Stunning Hyundai Prophecy concept to spawn Tesla Model 3 rival

The Hyundai Prophecy concept will spawn a production electric car, Hyundai design boss SangYup Lee said in an interview with Autocar published Thursday. That could give Hyundai a rival to the Tesla Model 3 and upcoming BMW i4.

A production version of the Prophecy is one of three new Hyundai electric cars in the works, Lee said. The first will be a production version of the Hyundai 45 concept, a four-door hatchback, which is scheduled to launch in 2021. That will be followed by the Prophecy-based sedan and a third model, to be unveiled next year.

All three vehicles will be based on Hyundai’s new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which will also likely be used by Kia and Genesis for their own EVs. Hyundai plans to launch 16 new electric cars by 2025. Motor Authority reached out to Hyundai to confirm whether the Prophecy is one of those 16 cars and was told “no comment” by spokesman Brandon Ramirez.

Hyundai Prophecy concept

Unveiled in March, the Prophecy concept sported sleek styling that, according to Hyundai, was inspired by cars of the 1920s and ’30s. It sharply contrasted the 45 concept, which was inspired by the Giugiaro-designed Pony Coupe concept, which spawned Hyundai’s first home-brewed production model.

Some of the more unusual features of the Prophecy concept, such as its joystick steering, likely won’t make it to production. But Hyundai previously said some of the concept’s styling features, such as “pixel” lights and propelor-shaped wheels for reducing air resistance, were production-feasible.

It’s unclear when a production version of the Prophecy will appear, but the 45 has already been spotted testing ahead of its 2021 launch. The 45 will be Hyundai’s first dedicated electric model; the current Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric are based on existing models. Hyundai also has the low-volume Next hydrogen fuel-cell crossover.