Wild Hyundai Concept Three previews Cupra Born rival for 2026

Eye-catching EV concept to make production as family hatch; likely called Ioniq 3 The Hyundai Concept Three previews a new compact electric hatchback that will go into production next year. A star of the Munich motor show, the Concept Three will spawn a model expected to be called Ioniq 3 in production, although the Ioniq 2 and Ioniq 4 names also remain possible, execs told Autocar. The five-door hatchback will be manufactured in Europe and is likely to become the brand’s best-selling electric car here. Hyundai Design Centre boss Simon Loasby said while the show car is conceptual in many of the details, its overall proportions, shape and surfacing are true to the production car – which had, in fact, been designed ahead of the Concept Three. The concept is a similar length to the Volkswagen Golf, at 4288mm. Far from being a conventional hatchback, however, it is what Hyundai calls an ‘aero hatch’, with a more rakish body and a sculpted rear hatch and spoiler that optimises airflow for low drag and efficiency. This is in keeping with the rest of the Hyundai Ioniq range, comprised of cars that eschew conventional shapes and sizes. Loasby said such a strategy allowed Hyundai to design models with specific target customers in that segment in mind. He added that such an approach was vital in the mainstream hatchback segment in particular as a way to “stand out in an extremely competitive [segment] with a lot of good cars”. The concept brings with it a new design language Hyundai calls ‘Art of Steel’, which is designed to showcase and celebrate steel as a material and create more sculpted shapes and surfaces with it. This approach isreinforced simply by making cars more fun and friendly in order to resonate with buyers. The concept has a series of hidden Easter eggs with that in mind, including a repeating icon called ‘Mr Pix’. Loasby said the production car wouldn’t quite be as wide or as low as the 1968mm-wide and 1465mm-tall Concept Three, but its “fundamentals” would all remain. The headlights will remain slim (although not hidden as much as those on the concept) and the pixel graphics will remain as one of a limited number of visual links with the other Ioniq models. The concept’s gullwing doors will also give way for production, with Loasby saying they were there to better showcase the interior. The interior is even more radical than the exterior, but it still has links to the production car. Material use and design have been applied with a ‘Furnished Space’ mantra in an effort to sculpt and trim surfaces as if in a living room. Both the Art of Steel and Furnished Space themes were part of Hyundai trying to treat materials “in a more natural way”, said Loasby. There is also a new approach to the HMI multimedia interface, with an increased number of buttons near the driver to help keep their eyes on the road more of the time. In a continuation of this theme, the driver display is also moved above the steering wheel and therefore closer to the driver’s eyeline. “We have to keep safety at the top of the pyramid,” said Loasby. “We never went all in on touchscreens and kept buttons.” Hyundai has yet to confirm any technical specifications for the concept other than saying it is electric, but it is understood to be based on the same 400V E-GMP EV architecture as the Kia EV3. For production it will be offered with similar drivetrains and batteries to those of its sibling model, which is also manufactured in Europe.

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