In the 2012 Auto Expo, Hyundai caught the attention of car buyers owing to its several model displays that included next-generation Sonata, Elantra and a concept car named as HND-7. The South-Korea based company grabbed the limelight when it unveiled the Multi-Purpose Vehicle concept named as HND-7 from the podium of Auto Expo. The vehicle was largely based on the Fluidic Design Architecture, which is currently adopted by Hyundai on its current generation cars. Since its showcasing, Industry experts are eagerly waiting for the production model that will bear the characteristics of HND-7 and according to sources, the wait might soon get over as the company is planning to launch its Multi-Purpose Vehicle at the 2014 Auto Expo.
As seen the design, HND-7 featured an eight way slim and hexagonally shaped seating arrangement that was aimed at maximizing the passenger space. The seats of the car were fitted with puzzle pieces that gave way to optimally utilisation of space inside the car without unnecessarily expanding its width. As told by the maker, HND-7 would be offered in different seating configurations once the production of the MPV starts. The main highlight in the design of HND-7 was the front seats, in which a vertical alignment of three was given as opposed to the conventional rule of two seats. Also, the front seating configuration could be folded besides the second row ones, in order to give optimum comfort for passengers.
As told by Hyundai, HND-7 was 4300 mm in length, 1820 mm in width and 1647 mm in height besides 2750 mm high ground clearance. The exteriors of the vehicle were based on bold character lines that ran through the whole body. At the rear portion, Hyundai gave an appealing design in which door would first lift outwards and then slide to the back of the car thereby lending a much more space for entering the vehicle. While for functionalities, the car had a touch screen centre console panel, cluster ioniser air purifier and a push star/stop button. For performance, Hyundai gave away 1.2-litre turbo GDI engine that currently powers most of the European models. In terms of transmission, HND-7 had a six-speed automatic gearbox.
It must be noted that the car that will be based on the HND-7 concept will be Hyundai's first Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) to launch in the Indian car market. The car would be aimed at targeting urban masses. At present, the auto maker has not provided any information regarding the launch of HND-7 concept based MPV, but strong rumours are indicating that the car will be showcased at the upcoming 2014 Auto Expo.
While the MPV segment was previously ignored by the major auto makers, now a number of companies are planning to launch their vehicles in this segment. With the recent success of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Hyundai would be planning to gain a considerable market share in the respective segment. Once Hyundai enters the MPV segment, things will certainly spice up as prominent names like Maruti Suzuki, Chevrolet and Nissan maintains their strong presence with their respective model like Ertiga, Enjoy and Evalia. For Hyundai HND-7 concept based MPV, the biggest rival would be Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which currently leads the segment.
