Hyundai's new Hexa Space concept

The wraps have come off the innovative Hexa Space MPV concept at Hyundai’s stall at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi.

Code-named HND-7, this is a global debut for Hyundai and points towards a production model in the future. The talking point is the car’s eight-person seating layout which uses two rows of three slightly staggered seats at the front, and a conventional two-seat bench at the rear. What this means is that the middle seat in the first two rows is located slightly behind the other two, allowing three-abreast seating without too much discomfort.

Hyundai says the hexagonal arrangement is the best way to get the maximum space out of a narrow cabin area, and as with most MPVs, the seats are able to fold completely flat and flip over in a number of configurations to aid comfort or storage space, as per the need. It also has sliding rear doors to aid ingress and egress to the back rows.

See Hyundai Hexa Space concept images here

The design language is very fresh and modern, and is in line with that seen on the Veloster concept. A V-shaped grille in black, peeled-back LED headlamps and a squarish nose mean that this car doesn’t have the monovolume stance of a conventional MPV. Also, the very pronounced wheel arches, deep nostril-esque fog light enclosures, and a cockpit-like cabin make it quite unique.

The rear is ‘pillarless’ and finished in smoked glass, and the boomerang tail-lights stand out too. While the design doesn’t have the fluidity of other recent Hyundai cars like the Verna and the new Elantra, the shape eventually grows on you.

This 4.3-metre car is built on a 2750mm wheelbase. Propulsion comes from a  1200cc turbocharged Kappa petrol motor and the concept also has the added ease of a six-speed automatic gearbox.