The Hyundai 45 electric vehicle has moved
on to its next and most exciting phase of testing, on the Nürburgring
Nordschleife. Since last week, when we showed you prototypes of the Hyundai 45
fully decked in black vinyl covers, the electric vehicle has made the switch to
a tighter camouflage tape, perfectly revealing its sporty lines.
As you can see, there is quite a lot of
resemblance to the Hyundai 45 Concept, even though the production model appears
to look less dramatic thanks to the more generous glasshouse. New details that
have been brought to light by the new camouflage setup include the pop-out door
handles, a sleek feature on a car in this segment.
We also get a better look at the
headlights, though we can’t tell whether they are in production specification
or provisional. It would be neat if the Hyundai 45 adopted the concept’s
aggressive LED pixel headlamps. The taillights are clearly makeshift and we
sure hope they will draw inspiration from the design study too. The prototype
rides on new aero wheels that look almost identical to those seen on the study,
and this encourages us to expect beautiful things from the production-spec
Hyundai 45.
Known internally as the NE EV, the Hyundai
45 is based on a dedicated architecture called Electric-Global Modular Platform
(E-GMP), shared with the upcoming Prophecy electric sedan.
There aren’t any drivetrain specifications
available, but the Hyundai 45 is expected to get two electric motors for eAWD
capability. A smaller one will power the front axle while a larger motor at the
back will drive the rear wheels. The Hyundai 45 could debut as early as January
2021 as a roomier, more stylish and more performance-oriented EV than the Kona
Electric.
