LA MOTOR SHOW: Hyundai Seven EV concept revealed

The next chapter of the IONIQ story has been drafted with the reveal of the Hyundai Seven concept, an ‘SUEV’ that serves as an early preview of the 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 7.

Sitting on a 3200mm wheelbase, the Hyundai Seven flagship SUV measures 300mm longer between the axles than the eight-seater Hyundai Palisade, resulting in an abundance of interior space and practicality.

Underpinned by the Hyundai Motor Group’s e-GMP architecture, the IONIQ 7 will serve as the SUV halo for the flourishing EV sub-brand.

It will join the IONIQ 5, which was this week crowned carsales’ 2021 Car of the Year, as well as the forthcoming IONIQ 6 sedan, which is due for release next year.

Emerging in LA just as the related Kia EV9 concept also took the stage, the Hyundai Seven serves up plenty of room across a reimagined and customisable ‘lounge’ seating configuration made possibly by the completely flat floor.

Sustainably sourced materials have been used for the interior including mineral plaster, bamboo wood and carpet as well as hygienically treated fabric.

The interior is accessed by two sets of ‘pillarless coach doors’ which, besides adding grandeur, help keep the body as streamlined and elegant as possible, facilitating a claimed 483km driving range.

The Seven concept’s design has kept true to the original Hyundai IONIQ 7 renders seen earlier this year in featuring a full-width lighting signature and stacked ‘Parametric Pixel’ headlights in the outer corners of the bumper.

Despite initially looking chiselled and squared off at the front, the Seven is actually awash with gentle curves and only a few harsh contours – parabolic line, Tucson-style hip line and a flat tailgate – to be found.

The angle of the windscreen is something we’re more accustomed to seeing on a sports sedan or coupe rather than an SUV, but Hyundai’s designers have been able to get away with it due to the stout bonnet afforded by the EV powertrain.

That flat tailgate sports a full-width lighting signature just like the front but is then circumnavigated by an all-encompassing LED brake strip which should make it impossible to miss the fact this vehicle (or its production derivative) is braking.

Matching the futuristic styling and new-age interior is a level of autonomous driving technology not yet seen on any Hyundai production vehicle. The driver’s seat features a retractable control stick that hides away when not in use, leaving just a series of integrated screens to ramp up the lounge atmosphere even further.

Whether or not this tech makes it into the production IONIQ 7, let alone meets the various ADR requirements, remains to be seen, but challenging the norm is exactly what the concept car is meant to do, according to Hyundai global chief marketing officer Thomas Schemera.

“As a tangible proof of Hyundai’s vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’, IONIQ changes the paradigm of electric vehicle customer experiences, accommodating diverse lifestyles without constraints,” he said.

“Seven represents our commitment to a human-centred approach to redefine everyday experiences.”