2021 Hyundai 45 EV spied again

Hyundai’s retro-electro 45 hatchback has been snapped testing at the Nurburgring.

Based on last year’s 45 EV Concept, the production car looks set to carry the concept’s distinctive, angular looks into showrooms.

The car pictured here is wearing significantly less camouflage than the vehicle spotted earlier this week. Gone is the webbing over the body, giving us a better look at the 45’s unique shape.

Although some of the concept’s corners have been slightly rounded, the pictures here show the 45 EV will maintain the distinctive z-shaped lines along its flanks.

The prominent v-shaped detailing up front also appears to have carried over, although Hyundai has subbed the super-slim LED head- and taillights for more conventional units on the car pictured here.

The wheels of this prototype are more in keeping with those of the concept car than the ones pictured earlier this week, with an aero-style centre and spindly, angular spokes around its outside.

The 45 is designed to hark back to the 1975 Pony, the first in-house car to come from Hyundai. When it launches, the car will be part of Hyundai’s plan to launch 23 new electric vehicles before 2025.

Don’t expect them to all look the same, though. Sang-yup Lee, head of the Hyundai Design Centre, has previously said each of its models will stand alone, as the brand pushes to avoid designing 23 variations on the same theme.

Under the skin, the 45 EV will ride on a version of the new Hyundai platform also set to underpin the Prophecy concept.

The new platform, dubbed Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), will allow designers to deliver short overhangs and a pulled-forward cowl for more interior space.