Hyundai’s new global design chief, Simon Loasby said that he’s open to radical changes in the Korean automaker’s next-generation design language as electrification and autonomous functionality become the norm.
In an interview with Autonews, Loasby said that one of his main assignments will be to create a successor look to the Sensuous Sportiness design language that’s currently found across Hyundai’s lineup.
Aside from its depiction in the Le Fil Rouge concept from last year’s Geneva Show, Sensuous Sportiness is also embodied by the all-new Sonata. Yet, a full design overhaul might mean having to rethink the necessity of sedans in the first place.
“If this generation is Sensuous Sportiness, do we carry on with that? Is that still relevant in five years? Or does it need to take a directional or radical step change?”
While Loasby doesn’t have an answer to that question just yet, he’s definitely not afraid to think outside the box moving forward.
“Do we need conventional sedans anymore?” he asks. “A serious question: How many more petrol-engine, diesel-engine cars do we need? These are fundamentals we’ll get into for the next generations of our high-volume products.”
“What excites me about the new job is the whole move toward EV platforms, autonomy, drones, robotics. What’s next – that will be the challenge for us.”
He went on to say that he’ll soon have to begin working on a next-generation Sonata, which is expected in about five years.