Hyundai Motor Company designs took nine honors at the world-renowned International Forum (iF) Design Award 2022.
iF Design Award has been naming excellent designs of the year since 1954. It is one of the three international design awards, along with the Red Dot Award from Germany and International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) from the U.S.
This is the eighth year in a row that iF Design Award has honored Hyundai Motor, recognizing the company in several disciplines, including Product, Professional Concept, Interior Architecture and Communication.
“We are honored to be recognized as a lifestyle mobility brand that forges strong emotional connections between people and vehicles by bringing more value to our customer’s everyday life,” said SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. “Our global design team has worked hand-in-hand with our engineers to inject passion and knowledge into every product, concept, venue and communication venture with the aim of sharing our brand’s values.”
STARIA and Hyundai Collection shine in Product discipline
iF Design Award’s Product discipline consists of various categories, including Automobiles/Vehicles, Leisure, Computer, Lighting, Furniture and more. In the Automobiles/Vehicles category, iF Design Award honored STARIA, Hyundai Motor’s multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). STARIA, which made its debut last year, reaffirms Hyundai’s global competitiveness in product design. Its exterior resembles a futuristic spaceship and its interior provides spacious and comfortable transportation for driver and passengers. Lowered beltlines and panoramic side windows take inspiration from traditional Korean ‘Hanok’ architecture, allowing passengers to feel as if the outside scenes are an extension of the vehicle interior.
Three offerings from the Hyundai Collection, Hyundai Motor’s lifestyle brand, made the cut in the Leisure category of the Product discipline.
Hyundai Collection’s Trip Cart is a short-distance mobility solution that is appropriate for picnic activities. Made in collaboration with a local lifestyle brand Rawrow, the trip cart also can function as a small table when the cover is closed. Recycled leather from an old car covers the handle, and recycled PET fabrics cover the table in support of sustainability.
Hyundai Collection’s Portable Pet House supports sustainable pet mobility. It can be secured to a vehicle’s rear seat via ISOFIX attachment points for safe, comfortable pet transportation. It also can be used as an at-home kennel and for the pet to use in the outdoors. All the fabrics used in this pet house are recycled from plastic waste.
Hyundai Collection’s Ultralight Magnetic Umbrella is a super lightweight (240g) product that includes a magnet at the end of the handle for easy attachment to doors, partitions and any other metal walls. Available in brand colors — Hyundai Sand and Hyundai Blue — this lifestyle product reflects the company’s effort to enhance the customers’ experience in daily life beyond transportation.
SEVEN and IONIQ 5-based robotaxi share spotlight in Professional Concept discipline
Hyundai SEVEN, the new sport utility electric vehicle (SUEV) concept unveiled at AutoMobility LA in November 2021, earned a spot in the Professional Concept discipline. The SEVEN concept heralds a new era for the IONIQ brand, Hyundai’s dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) showcase. SEVEN’s streamlined proportions and stretched wheelbase leverages Hyundai Group’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) to distinguish itself from traditional SUVs powered by internal combustion engines. SEVEN’s interior architecture also assures greater freedom and comfort for passengers, while the furniture-like seats and features provide a premium lounge experience.
The IONIQ 5-based robotaxi also earned a spot in the Professional Concept discipline. This taxi variant of the award-winning all-electric IONIQ 5 demonstrates optimal integration of Level 4 autonomous driving sensors. While the sensor suite is plainly visible on IONIQ 5’s exterior, which distinguishes it from a driver operated IONIQ 5, the technology is harmonized with the body in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Hyundai Motorstudio Busan and IAA Mobility booth hailed in Interior Architecture discipline
Hyundai Motor’s attention to design excellence also extends to the spaces in which it shows its products and concepts.
Hyundai Motorstudio Busan, which opened in the South Korean city of Busan in April 2021, is the company’s sixth brand experience complex and its design is inspired by the city’s bridges. Hyundai Motorstudio Busan utilizes a hanging architectural structure with 600-m steel cables that minimizes the number of pillars in the building. The venue also supports sustainable building practices by using upcycled materials left over from Hyundai Motor manufacturing plants and fishing nets.
Hyundai Motor’s booth at IAA Mobility 2021 further demonstrated the company’s commitment to sustainability by visualizing the process of turning water into pure and sustainable hydrogen power. Hyundai Motor shifted its focus to future mobility and sustainability by announcing its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2045. The booth also minimized its carbon emissions by utilizing borrowed scaffoldings from construction sites.
Hyundai Sustainability Report praised in Communication discipline
In its annual report, Hyundai Sustainability Report: Road to Sustainability, the company detailed its commitment to fostering a sustainable future through comprehensive ESG management practices. Hyundai Motor used eco-friendly paper infused with plant seeds and only one spot color to minimize resources in making the printed reports, in line with the company’s carbon neutrality effort.
Most successful iF Design Award with highest entry numbers
This year, the competition attracted more than 11,000 entries from 57 countries and highlighted an array of outstanding achievements in the field of design. A total of 75 design experts from 23 different countries around the world gathered to judge the 5,424 entries that had made it to the short list after a digital preliminary round (online pre-selection).
The iF design award honors and celebrates winners in nine disciplines, including Product, Communication, Packaging, Service Design, Architecture, Interior Architecture, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI) and Professional Concepts, in 80 categories. All award-winning entries are presented on www.ifdesign.com and published in the iF Design App.
The iF Design Award was founded in 1954 by iF International Forum Design GmbH in Hanover, one of the world’s leading independent design institutions. iF Design Award Night 2022, the Awards ceremony, is scheduled to take place on May 16, at the Friedrichstadt-Palast, Berlin.
SOURCE: Hyundai
