Electric vehicles (EVs) reach new design heights with this brand-new feature from this major automobile company. EVs have come to represent advanced capabilities of automobile design. No longer are they merely representations of sustainable engineering in order to achieve carbon neutrality, but automobile developers use them to showcase design changes and technology upgrades to highlight the new heights and features teams have achieved internally with their automobile technologies.
The EV continues to push boundaries
While the EV was once only championed for sustainable efforts, automobile companies now understand how these vehicles represent luxury and advanced engineering design, with this symbolism largely thanks to electric vehicle developer Tesla. Thanks to Tesla’s success in launching luxury electric vehicles, other automobile companies have hastened to get on board, showcasing to their consumers that they are not only dedicated to sustainable solutions but are capable of creating technology that pushes boundaries.
Today, the EV is the most popular alternative engine solution on the road. In order to encourage consumers to embrace fully electric engine solutions, more robust and widespread supporting infrastructure will need to be developed to appease charging and range concerns of consumers, as well as the entry price of these vehicles needing to be significantly lowered if the majority of consumers can reasonably purchase one of these vehicles.
Brand new tech for this EV
Continuing to push the boundaries of EV production, new technological concepts are also being added to these vehicles. These technological advancements are intended to enhance efficiency, safety, and the overall user experience, particularly for those looking to buy a luxury vehicle. Features such as advanced battery management systems, regenerative braking, and AI-assisted driving capabilities are all intended to demonstrate advanced engineering and improve driver comfort.
Following this, Hyundai has recently unveiled the Concept THREE, its first compact EV concept under the IONIQ sub-brand, at the September 2025 IAA Mobility show in Germany. A key feature developers have included is reducing the use of touch-screen technology in the vehicle, with developers being strategic about where this technology is placed and including traditional ‘buttons and knobs’ for consumers to introduce technological add-ons that not only increase user comfort, but make sense and are easy to locate.
“People are prepared to sit and go through menus to play with the high-tech stuff, but the instant interaction—temperature, air conditioning, volume, seat heating, skipping tracks— there’s a set which are just so frequently used that actually, then you start questioning, well, why do we need a screen?” said Hyundai Design Centre head Simon Loasby to Auto Express.
While technological upgrades are part of the EV package, Hyundai has noted how many developers sometimes add unnecessary technological pieces to keep with the futuristic vision. These upgrades should not be merely for presentation purposes, but need to have a sensible rationale as to why they are being added in the first place.
The importance of design for vehicle owners
These design observations from Hyundai highlight how, for drivers, the engine is not always the most important feature of the vehicle. While many automobile developers continue to focus all their efforts on the engine of the vehicle, this can sometimes mean that design aspects get neglected, which is actually what is most impactful for the driver experience.
By drawing upon beloved aspects of previous model designs as well as being open to feedback, automobile design teams can incorporate new technology into their vehicles, which makes both strategic sense and can still showcase the capabilities of the team. In today’s world, people spend a significant amount of time in their vehicles, and ensuring that design aspects are user-friendly and beneficial to the driver ensures that consumers remain loyal to a particular brand.
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