Rumors have ‘leaked’ that the Hyundai N VISION 74 will actually see production – soon! Now normally I’m not too keen on speculative articles that talk about what ‘might’ happen. But apparently, the official word is coming on May 27th during Hyundai’s Pony Day. So that in itself is a pretty good suggestion that something exciting & newsworthy is coming. And clearly – the N VISION 74 needs to happen! I mean if you’re Hyundai… you can’t drop a concept like this & rock the whole enthusiast nation… and then NOT take it to production. That would make you a tease. On the other hand – producing a car like this in a time like this – would make Hyundai a legend. It would make Hyundai more in-tune & in-touch than perhaps any other car maker right now (except arguably Toyota). See Toyota is making great driver’s cars… but this… this is something entirely different from a design perspective. Hyundai’s N VISION 74 is what the future was supposed to be… before we veered atrociously off-course. Now for debate’s sake…
Let’s say the N VISION 74 does make it to production…
This becomes a game of strategy for Hyundai. It’s like a jewel heist for Hyundai at this point. There has to be a serious of perfectly-executed steps for the N VISION 74… and one wrong step could blow the whole thing. Here are the challenges…
1) Is it going to be an EV?
I’m speculating it will be electric, since the concept is an EV/hydrogen hybrid test bed. As someone who generally dislikes EVs, I want to make it clear that I’m personally NOT against this type of EV. EVs suck because they have been approached in a boring, autonomous, pandering way. But the N VISION 74 project has been approached with soul, and it has serious nostalgia to anyone who appreciates late-70s/80s car design & pop-culture. This is the kind of EV that has the power to sway enthusiasts. It makes the automotive future feel like something exciting again! However…
2) What if Hyundai throws us a curveball & puts an internal combustion engine in this thing.
An N-car to confront the Toyota Supra, Nissan Z, Type Rs & Type S’s head on. Well… then it’s game-on! The enthusiast nation as a whole has never really been ready to put their faith behind Hyundai. But I really think the N VISION 74 could be the car to change that. If Hyundai shows us that they have the team across the board to 1) dream & design this car, 2) get it past the bean-counters, and 3) see it all the way to production?? How could you NOT want to support a team like that. If Hyundai makes the N VISION 74… they deserve a chance… perfect or not.
A key component though….
Assuming the N VISION 74 comes to life, whether it is EV or ICE… there needs to be some path to aftermarket tune-ability & modification. See the problem with EVs (besides the fact that they’re being forced down our throat)… is that you can’t wrench on them. You can’t make them better. So far, EVs are just transportation appliances for people who don’t like driving. And no matter how rad that appliance looks, if you can’t connect with it longterm, it’s not gonna stick. To my knowledge, that’s kinda been Hyundai’s problem in the performance ICE side as well. As good as their performance cars have gotten, there’s just not enough aftermarket tune-ability to make them rise to the top. So they’ve never really taken off. That needs to change. Hyundai needs to open the door & include the aftermarket in the N VISION 74 – somehow, some way.
Expectations…
The production version of the N VISION 74 ain’t gonna look as wild as this concept… so do yourself a favor & lower those expectations just a little bit lol. That being said, if it’s 75% as good as the concept, it’s still more exciting than 95% of new cars out there. The concept shows us where the N VISION 74 could go… so use your creativity & the aftermarket to get it there. That’s what car culture’s all about.
Pricing & dealership markups…
I can sense it: The Hyundai dealerships are already looking in the mirror getting all chubbed-up, thinking they finally get their chance to screw buyers with $25,000 markups & price adjustments. But the people are 100% fed up with trickling inventory & arrogant markups. Do that… and the N VISION 74 is D.O.A… just like the Integra Type S. Pricing would need to be very carefully approached on the Hyundai N VISION 74. Make it too expensive, and the people won’t bite. They’ll revert back to brands with more assured resale value & pedigree. But make it too cheap… and you ‘cheapen it’. This needs to be played carefully. The N VISION 74 would need to be backed with a significant mainstream marketing campaign. And reenforced with motorsports. At this point in the game, we have to re-teach the general population why cool cars actually matter.
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