We wouldn't go so far as to say that every automaker needs a halo supercar. But the exotic wheels do serve a purpose as a showcase for what their manufacturers can do and what they stand for – and we sure do like it when they roll them out.
Hyundai is one of the largest automakers to have resisted the urge until now, but it's long been rumored to be changing course. And it might have just dropped its biggest hint yet at a potential supercar to come. It just isn't saying as much.
What we're looking at here is the centerpiece of "Style Set Free," an exhibition which the Hyundai group has put together for Milan Design Week. The idea, we're told, is to show how autonomous vehicles will be able to be personalized in the future (or at least how the Korean giant envisions they could be).
"'STYLE SET FREE' by Hyundai aims to provide a unique in-car experience that no other automakers have offered so far, but one that customers have been looking for," said Hyundai exec Wonhong Cho. "The exhibition will introduce upcoming changes in mobility to a wider audience."
The display projects illuminated colors onto the "sculpture," but what's captivated our attention more is the form itself. The shape looks something like a BMW i8, with its taut geometric shapes cutting a low-slung silhouette. And rendered as it appears to be in fabric, it reminds us of another BMW design: the GINA Light Visionary concept that stretched advanced textiles over a wire frame.
The similarities may not be entirely coincidental, considering the talent that the Hyundai group has ported over from Germany. R&D boss Albert Biermann, performance chief Thomas Schemera, and Genesis platform-development guru Fayez Abdul Rahman all came from BMW.
Designers Peter Schreyer and Luc Donckerwolke made their names at the Volkswagen Group, as did Genesis chief Manfred Fitzgerald.
Whatever the source of its inspiration, the big questions on our mind are whether this design installation could indeed preview a new supercar from one of the world's largest automakers, and which of its brands could benefit most from its inclusion at the top of its lineup. The case could certainly be made for the Kia, Genesis, or Hyundai brands. But as far as we're concerned, we could care less about which badge sits on the nose – so long as they build it.