On the road in, but not at the wheel of, Prophecy concept
BACK in April 2020 Auto Express was lucky enough to sit in the driver’s seat of Hyundai’s Prophecy Concept for our first taste of Hyundai’s all-electric future.
The rear-hinged doors are pure concept-car theatre, but they open gracefully, presenting a comfortable, reclined driver’s seat. There’s more theatre as the dash rotates at the touch of a button, and an additional slim shelf beneath the curved screen turns upright to reveal the fully digital instruments. Yet there’s still no steering wheel. In its place are two joystick-like handles, one on the door, the other on the centre console. It makes it feel like you’re playing a video game rather than sitting in a car, and we couldn’t help but be reminded of the handles of a vacuum cleaner.
Two things that remain conventional, however, are the pedals. There’s a nice balance between old and new inside; the digital hub of displays contrasts with the lovely blue and green tartan design that features on the doors and seats. One thing we didn’t notice during our low-speed drive were the double-glazed windows, which do not open. Instead the Prophecy uses an air-filtration system, pumping clean air into and around the cabin when it detects increased levels of particulates inside, even when it’s charging. It’s clever thinking, and great foresight in the pre-Covid world in which the Prophecy was penned and put together.
The tartan theme is echoed in the back, where the absence of a B-pillar, the flat floor, and flush dashboard give the Prophecy a wonderfully airy feel inside.