2004 Hyundai HCD-8 - AllCarIndex

Original name: 현대 HCD-8

HYUNDAI UNVEILS NEW HCD8

SPORTS TOURER CONCEPT VEHICLE

Hyundai today unveiled the newest concept vehicle from the Hyundai Kia Design and Technical Center, the stylish and functional HCD8 sports tourer. The HCD8 is the newest concept vehicle from the Hyundai Kia Design and Technical Center Design studio and is the first concept vehicle to come from Hyundai's new $30 million Design and Technical Center in Irvine, Calif.

"The Hyundai HCD8 sports tourer was designed to address the sporty car market and still meet the values and needs of today's consumer," said Joel Piaskowski, Chief Designer at the Hyundai Kia Design and Technical Center. The design team used marketing research from Hyundai Motor America to design a sporty vehicle that offers more flexibility, more usable space and easier access for passengers and cargo.

"The HCD8 is designed to be a high-performance daily driver," Piaskowski added. "We also stayed true to core Hyundai asset of making it a good value - the HCD8 offers more value within its market segment," he added. The HCD8 showcases the professional design capabilities of Hyundai's state-of-the-art, world-class design studio in Irvine, California.

Style

"The HCD8 is a conceptual design model used to evaluate the design, package and proportion of the next generation sports coupe," said Chris Zarlenga, Design Manager on the HCD8 project. "The HCD8 has graceful, flowing lines. The surfaces of the vehicle have the volume and shape to retain some classicism of a sports car. We also worked with surfaces and lines that stir the inner emotions of passion, romance and performance. We arranged the graphic components to signal strength, attitude and power," Zarlenga added.

Highlighting the exciting design elements is the Ballistic Yellow tri-color paint from Nippon. The body color is complemented with anthracite color ground effects trim and road wheels. The exterior trim is polished nickel.

The interior is finished with two-tone Vapor Gray leather seating surfaces accented by wood flooring and wood and aluminum accented steering wheel rim and shift lever knob. The aluminum trim is accented with a nickel finish. "We wanted to contrast the rich, luxurious interior against the Ballistic Yellow exterior," said Zarlenga.

Architecture

"The HCD8 pushes the architecture and package to the limit," Zarlenga said. "This provides a new and exciting proportion that can accommodate the needs of the concept," he explained. "To increase accessibility to the rear seat we lengthened the door apertures and by increasing the height of the rear profile and optimizing storage space, we were also able to add interior utility."

The designers also stretched the Day Light Opening (DLO -- a designer's term for the side glass) for increased side and rear visibility. They also increased the wheelbase by 100mm (in the dash-to-axle dimension) to achieve classic sports car proportion. Overall, the styling combines soft flowing surfaces with crisp, taut lines.

Performance

The HCD8 with its supercharged 2.7-liter V6 engine, 6-speed manual transaxle and tuned dual exhaust provides performance to match its styling. For real world driving, the driver can adjust the ride height a total of four inches through the air suspension. The vehicle can sit low for high-speed touring or can be raised to handle inclement weather, avoid parking wheel stops, handle a car wash or any other situation where additional ground clearance is needed.

The HCD8 also features state-of-art lighting. The LPI-supplied optics use Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology from Osram Opto Semiconductor to illustrate how future automotive lighting systems will work. The LED lights burn brighter, and are more energy efficient than current lighting systems. In addition, they are expected to last for the life of the vehicle. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED lighting performance does not deteriorate during its life.

Hyundai Brand Values

"Hyundai is about being bold and different in an automotive market that is not usually willing to take risks. Determination is also a core Hyundai corporate value," Piaskowski said. "The company has, in just 18 years, become the fourth largest import brand in the U.S."

"Hyundai's dramatic growth has been fueled by being bold and different while offering customers greater value at a lower price point. Now we are taking that to a new design level," he said. "The HCD8 represents what a next-generation sports car from Hyundai could be, It is bold and different. It crosses boundaries within its intended price point and market segment. It offers the consumer an alternative to the expected."

The HCD8 also illustrates the development of Hyundai's visual character. "We view the HCD8 as an instrument to design exploration and design development, Zarlenga explained.

"The design team examined Hyundai's design portfolio for a brand building opportunity. They used the face of the Elantra, the grace of the Sonata and the stance of the Tiburon as inspiration. The high quality interior design of Hyundai's current production vehicles was also an influence."

Over the years the face of the Elantra has evolved to be more dramatic, yet still retains the 'furled brow' look of the headlamps. The graceful lines and surfaces of the Sonata have been elongated and exploited to promote a sense of beauty and power. With the Tiburon, the stance has been stretched and widened to add to its overall road presence. All of these Hyundai style attributes were catalysts in the design development of the HCD8.

Marketing

"In the U.S., the sporty coupe segment is viewed as a flat or even a declining market" Piaskowski observed. "For this segment to grow, the vehicles must evolve to meet the needs of consumers. Their diverse lifestyles require vehicles with increased accessibility, more functionality and more cargo volume. The HCD8 is designed to appeal to 'youthful minded professionals' who want a great looking, high performance sports coupe with added the added functionality they need," he said.

"We used the findings from HMA Marketing and Product Planning studies and incorporated them into the HCD8 sports tourer. This vehicle could be a first-time purchase or an addition to a fleet of household vehicles. Our consumer target is someone who is youthful minded and passionate about their cars and their driving experience," he said.

SOURCE: Hyundai

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Configuration: Front-drive, two-door sports tourer

Wheelbase: 2633mm (103.6-in.)

Overall Length: 4326mm (170.3-in.)

Overall Height: 1339.5mm (52.7-in.)

Overall Width: 1822mm (71.7-in.)

Track, f/r: 1804mm (71.0-in.) / 1806mm (71.0-in.)

Wheels: 9.5-in x 19-in. alloy

Tires: Michelin Sport Pilot P255/R40-19

Engine: Supercharged 2.7-liter, DOHC V6

Transmission: 6-speed manual transaxle

Suspension: Independent; Air-tuned performance suspension with adjustable ride height.

Exhaust: Dual, high-performance stainless steel

Exterior: Ballastic Yellow Nippon tri-coat paint with anthracite color ground effects and road wheels, nickel-plated trim.

Interior: Two-tone Vapor Grey leather seating with wood flooring, wood and aluminum trimmed steering wheel and shift knob. Anodized aluminum trim accented with nickel finish.

Special Features: Light Prescription Innovations (LPI) and OSRAM Opto Semiconductor L.E D. lighting and optics.

Suppliers:

Supercharger: Alpine Developments, Inc.

Tires: Michelin

Paint (exterior): Nippon

Glass: PPG

Exterior Lighting: Light Prescriptions Innovators OSRAM Opto Semiconductors

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HCD-8 Sports Tourer

Since it was established in 1990, the Hyundai California Design Center has produced seven outstanding, show-stopping concept vehicles.

Number eight, initiating the new era of HCD vehicles, is the first vehicle designed at the new $30 million dollar Hyundai Design and Technical Center in Irvine, Calif. The HCD-8 made its world debut on January 5, 2004 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The stylish and functional HCD-8 sports tourer is the newest concept vehicle from the Hyundai Design and Technical Center Design studio and is the first concept vehicle to come from Hyundai's new $30 million Design and Technical Center in Irvine, Calif.

The Hyundai HCD-8 sports tourer was designed to address the sporty car market and still meet the values and needs of today's consumer.

The design team used marketing research from Hyundai Motor America to design a sporty vehicle that offers more flexibility, more usable space and easier access for passengers and cargo.

The HCD-8 is designed to be a high-performance daily driver while staying true to core Hyundai asset of making it a good value - the HCD-8 offers more value within its market segment.

The HCD-8 showcases the professional design capabilities of Hyundai's state-of-the-art, world-class design studio in Irvine, California.

The HCD-8 represents what a next-generation sports car from Hyundai could be; it is bold and different. It crosses boundaries within its intended price point and market segment.

It offers the consumer an alternative to the expected.

Style

The HCD-8 is a conceptual design model used to evaluate the design, package and proportion of the next generation sports coupe.

The HCD-8 has graceful, flowing lines. The surfaces of the vehicle have the volume and shape to retain some classicism of a sports car.

The design team also worked with surfaces and lines that stir the inner emotions of passion, romance and performance, and graphic components to signal strength, attitude and power. Highlighting the exciting design elements is the Ballistic Yellow tri-color paint from Nippon.

The body color is complemented with anthracite color ground effects trim and road wheels. The exterior trim is polished nickel.

The interior is finished with two-tone Vapor Gray leather seating surfaces accented by wood flooring and wood and aluminum accented steering wheel rim and shift lever knob.

The aluminum trim is accented with a nickel finish contrasting the rich, luxurious interior against the Ballistic Yellow exterior.

Architecture

The HCD-8 pushes the architecture and package to the limit. It provides a new and exciting proportion that can accommodate the needs of the concept. To increase accessibility to the rear seat the design team lengthened the door apertures and by increasing the height of the rear profile and optimizing storage space, they were also able to add interior utility.

The designers also stretched the Day Light Opening (DLO - a designer's term for the side glass) for increased side and rear visibility. They also increased the wheelbase by 100mm (in the dash-to-axle dimension) to achieve classic sports car proportion. Overall, the styling combines soft flowing surfaces with crisp, taut lines.

Naturally using the exceptionally handsome Coupe as a basis has helped ensure that the CCS is attractive.

The most noticeable styling changes are those from the doors back.

The slightly higher overall level of the boot lid/rear decking enables it to absorb the folded roof while still offering the largest boot volume in the sector.

The consequent modifications to the rear wings and the lights have been achieved with a minimum of disruption to the overall lines of the car, the result has a harmonious and complete look to it.

However, certain other styling modifications have been included in the study.

Not only are the rear light clusters new, the transparent front clusters add a higher level of visual refinement.

New 18 inch wheels with 225/40 x 18 Michelin tyres give a lighter and more sportive outlook. A new colour, Warm Silver, was developed for the paintwork - while the paint itself is highlighted by the shimmer of glass micro-elements The Hyundai CCS is a car styled to appeal to the emotions.

A car that looks just as good in the car park as on the autobahn, a car which expresses a distinct personality and personal assertiveness without being aggressive in any way.

INTERIOR

The whole concept of the CCS Convertible is designed to give a feeling of airy space. Of freedom and excitement combined with personal control over precisely how much open air or weather the occupants want.

This is nowhere more visible than in the interior. Both the steering wheel and dashboard are covered in brown leather, adding an extra degree of sophistication to an already well appointed and sportive "office". The metallic elements, including the ventilation and a/c outlets, speaker surrounds, bezels etc., have been specially treated with a warm glow process that blends them discretely into this ambience, again adding an extra element of refinement. Naturally a premium car deserves the best sound system. Here the 280W combination of Becker hardware and Infinity speakers is very hard to beat.

The brown leather trimmed seats are the highly acclaimed and supportive sports style items from the Coupe, developed in association with Recaro. Standard features include eight-way adjustable front seats with memory system.

As a further concession to comfort, woven and ventilated leather has been used for the central inserts in the squabs and seat backs.

The rear seats have been slightly modified to accommodate the new roof system, but the rear passenger space remains an object lesson in good interior planning and packaging.

In terms of luggage capacity the study boasts and impressive 443 litres boot space with the roof closed, and 244 litres with it folded.

Enough for most romantic holidays, the occasional family picnic, or the type of business use that does not require a mobile workshop or showroom. Further storage is available inside the car in the form of map pockets etc. In fact, taken overall, the impression is of a sportive personal car, ready to cruise the length of the Corniche or undertake the local school run with equal panache and distinction.

A car that offers the demanding and discerning motorist the practica aspects of high-tech fresh air motoring, while tempering it with a wonderfully traditional ambience and adding a whole newdimension of practicality.

SOURCE: Hyundai