Hyundai Prophecy concept headed to production as possible Ioniq replacement

done with the corporate-wide design ethos. Going forward, cars are going to look different from one another, and that's refreshing. Kicking things off are two electric concept cars that Hyundai's design boss confirmed are production bound.

SangYup Lee, head of Hyundai's global design center, told Auto Express in a Tuesday report both the Prophecy and 45 concepts will see production versions. He used both of them to indicate what the design teams are capable of. The 45 is an edgy concept that traces its roots back to the Hyundai Pony -- the firm's first car from the 1970s. The Prophecy concept takes inspiration from the 1930s.

We saw the 45 concept debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year and also heard whispers it was headed to production. Lee said we'll get an SUV based on the 45's looks, which sounds very interesting. Auto Express reported further that the production Prophecy, meant for a 2020 Geneva Motor Show debut, could turn into an Ioniq replacement. 

Right now, Hyundai sells the Ioniq as a standard hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicle. The Prophecy is totally electric, and it's unclear if the car would stick to a pure battery-electric layout. Hyundai did not respond to Roadshow's request for comment.

Hyundai Prophecy EV concept goes heavy on the curves

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The Roadshow team internally praised the Prophecy's design and noted a handful of lovely similarities to past cars. Chief among them, there's a little bit of vintage peeking through. It's hard to say what the production cockpit will look like since the concept was incredibly futuristic and even lacked a steering wheel. But, the exterior is delightful, at least to me.

Hyundai's new EV platform, which revolves around a flat skateboard chassis, allows the company to get more creative with its designs, and Lee told the publication we'll see more and more differentiation from future cars. As a "team," they'll all come together, but the "Russian doll" strategy with a corporate look for every car is over.

We could see the production 45 debut by the end of this year, but the report suggests the next Ioniq based on the Prophecy won't be ready until sometime in 2021.

Watch this: Hyundai goes back to the future in Frankfurt with the 45 concept

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