seats, a manual handbrake and instrumentation without a touchscreen.
Hyundai has tried to make the experience as analog and physical as possible – with inspiration taken directly from racing games and garage culture.
INSTEROID is created for a younger generation
INSTEROID is not just a car, but also part of a larger, digital universe. Hyundai is collaborating with gaming platforms, among other things, and the car will be part of the popular mobile game KartRider Rush+, where it can be experienced as a virtual racing car.
Hyundai has also created a browser-based game where you start in a regular INSTER and collect “steroid” objects that gradually transform the car into the INSTEROID version. The game will launch in April.
Behind the fierce exterior is also a 'greener' approach. The cabin is covered in 3D knitted fabric made from recycled yarn, and the car uses lightweight materials to keep weight down.
Digital details such as AR head-up displays and the ability to add avatars and interactive elements have also been considered.
INSTEROID is designed by Hyundai Motors' European design team and acts as a kind of "dream car" for the younger target group.
The car has not been put into production, but Hyundai makes no secret of the fact that it serves as a test platform for ideas that may appear in future electric cars.
Hyundai is using INSTEROID to create awareness about the smaller INSTER, which is already on sale – and which will be rolled out in even more markets in 2025, including Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
INSTEROID is not a car you can buy. But it is a clear signal of the direction Hyundai is moving in: More digital, more experimental and more aimed at the next generation of car buyers, as they themselves describe it.
