LA Motor Show 2021: Hyundai SEVEN Concept Previews Next Big EV For 2024

• Neo-retro design like the IONIQ 5 EV.

• Pixelated light bars give off an 8-bit type video game feel.

• Sloping roofline, unlike other SUVs.

• Outward opening Rolls-Royce-like doors.

• Lounge seating inside is typical of a concept car.

• Gets UVC sanitizing lights that clean the cabin once the occupants exit.

• Based on the same E-GMP platform as IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6.

• Will be launched in 2024.

With the SEVEN Concept, Hyundai has made clear its grand plans for the IONIQ brand. Revealed at the 2021 LA Motor Show, it sets the stage for an upcoming electric SUV that will be the same size as the Palisade and likely arrive in 2024.

The SEVEN is unbelievably eye-catching because of its neo-retro design. The shape is quite similar to cars we see on the road today. However, the clean body lines and the all-around light bars (that mimic a pixelated 8-bit type video game) tell you this is a vehicle for the future. The roofline also tapers down quite aggressively towards the back, unlike in road-going cars. This is something you would expect in a coupe but not in an SUV.

To be honest, the SEVEN really doesn’t feel like a concept. If we were to look at it on the road, it would feel different but not out of place. But that changes when you take a peek at the cabin. 

Inside, there are lounge chairs in the first and second row, with a wrap-around sofa-type configuration where you expect the third row. The roof has a panoramic OLED screen so that passengers can check out their favourite content right above their heads. The doors open outwards like a Rolls Royce.

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To drive the SEVEN, you get a stick controller like in an airplane. Of course, that’s not how you will drive the actual production version. Inside, there is a mini-fridge, a shoe-care compartment, a swanky airflow system (to separate the air between the front and rear passengers), and UVC lights (that sanitize the interior once the passengers leave the car). Recyclable materials like mineral plaster and bamboo have been used in the construction.

The SEVEN Concept is built on Hyundai’s dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform, which also underpins the IONIQ 5, Kia EV6, and the Genesis GV60. While the carmaker hasn’t revealed the exact specifications of the battery, it claims the SEVEN can do around 480km on a single charge, and it can charge from 10 to 80 percent using a 350kW charger in just 10 minutes.

We wish Hyundai keeps the lighting and the low-roof design intact in the production version. That may not be just our far-fetched fancy, given the styling of the IONIQ 5. However, gimmicks like the lounge seating, pillar-less doors, and the panoramic OLED screen on the roof might not make it to the actual car.