Santa Fe

Make
Hyundai
Segment
SUV

At the Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai has revealed a new concept car called the Le Fil Rouge previewing the automaker's future design direction. Featuring a sleek coupe-style shape, it follows the Korean company's 'Sensuous Sportiness' theme that was first applied to the boldly-styled Kona and the new Santa Fe with the brand's signature cascading grille and wide hoods. All future Hyundai cars will follow this new design direction, including sedans and SUVs.

Le Fil Rouge translates from French to 'common thread,' reflecting "Hyundai's belief that the brand's past, present and future designs are all connected". "'Le Fil Rouge' is a reinterpretation of Hyundai's design DNA that originated from the brand's historical Hyundai Coupe Concept in 1974," said Luc Donckerwolke, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai Design Center. "Building on our long history of creating distinctive and sporty character in vehicles, we will open a new era for Hyundai design. Our goal is to build a beloved brand by creating vehicles with heightened emotional value to reshape the landscape of car design.

"This is the foundation of our concept," added Sang-yup Lee, Vice President and Head of Hyundai Styling. Hyundai says the goal of this new theme is to "bring instinctive beauty, creating emotional value and desirability." According to Hyundai, the Le Fil Rouge features a proportional character based on the golden-ratio - a common mathematical ratio found in nature. The result is an eye-pleasing design with a long wheelbase, short overhangs, and large wheels. A generous dash-to-axle distance creates a comfortable driving position, while a teardrop roofline completes the overall aesthetic.

The concept also wears the latest version of the automaker's distinctive Cascading Grille, which has a three-dimensional appearance and embedded jewels. For the Le Fil Rouge concept, Hyundai adopted a new approach called 'Light Architecture' to integrate a progressive identity into the brand's design heritage. This creates a dynamic look and a forward motion effect for the vehicle. Applying this approach, the front and rear pillars, as well as the roof are seamlessly blended into the car's silhouette of the vehicle, giving it a fastback-style look. Hyundai's 'Tube Architecture' also merges the interior and exterior designs so that the cabin features design cues from the sporty exterior.

The interior design also differentiates between the needs of both the driver and passengers. Comfort is maximized for the front passenger on long-distance trips with more ample leg room, while the driver's seat position is designed to "further add to the fun of driving with optimized ergonomics". A wrap-around architecture emphasizes depth, creating a calm, spacious and comfortable environment for all occupants. Wood and high-tech fabrics are used extensively in the cabin, which features a two-way air ventilation system inspired by aircraft ventilation. A panoramic floating display with haptic technology sits in front of the driver, providing access to controls for the climate control and other functions.