Peter Lyon
October 31, 2024
This Hyundai has to be one of the best looking SUVs we’ve ever seen and would certainly hold its own if parked beside a BMW or Audi or even a Jaguar.
Called the Initium Concept, the Korean carmaker plans to launch the hydrogen-fueled SUV next year, and folks, that means it’ll be in showrooms ready for purchase.
It’s also a design display, giving us what the automotive community likes to call a sneak peek into what future Hyundais, will look like. This concept indicates that the South Korean giant, which has been on a recent roll, has no plans to slow down.
Specifically when its concepts are shod with 21in aero-honed wheels that reduce drag, and bespoke low rolling resistance tyres that also help to improve fuel consumption. After all, this SUV is targeting a range of 404 miles or 650km, using “hydrogen fuel tanks” that power a 201-hp electric motor.
Although there are currently no 0-100 km/h times available, it should undercut 6 seconds. The Initium delivers “excellent acceleration and smooth overtaking capability,” according to Hyundai, and from what we’re seeing, you can’t argue with that.
Additionally, the carmaker claims that the concept offers a lot of interior space, with a wide body to accommodate 3 adults comfortably, a “large rear-door opening angle”, and tilted second-row seat backs for those long journeys.
As we mentioned in the opening paragraph, this is a good-looking SUV, that’s edgy, chunky and well-proportioned. Hyundai describes its SUV design as “bold” and “solid,” but we’d call it aggressive, masculine but choc. It also gets a sporty roof-rack and a bespoke light signature for effect.
Regarding the SUV’s exterior, SangYup Lee, design chief for Hyundai, said, “Our challenge started from the manufacturing stage, where we pushed the formability of steel to the extreme to create a form of art.”
Because the Initium, and probably whatever form it takes for the production car of the next year, has a V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability that enables the car to power domestic appliances, you can be sure that the art will be able to charge items in your home.
So this SUV is an art form will be able to charge coffee pots, hairdryers and rice cookers from your house if needed, because the Initium offers a V2L (vehicle-to-load) feature, allowing the car to power household appliances.
The new Nexo, a hydrogen-powered SUV that you can purchase with actual money next year, is a probable candidate because That was Hyundai’s latest hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), which came after the company’s first hydrogen vehicle, the ix35. It’s not just a tech exhibition, then.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Hyundai called this the ‘Initium’ because it means ‘first’ or ‘beginning’ in Latin. But to be bluntly honest, we’re not sure what it’s trying to say about its hydrogen cars because Toyota came out with the first-ever mass-produced and commercially sold FCV model — the Mirai in 2014….while Honda debuted the limited edition hydrogen FCX Clarity in 2008… and of course, General Motors actually developed the first hydrogen-powered car—the Chevy Electrovan—in 1966. Food for thought.
