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Hyundai gullwing door patent blends VW camper, Tesla Model X

Hyundai wants to open your RV to the outdoors with a patented design that combines a gullwing and a sliding door. It could make a camping trip a lot of fun. From an engineering standpoint, the idea is fascinating. The gullwing (above) in Hyundai's patent application drawings runs from the front doors all the way to the rear, and it opens wide enough to expose the second and third rows, plus the cargo area. However, such a huge opening would never work if another vehicle were sitting too close because the gullwing needs so much room. In that case, occupants can use the sliding door (right) like a traditional minivan, which needs a much smaller area to deploy. This is the best of both worlds. According to the Korean automaker's patent application, the camping market is growing, and it believes this idea would appeal to customers. "Camping has evolved from a level of just sleeping outdoors to include a step of taking a rest outdoors, and therefore, camping equipment has also continuously evolved," Hyundai states in the application. In addition to the novel door design, it's interesting that Hyundai specifically imagines this on an RV. In the UK, a company converts Hyundai's i800 van into a camper. Perhaps the Korean automaker sees space to do something new in the segment with this patent. We hope the company shows a vehicle in North America with this door because we want to see the contraption at work in the real world. Related Video:

How feasible is Hyundai's HCD-15 Santa Cruz pickup?

When the silk finally slipped off Hyundai's HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, it was tangible, four-wheeled confirmation following years of rumors that the Korean automaker has been investigating the pickup market. Yet despite strong early critical and online reception, the likelihood of a production Hyundai pickup remains muddy at best. To be clear, Hyundai officials tell Autoblog there's nothing remotely production-ready lurking below the Santa Cruz's skin – it's a what-if concept designed to gauge customer reaction. But company officials say Hyundai is seriously investigating the possibility of a production pickup, and the company firmly believes that there's a market for a small, efficient unibody truck. According to John Krsteski, Manager at Hyundai Design North America, who spearheaded the project, Hyundai "is spending a lot of time right now still going through some studies on which types of platforms – whether it's a unique platform. It could be based on something like a Tucson ... we've looked at several different options." While Krsteski indicated that a platform hadn't been arrived at – and would likely need modifications – he says "it's definitely feasible." The Santa Cruz concept has a number of eye-catching features that would seem tough to produce – namely the slide-out rear bed extender that Krsteski says was influenced by the drawer-style ovens and dishwashers increasingly found in high-end kitchens. "We've had a couple of engineers in the studio and we did some study models on it, and we do think it's feasible – especially based on how we could package that inside there." With the extension in place, the small bed is large enough for a motocross bike to fit in on an angle. So what's next for the Santa Cruz? Hyundai has some internal studies it has completed and others that remain ongoing, and the company will work to gauge consumer response to the vehicle at auto shows and other events. Hyundai Motor America is clearly excited about the California-born project, but the toughest hurdle to a production pickup will likely be getting approval from headquarters in Korea. To that end, we've been led to understand that it was both telling and strategic that the Hyundai press conference was packed with Korean executives, who were on-hand in part to gauge media reaction to the Santa Cruz.

Hyundai reveals new i20 hatchback ahead of Paris debut

If you had ever traveled overseas and rented a Hyundai Getz, you'll likely have gotten why it was the butt of jokes: it Getz you from A to B, but not much more. But like the company that makes it, the Korean supermini is all grown up now, long since eschewing the punchline nameplate for the i20 moniker. And here is its latest successor.
Set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show this fall, the new i20 is Hyundai's rival to the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Yaris and such. Designed in Europe for the European market, the new i20 stretches its wheelbase nearly two inches longer than its predecessor (and four and a half inches longer than the knees-in-your-chest Getz) to offer best-in-class legroom and cargo capacity.
Hyundai also says the new i20 is the first in its segment to offer an opening panoramic sunroof. While we wouldn't exactly call the styling "exciting" (especially in that shade of brown), penned at the company's European design center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, it certainly does look more mature... which, we take it, is kinda the point.