Latest news with #SeoulMotorShow
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Whiners Rejoice: Hyundai Promises To Keep Buttons In Next-Gen Interiors
Hyundai is in the final stages of prepping its next generation of interiors, set to debut sometime in 2026, and the Korean automaker promises that physical buttons will still be abundant. I'm sure this is great news for people on the internet who don't buy new cars and love to complain. Adding to the excitement for Luddites, Hyundai is also expected to create smaller infotainment screens with easier-to-use software. The company's vice president, Simon Loasby, confirmed the news to Autocar at the Seoul Motor Show. It's a similar move to what Volkswagen has done in some of its cars like the updated Golf GTI. "So our philosophy is to keep the eyes on the road and keep your hands on the wheel, and then you could very quickly look at what are your frequent-use interactions. There aren't many... but you want them to stay as physical buttons because those are things I want to adjust without looking away." He added: "It is all about the philosophy of calmness. The technology is there, but it is not shouting at us, but the architecture is keeping the driving experience safe. "So we will have a balance of physical buttons but the display [will be there too] because it gives you the extra layers you can go in to." Loasby tells Autocar that the move is being made in the name of safety: creating a better way to keep the driver's eyes on the road as much as possible. He says designers and engineers at Hyundai realized that a central infotainment screen is actually "just a distraction." Ideally, you don't want people looking at screens for a long period of time. You want them looking down the road. Read more: These Are The Most Annoying Things About Your Cars Hyundai's design boss, Luc Donckerwolke (great name, great car designer), says that figuring out what the ideal screen size is, and making it usable, will be a big part of the automaker's next generation of interiors. He described a "balance" between having a screen with all of the relevant information you could want in a size that doesn't take away from driving concentration. Here's what else he told Autocar: "At the same time, we have to make sure the screens are not forcing you to go into a sub-menus for operations that only required buttons before. So it's always not overkilling it. If you rely only on screens, you are tending to go away from... hands on the steering wheel and the eyes on the road, which is, for me, the most important factor of security safety." He added that while "we all have a love for analogue interaction", screens "are ideal because you save a lot of tooling by only having the screen". Donckerwolke predicted that the automotive industry — as a whole — will see a real return to analog interactions and a reduction of screens in the "next one or two generations." This should all be music to your ears if you see screens as a great scourge on society. He also spoke about what we can expect to see out of the interiors of upcoming Hyundai N-badged vehicles. We can apparently expect to see even more stuff on the steering wheel "because when I've got gloves on, I can't use a touchscreen." That's some real driver-focused thinking if I've ever seen it, so here's hoping it arrives in time for the recently-confirmed Ioniq 6 N. Listen, you all know my feelings on modern car interiors. I've said in the past that complaints from the enthusiast community about big screens and a lack of buttons are generally overblown, but I supposed Hyundai sees a niche in the market for a less tech-laden interior. There's nothing wrong with more options for the general car-buying public. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Genesis Brings Big Coupe And Full-Size Convertible Concepts To The Seoul Motor Show
Genesis brought two concept cars to the Seoul Motor Show Thursday that once again showcase an automaker that is more interested in elegance than aggression. The X Gran Coupe Concept and the X Gran Convertible Concept rolled into Seoul Mobility Show 2025 in Goyang, Korea, on the sick wheels the brand is known for as two new spins on the brand's flagship G90 sedan. It goes without saying, but let's say it anyway; these concepts rock. Who doesn't love a beefy, low to the ground coupe? And a convertible with a full back seat? In purple! Come on now. Genesis' signature double-mesh grille is lower and wider in these concepts along with lower, meaner air intakes, giving the vehicles a more athletic appearance, but I wouldn't say aggressive. Fenders are wider, with a little wing on the back for improved aerodynamics. The brands' two-line headlights are also raked back to the fenders and the bodies are even longer than a normal G90 (which is already quite the lengthy auto at 207.7 inches). The windshields are also further angled back, plus the roof lines have been lowered to give the cars a more streamlined look. Genesis calls the coupe and the convertible "exclusive and prestigious vehicle typologies": Exclusive because no one makes them and prestigious because, when car makers do make a coupe or a full-size convertible, they're pretty gosh darn expensive. But when it comes to luxury, Genesis is actually one of the more approachable brands out there in terms of pricing, so if these concepts did become reality, they could actually sell in some numbers. Not big numbers, but some. I know seeing this Purple BMW 4 Eater driving down the road with its electric blue interior would improve my day. Read more: All Aboard South Korea's New $100 Billion Baby-Making Trains Speaking of wildly blue interiors, Genesis says via press release that the X Gran Convertible Concept is inspired by "the spirit of fine wines, with an exterior color reminiscent of pressed grapes and an interior color that echoes the deep, rich hues of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the Livorno region of Italy." The exterior is certainly a wine-dark purple but this interior? It's a little closer to a grape-flavored hard candy. Or maybe the blue that my lips turn after too many glasses of that Cabernet Sauvignon. Either way, I'm calling it juicy. The X Gran Coupe Concept was grown on an entirely different vine, though in the same region, as it was inspired by Mediterranean olive trees. This includes olive wood accents, olive-inspired accent lighting, floor mats with olive leaf motifs, and leather tanned using wastewater from Italian olive production. If you're one of those children parading around as an adult who doesn't like olives, this interior is probably not for you. I love it, though. Instead of chrome, Genesis sprinkled crystal throughout the interior to inspire the glitter of the Med. Genesis taunted us with the color-drenched Neolun concept last year at the New York Auto Show, and many (including us) thought it was a shoe-in for a start on a GV90 SUV. The folks at Genesis were extremely cagey about the future of Neolun or a flagship SUV with journalists this week, however. Knowing smiles and refusal to comment on future products are par for the course when it comes to big breaking news products. The grape-colored Neolun interior is similar to what we see here in the X Gran Convertible Concept, so the ethos of last year's concept remains intact. However, baring some huge surprise not shared with journalists, we probably won't see a GV90 this week. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
