Hyundai reveals "category-bending" Seven concept electric SUV

The Seven concept, unveiled at the 2021 Los Angeles Motor Show, is an outlandish and futuristic preview of Hyundai's third bespoke electric car, which will go on sale in 2024 as a large, long-range rival to Volvo's upcoming XC90 replacement.

The Korean marque labels the concept as a "category-bending" electric SUV, highlighting its aerodynamically optimised styling and extended wheelbase as departures from the design norms of conventionally fuelled contemporaries. Some of its more radical design cues will be toned down for production - but the recently launched Ioniq 5 remains largely faithful to 2019's straight-edged 45 concept and the Ioniq 6 looks to be heading into production with minimal alterations from the Prophecy – so expect the showroom-ready Ioniq 7 to look a lot like this. 

Autocar UK reported last year that Hyundai planned for its first three bespoke EVs to have highly individualised styling, and indeed the Seven concept adopts a radically different silhouette – "divergent from a typical SUV," according to the firm – and a raft of new design cues to mark it out from both its range-mates and its fuel-burning forebears.

An obvious visual link, though, is the 'Parametric Pixel' design for the front and rear light clusters – which is a motif common to each of Hyundai's bespoke EVs, including its Heritage Series reborn classics – and is said to blend elements of "digital and analogue styles" and highlight the rigorous approach of its designers, who "considered every aspect of Seven's design, down to a single pixel".