Los Angeles - Kia and Hyundai are investing heavily in an electric car future and fundamental to this is the parent company’s new E-GMP modular platform that’s dedicated to battery vehicles.
The architecture has already spawned the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, and next in line is a pair of large luxury SUVs that are essentially previewed by the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Seven concepts that were revealed this week at the AutoMobility show in Los Angeles.
Hyundai Seven
Built on a 3.2-metre wheelbase, the Hyundai Seven concept boasts a lounge-like cabin, thanks to a flat floor design that allowed the carmaker to explore an alternative to traditional row-based seating arrangements to create a more “fluid” interior layout.
This is also aided by driving controls that fold away when the vehicle is in autonomous mode.
“The streamlined roofline, long wheelbase and flat floor that extends to the third row opens new opportunities to furnish the interior like a premium lounge,” Hyundai said.
Furthermore, the concept boasts a Universal Island console, specially designed home appliances and a multi-functional Smart Hub graphic user interface. Its roof incorporates a panoramic screen that not only displays various content based on its occupants’ tastes, but it can also change the overall interior atmosphere to allow for maximum relaxation.
Kia EV9
Riding on a 3.1-metre wheelbase, the Kia Concept EV9 also boasts a lounge-like cabin that focuses on the wellbeing of its occupants.
“Inside the all-electric SUV is a design undertaking that integrates the qualities of nature, movement and stillness as part of a scenic, first-class lounge. The panoramic roof, with its sky-gazing views, further adds to the sense of lightness and being in contact with the environment,” Kia said.
An interactive 27-inch ultra-wide display connects the EV9 from the real-world to the virtual one, while serving as the nerve centre for all driver and passenger requirements, including media, climate control and comfort functionality features.
The cabin can be configured within three basic modes, with Active Mode being the driving configuration that focuses on an optimal driving experience.
When the vehicle is not in motion it can be switched into Pause Mode or Enjoy Mode. The former emulates a first-class lounge, where the seating rows face each other under optimal lighting conditions. Enjoy Mode turns around the three-row seat configuration and opens the tailgate to connect the passengers to the outside world.
Both the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Seven concept vehicles are said to preview future production vehicles, but of course they won’t offer fully autonomous driving capabilities just yet and the cabins will surely be somewhat more realistic in their execution. It remains to be seen how many of the futuristic design themes that you see here will influence the production models.