Human-centric design
Hyundai talks Tucson and 'intuitive' design
The new Tucson has been given a premium push which culminates in reduced clutter and only gadgets that matter
The Hyundai Tucson is now in its fifth generation and has evolved from quite an unassuming family runaround to more of an upright, premium SUV.
The latest version sports an entirely new appearance and could not be confused with a mid-cycle refresh. The front and rear is defined by new lighting and its silhouette is sharper, more square than before. Passengers will be greeted by a cavernous interior, gentle ambient lighting and more rounded forms that soften the slightly imposing exterior.
You can see our initial impressions here, but to get a better understanding of the car itself and the team’s broader ambitions for ‘human centric’ design, we caught up with two of its experts. Hyundai Motor Europe’s chief designer Eduardo Ramirez and VP and head of product Christopher McKinnon sat down with CDN at a secretive studio in Utrecht last month. They explain that it is part of a push to elevate the brand without treading on the toes of the Group's upmarket sibling, with a focus on eliminating clutter and unnecessary gadgets.
Car Design News: The new Tucson continues the Art of Steel design language and feels like a softer expression of what we have seen with earlier models. Is that the right way to think of it?
Eduardo Ramirez: Yes, Art of Steel gives us enough freedom to treat different models with a different character. But we have emphasised the volumes and the fenders which gives it a robust appearance – it looks solid, protective.
CDN: There are these padded shoulders at the rear of the car that almost look like an '80s suit. How long did it take to get that right – were some iterations even more extreme?
ER: It’s part of our job to always push for the maximum and challenge ourselves. It is a kind of ping-pong match between what design is asking for and what our manufacturing experts can achieve. We push each other, and the depth of the draw in that metal is a record expression compared to other vehicles. We are very proud of that and it came to reality through very close teamwork with manufacturing.
CDN: Taken as a whole, the car feels very premium. Do you think it encroaches on Genesis' territory at all?
Christopher McKinnon: No, there's a clear separation between what we try and do between the two brands, but we have tried to get even more refinement and quality into the product.
We've worked a lot with reinforcing the body and there’s even double glazing in the windows to create that ‘cocoon’ – a space that is nice to be. There are so many other ways we differentiate from Genesis as well – they take it the next step in terms of materials, propulsion systems and suspension. And I think they are very distinct in terms of the design versus what we're trying to do. So at this time, I'm not concerned that we're encroaching on them. I think what we're doing is lifting Hyundai perhaps above other players in our field, especially with the new Tucson, which is really premium and refined.
CDN: You say you’ve added tech and features that add genuine value to people's lives. What sort of research goes into ensuring it is indeed the right tech, and how is that fed into the design?
CM: It's a combination. We obviously have tools which allow us to see what people like and don’t like about the cars currently in the market, and we also do clinics for new cars where we talk to customers and pitch ideas. With some things, they might say ‘that would really annoy us, don't do that’ while other things they will be like, ‘wow, that's really interesting.’ So it's a combination of listening to what's actually happening in the market right now and then casting it forward. But remember the Henry Ford quote: if I ask people what they want, they'd ask for a faster horse.
CDN: That’s true.
CM: Research can act like an ideas generator and you can test things out in this kind of environment. But remember we are all very critical customers internally as well [laughs] with lots of experience from the automotive industry. So we collaborate very closely with Eduardo and the design team – some ideas might seem zany, but we can work through them and find the optimal solution.
It all goes back to the core of the brand: we care about people. Safety is at the heart of what we do, we want to make the world a better place and take care of our customers. We have the child presence detection in the rear seat, for example, and the trailer reverse assist function which is easily accessible through the centre screen. So it's not just having bells and whistles and targeting a “gadget count.”
CDN: Are some brands elsewhere in the market guilty of chasing a gadget count?
CM: There's a famous sports car brand from the south of Germany that stays very true to what they want to try and deliver. They avoid unnecessary stuff and then they design the car around that. It’s very much the same for us. In the interior, for example, every cubic inch has been optimised to the point that it is practical but also looks good. There's beauty in that.
CDN: This feels in line with the idea of ‘human-centric design’, which gets me thinking: shouldn't everything be designed with human needs in mind?
ER: It's a lot easier to explain looking at the interior, but it's ultimately about how we interact with the product. When we present our design models to our executive chair he is not looking at the styling, he's looking at the interaction. How will the customer benefit from this? So we study every element, from the essential things like safety factors to how you pick up a coin from the cup holder.
CDN: Are there fundamental principles to consider around human-centric design?
ER: Well, we follow this approach to every new project to be honest, so we are constantly questioning and making sure that all these aspects are considered. In doing that, new ideas and thoughts come up too.
CM: [The new Tucson] is easy to use, intuitive and designed around the driver. What does that mean? You should be able to adjust the mirrors without taking your eyes off the road, for example. Things like that have very much been part of the design process. And I've had the opportunity to drive the car, and that is true. It's very easy to drive and within the first 100 yards you know [how the car works]. So I think that speaks for itself.
CDN: Perhaps that idea is at the centre of all this: the car should always be intuitive.
CM: Exactly.
