Design Process
Designing imagination
with the utmost realistic passion
Any creative director’s principle for creative endeavor would be: “Simple, simple and simple”. Likewise, the essence of all great creative products is “simplicity”. The same principle applies for cars. All the steady selling vehicles, which have had a loyal fan base for long time, start from a simple motif, which enables the people to grasp the car’s trait immediately.
However, simplicity in design doesn’t necessarily mean simplicity in the process of development. Hyundai Motor design involves the designers rearranging and modifying more than 25,000 complex components several times in their minds. Such wholesome dedication and passion have now become the engine and the starting point of an automotive design which has brought a consumer’s imagination into reality.
AREAS
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Exterior Design
The exterior design creates the car’s unique identity and persona. Exterior design is the process of research-induced design concept materializing into the exterior of a car - in other words, the car body - through the basic idea sketches, rendering, clay modeling and prototype production. It is within this process where Hyundai Motor’s exclusive and unique design is completed.
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Interior Design
The interior design focuses on ergonomics to provide comfort and coziness to the riders, ultimately to satisfy the consumer’s sophisticated tastes and preferences. It works at making the riders feel at home.
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Detail Design
While the exterior design is about drawing the big picture, detail design is a more sophisticated process that breathes a sense of vitality into the exterior design. The automotive designers engage in a high level of sophisticated work for every design element such as lamp model, grill and mirror.
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Color Design
With the automotive color design that completes the design of a vehicle, the designers combine thousands of colors and arrive at the perfect harmony of every element from glossing and pattern to form and surface texture so that the vehicle would have vitality and a trendy image.
Moving beyond the numbers and text; imagination brought into reality
Car Production Process
Designing
The process of producing the exterior of a car
Sketching & Rendering
Expressing the concept derived from research of consumer trends and life cycles
Through a detailed idea sketch
Tape Drawing
Confirming whether the original design concept and the actual result match
Through a 1:1 life size tape drawing
Digital(CAS) Modeling
Reproducing a 3D digital image of the design through a computer,
Using the data to design the car as well as check the aerodynamics
VR Presentation
Conducting a digital image evaluation using virtual reality(VR) technology
Reviewing various VR models, contemplating the direction of the design
1:1 Scale Clay Modeling
With the help of a 5-axis CNC milling machine, a life size clay model of the car is made
Through the craftsmanship of the modelers, the elaborate design features of the actual car is reenacted on the clay model
Engineering
The process of producing the functions and performance features of a car
Body Structure Design
To build well balanced cars equipped with safety, convenience, performance, and economy,
The car body design considers strength, shock-resistance, aerodynamics, noise, and mileage
Chassis Design
Designing the chassis, which is composed of
the suspension, steering, fuel, cooling, exhaust, control, and brakes
Functional Design
The process of designing and developing the inner and outer convenience features
In order to provide the most comfortable, pleasant, and safe environment for the passenger
Test
Meticulously testing each and every scenario
Wind Tunnel Test
Measuring and improving aerodynamics and noise by facing up to artificial winds blowing at 200km per hour
Low Temperature Test
Reenacting an extreme climate of minus 40 degrees to test the durability of the car
Snow•Rainfall Test
Reproducing a snowy and rainy climate to prepare for heavy snow and rain
High Temperature Test
Reenacting intense heat of 60 degrees to test the car performance under extreme conditions
Road Simulator
Conducting a qualification test of the car’s driving capabilities on tough terrain and the car components
Crash Test
An actual crash test from all angles in order to meet the safety regulations demanded by different markets across the globe
Dust Tunnel Test
Verifying the sealing capacities of the car by using artificial dust
Watertight Test
Testing under heavy torrential rain conditions to see how the car responds to leakage
Turning-Trial Road Tire Test
Testing the minimum turning radius and braking performance when the car spirals off
Low-Friction Road Test
Reenacting a low friction road under rain, snow, and ice to test the driving and braking capacities
Belgian Road Test
Reproducing the actual road environment in parts of the world to test the comfort and driving performance
Desert Driving Test
Verifying the car’s performance and durability through extreme conditions, like the Mohave desert testing circuit in California
Manufacturing
The manufacturing process of mass producing cars
Cast
Heating metal materials and molding it into the form of a car
A process in which complex component shapes such as engine cylinder blocks are made
Forge
After the metal is heated, a high level of pressure is put on the metal through a rack in the form of the car
A process used to produce components with high strength and simple forms, such as cranks
Press
A process that involves transforming a steel plate to produce panels
Press
As the first step to making a car, this process installs a mold onto a high pressure press machine that moves up and down pressing a steel plate to produce panels
Assembly Engine
Assembling the engine, the heart of a car
Assembly Engine
To produce the engine, otherwise known as the heart of a car,
This process involves assembling the engine through machine work and putting the parts together
Welding
Assembling the panels together to shape a car
Welding
A process of assembling and welding the pressed panels together to shape a car,
A process that requires a high level of precision and safety
Painting
Giving the car some personality
Painting
The painting process which protects the car from corrosion, enhances the exterior through beautiful colors, and distinguishes the car from others
Assembly
The final process of building a car
Assembly
Adding the interior and exterior parts on the painted car body, assembling the machine parts,
Installing the applications, wiring, and piping to put the final touches on the car
Inspection
A verification process to check the performance and safety
Inspection
Conducting water seal and performance testing of the assembled car
To make the final inspections of performance and safety
Driving Test
Driving the car to test the quality
Road Driving Test
Transferring the completed car from the factory to the testing circuit
To once again test the performance by driving on rough roads, at low speed, high speed, and rolling
Hyundai Motor takes about a year and a half to two years of time to complete an automotive design from the first sketch to the final decision. When compared to other brands, the total time spent may be short; but, it is important that the company does not compromise on perfection and quality in order to keep up the speed. There is a given guideline – mostly with numbers and text – for the process of designing, but Hyundai Motor’s imagination is not confined by the guideline.
From the initial stage of the design, Hyundai Motor unceasingly studies the consumer needs. What’s more, to discover needs that even a consumer is not consciously aware of, Hyundai Motor takes out time to engage in dreaming and imagining; this is because Hyundai Motor’s hope is to “create new trends” in the automotive market, not to “chase after” the existing trends.
Process 1: Design Planning
Every part of life becomes the inspirational thought for design
It is not that difficult to find out the trend that is preferred at the “very present”, but it is not so easy to spot the trend that will be loved in the “present and upcoming future”. For this, Hyundai Motor predicts global design trends and studies consumer lifestyles to make a design concept that can realize the company’s exclusive identity. The collected data and concepts are delivered to the company’s design studios in Korea, U.S., and Europe where they become the outline for the car exterior and interior sketches. While this process is an area of mere analysis based upon rationales and numbers, the next phase of development is about emotions, inspiration, creativity and intuition.
Hyundai’s automotive designers get inspiration from all the elements that constitute their surroundings. The sports they like, traveling, art, music and every part of the elements that surround their environment and life become an inspirational motif. For an example, the new Tucson’s exterior displays a strong silhouette, which was inspired by the sports called “Parkour”, a training discipline that involves running and climbing from one point to another in a complex urban environment. The beautiful lines of Tucson’s interior were inspired by the leading architect Eero Saarinen’s TWA terminal at JFK airport. Likewise, the sources that provide the fuel for imagination are infinite.
Process 2: Sketch & Rendering
The moment where numbers, emotions and text are all visualized into one drawing
Based on the concept that has been established at the planning stage, various idea sketches and rendering help a more specific formation. With this formation founded as the outline, the exterior design would be made into a clay model mock up that is 1/4 size of the real car. In addition, for the interior design, the concept is developed into a virtual model by using 3D modeling software. The wide range of designs made at the design centers worldwide will be evaluated by the consumers around the world, starting from Korea. Of course, prior to this stage, all the designs are trimmed so that they comply with Hyundai Motor’s consistent design philosophy.
Process 3: Computer Aided Styling (CAS) production & video evaluation
Only the “best” singled out from numerous “possibilities”
Computer aided styling (CAS) is the process of actualizing the sketches into three dimensional formations, followed by revision and improvement work on the detailed design. Next, the three-dimensional digital form undergoes a technology related review. Afterwards, with the help of virtual reality technology, various digital model cars that are similar to real cars are introduced. Based on this, a video evaluation is conducted. In this stage, specific directions are reviewed and details are checked before Hyundai’s designers come up with final design product.
Process 4: 1:1 Clay Model Production
A process of building the realistic physique on the old-held “imagination”
Prior to the actualization of a design concept, a 1:1 size clay model that represents the real model is developed. The industrial clay is easily scraped, so the designers can shape it as finely as if they were making a sculpture. In this process, the designers can freely express and revise the car design. In addition, the interior design can be actualized into real one, so that the texture, feeling and smell can all be sensed. However, the clay modeling is somewhat complex in developing and is time consuming; for this reason, many auto brands omit this stage and replace it with “virtual” and “simulation” model. But, the shortcoming of skipping this stage is that it would not be possible to see the lines, shadows and feeling of the overall exterior. For this reason, this stage is very critical at Hyundai Motor since we are oriented towards the highest levels of human touch and emotional involvement.
Process 5: Emotional Design & Color Design
Adding an exclamation mark to the design and finishing it with a period
Now, we have come to the final stage of the automotive design. We offer a grand new emotion that the consumers can see, smell, touch and feel. We place values in order in a car so that the consumers can enjoy. For the coloring part, which completes the feel of a car, Hyundai designers combine thousands of colors and harmonize luster, pattern, forms and texture; they challenge themselves until the optimal color comes out. Only then would Hyundai Motor put a period to the design before it offers its newest car to the consumers.
Experience Hyundai Motor’s design philosophy
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