At the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, Hyundai revealed the 45 Concept, a raised electric hatchback with retro styling and sliding doors. While no powertrains were mentioned at the time, the 45 was quickly followed up by the even prettier Prophecy Concept, which was recently greenlit for production.

Both cars will be built on Hyundai's Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and we hope the 45 and Prophecy retain most of their handsome concept styling because concepts have a habit of losing their beauty in the transition to production. Our spy photographers recently spotted a working prototype of the 45 Concept, looking a bit less camouflaged than when it was winter testing. It may have lost some of its concept cues but we think it still looks pretty cool.

Clearly, the sliding doors were not likely to make production, meaning the 45 will be a conventional five-door hatchback body style. The concept also lacked side mirrors, which are currently required in the United States. This prototype looks a bit more production-ready than when it was last spotted, as Hyundai has now installed plastic wheel arches and a chrome stripe under the rear lights that peeks out through the camouflaging. And although the wheels are the same style as before, we now get to see them finished in a two-tone black and silver rather than all black.

We don't expect Hyundai to keep the '45' moniker for production, instead the electric vehicle will get its own unique name. The pseudo crossover/hatchback should slot somewhere between the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq EV and the 2020 Hyundai Kona EV. A debut is expected as early as January 2021 and thus far range and power details are non-existent. Since this car will be built on a dedicated EV platform, it should have more space inside than Hyundai's current electric models.