Hyundai Elantra, Other Products Win Good Design Award

The 2021 Hyundai Elantra is one of four Hyundai products to receive accolades at this year’s Good Design Awards. The other winners were the EV concepts, 45 and Prophecy, and the Hyundai Hi-Charger, an ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure. They were honored in the awards’ Transportation category.

The seventh generation Elantra embodies Hyundai’s Parametric Dynamics design elements. The vehicle’s exterior design is adorned with unique style features including a parametric-jewel-pattern grille and a H-tail lamp that creates a Hyundai “flying H” logo-like shape. The interior further complements the Elantra’s overall appeal with a 10-inch information-display cluster and infotainment system.

“Hyundai’s design vision to provide lifestyle mobility that coexists with people's lives has been recognized by winning these awards,” said SangYup Lee, senior vice president and head of Hyundai Global Design Center. “Especially through our EV design, we would like to forge a strong emotional connection between humans and automobiles, giving more value to our customer’s everyday life.”

The 45 EV concept, first introduced at the International Motor Show 2019 in Frankfurt, is a futuristic homage to Hyundai’s iconic Pony Coupe Concept. The styling of 45 is defined by its monocoque-style form, aerodynamics, light-weight design inspired by aircrafts, and diamond-shaped silhouette.

Earlier this year, the 45 received other world-renowned design competitions, including the 2020 International Design Excellence Awards, 2020 Red Dot Awards, and the iF Design Award 2020. Such accolades raise expectations of the upcoming release of IONIQ 5, Hyundai’s first dedicated EV in the new IONIQ lineup brand launching next year.

The Prophecy, unveiled last March, is Hyundai’s concept that signifies a direction of future EV styling based on the Sensuous Sportiness design identity. It expands on the example set by the 45 EV concept that stripped away complexity in favor of clean lines and minimalistic structures. Prophecy won ‘Best of the Best’ in 2020 Red Dot Awards’ Design Concept group, and the concept was also named a finalist for 2020 International Design Excellence Awards.

The Hyundai Hi-Charger demonstrates the brand’s commitment to offer a completely new charging experience to EV owners. The 350kW ultra-fast charger enables users to easily power their EVs without feeling the weight of connectors and cables. The user simply chooses the position of a vehicle’s charging port on a digital screen, and a connector automatically rotates and descends to the selected point for an effortless connection. Earlier this year, the Hyundai Hi-Charger won a prize in the User Experience Design category of the 2020 Red Dot Design Awards.

Celebrating its 70th anniversary, the Good Design Awards program is one of the oldest design competitions in the world. Every year, the program selects a list of products and industry leaders in design and manufacturing that have chartered new directions for innovation and pushed the envelope for competitive products in the world marketplace.

The best new 2020 car and transportation designs went to BRP, CL Yachts, Cooper Tire, Damen Yachting BV., Genesis, Green Motion SA., Federal Tire, CNH Industrial Italia SpA., e.GO Mobile AG., Ferrari SpA., FPT Industrie SpA., Hyundai Motor Company, Lucid Motors, Kenda Rubber Ind. Co., Ltd., Kia Motors Corporation, Nikola Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Pininfarina SpA., TMH International AG., Zapp Scooters (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Keith Griffin covers Hyundai and Kia at Torque News. He has been writing continuously about cars since 2002. Keith used to be a researcher/writer for US News & World Report, as well as numerous car sites, including Carfax and Car Gurus, and a contributor to The Boston Globe. Most recently, Keith was the managing editor for American Business Media. Follow Keith at @indepthauto on Twitter, on @LinkedIn and on his Indepth Auto Facebook page.