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- Hyundai has announced the INSTEROID, a video game-inspired concept based on the Inster EV.
- The concept car has a different widebody design and a huge rear wing.
- No plans for a production version have been confirmed, with Hyundai stating Insteroid is a pure design study.
- INSTEROID was showcased at the Seoul Mobility Show between April 3 to April 13.
If Hyundai’s funky-looking Inster small electric SUV failed to land on the right side of cool for you, its latest concept car might just change your mind. The South Korean automaker has dialled up the intensity in both design and dynamism, unveiling a first look at the INSTEROID, a video game-inspired concept based on the Inster EV.
Billed as a design study, this concept ‘reimagines’ the Inster EV as an extreme racer straight out of a video game. The design has obvious motorsport references, and we love those monster wheel arches and that crazy rear wing that puts a Porsche 911 GT3 RS to shame. The name INSTEROID is a combo of ‘Inster’ and ‘steroid’, and we’d say the name is quite apt, looking at this bewinged monster.
Like any concept, the devil is in the details, and here, you’d gaze over the widebody design, track-optimised wheels, aerodynamics-infused diffuser, wheel arch air vents and much more. As Simon Loasby, senior vice president and head of Hyundai Design Centre explained, the latest concept car aims to challenge conventions and ignite creativity.
“INSTEROID is a celebration of pure fun – a journey where we explored new ways to ignite emotion and imagination in every detail,” Loasby said. “It’s not just about how it looks, but also how it sounds and how it makes you feel. From its bold visual language to the immersive sound experience, it’s a concept that invites everyone to dream a little louder and smile a little longer.”
More than just a car, INSTEROID represents a limitless vision of automotive innovation and imagination. It is engaging users on new levels of interaction through shape, light and sound. Compared to the standard Inster, the interior is also suitably bonkers, with a stripped-down approach courtesy of a bucket seat, a roll cage, and a back-to-basics instrument cluster. Other elements include a different sound signature and a drift mode, while the integrated Beat House sound system and Message Grid include personalised interactions.
No details regarding the powertrain have been revealed, but again, you would be busy ogling the design rather than number crunching. That said, we’d wager that it will have more power than the same 110hp electric powertrain in the Inster.
“INSTEROID represents a modern take on the idea of a dream car. It is designed to inspire and create enthusiasm,” said Eduardo Ramírez, chief designer at Hyundai Design Europe. “This project allowed us to fully embrace unrestrained creativity, drawing inspiration from video games to create an emotional and engaging vision of Hyundai’s brand.”
Overall, there is much to like about the INSTEROID and it shows a fun side to Hyundai that you rarely see outside of the delectable N-Line models. It harks back to the made WRC era of huge winged rally beasts with nothing but a roll cage for the driver. Obviously, Hyundai has no plans to build it since it is a show car but we can all dream, right?
