Hyundai and Kia Motors Simultaneously Win '2020 iF Design Award'

Electric Vehicle Concept Car '45'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors have been recognized for their world-class design competitiveness by simultaneously winning the 2020 iF Design Awards.

On the 11th, Hyundai and Kia announced that at the ‘2020 iF Design Awards’ organized by the German International Forum Design, Hyundai’s ‘Sonata Sensuous’, electric vehicle concept car ‘45’, and Kia’s ‘Exceed’ and electric vehicle concept car ‘Imagine by Kia’ each won the main award (Winner) in the product design category for transportation design.

Luke Donckerwolke, Vice President in charge of design at Hyundai Motor Group, said, “Winning the iF Design Award, one of the most prestigious design awards in the world, is a meaningful achievement,” adding, “We will continue efforts to expand the design value delivered to customers based on Hyundai and Kia’s proven design competitiveness.”

The iF Design Award is regarded as one of the world’s top three design awards alongside the Red Dot and IDEA Design Awards. Hyundai has won the iF Design Award for seven consecutive years since 2014, starting with the 2nd generation Genesis (DH).

Lee Sang-yup, Executive Director and Head of Hyundai Design Center, said, “It is a great honor that the Sonata, the core vehicle embodying Hyundai’s design philosophy of Sensuous Sportiness, and the electric vehicle concept car ‘45’, which shows the design direction of the next electric vehicle, won together,” adding, “We will continue to provide consistent and high-level design value despite the paradigm shift in the automotive industry.”

Hyundai’s ‘Sonata Sensuous’ is a coupe-style sports sedan that perfectly embodies the next-generation Hyundai Motor design philosophy ‘Sensuous Sportiness’, first revealed through the concept car ‘Le Fil Rouge’ at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2018, boasting a sophisticated and dynamic design.

The electric vehicle concept car ‘45’ was first introduced at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. Its monocoque body inspired by 1970s aircraft design achieves aerodynamics and lightweight, and its straight and powerful lines give a diamond-shaped impression, completing the unique design of the ‘45’.

Additionally, Kia Motors has been recognized for its global design competitiveness by winning the iF Design Award for 11 consecutive years since 2010, starting with the European strategic model Venga.

Karim Habib, Executive Director and Head of Kia Design Center, said, “Kia has strived not only for continuous quality improvement but also to provide more attractive and engaging customer experiences, and this new vision is well reflected in the Kia crossover vehicle Exceed and ‘Imagine by Kia’,” adding, “We feel immense pride that our achievements have been recognized by customers worldwide.”

‘Exceed’ is a C-segment crossover vehicle based on Kia’s European strategic model Ceed, featuring characteristics of an urban compact CUV, and applying a sporty design with European sensibility to emphasize dynamism.

‘Imagine by Kia’ is a crossover electric vehicle concept car first unveiled at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, presenting new possibilities for Kia’s future electric vehicle models.

Furthermore, Hyundai’s open last mile mobility platform ‘ZET’, established last year, was evaluated as optimized for operators struggling with platform construction and won the main award in the communication category.

Choi Seo-ho, Managing Director and Head of Hyundai Motor’s Convergence Technology Development Office, said, “We will continue to secure close networks with various stakeholders and develop more advanced mobility solutions through this.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.