Hyundai Intrado showcases new design & technology

Let's address the elephant in the room – this funky-looking SUV concept from Hyundai won’t make it into production. Boo. But we can reveal that its nose will. Sources have told Wheels the Intrado’s grille and headlight treatment will feature on the next ix35.

The first car penned by Hyundai’s new design chief, Peter Schreyer, the Intrado shows the next step in Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture styling language. But don’t dismiss it simply as a design exercise.

Built using high-tech lightweight steel, the Intrado also debuts a new patent-pending carbon-fibre chassis the company says is twice as rigid as steel and, thanks to innovative joining techniques, also gives designers great flexibility (meaning sexier cars) while shortening repair times.

It’s green, too, with the front wheels powered by an updated version of Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel cell with a 36kWh battery, meaning it spits out water, not CO2. Charge times are said to take a matter of minutes, while the range is an impressive 600km.