The i-Flow had a mixed reaction in Geneva: in many respects this was another busy 'fluidic-sculpture' design - to use a Hyundai term - but it is more mature than some similar previous designs. Look beyond the overly fussy face and the proportions and stance of the car were much admired by many car designers in Geneva. The form language also impressed.
The core sweeping bone lines of the flanks dominate much of the design and in this instance they integrate well with the DLO and overall volumes of the car. The general effect is very Korean, and this appears to have been the intention of the Italian exterior designer Nicola Danza working under head of exteriors, Raphael Bretecher, in the Hyundai design studio in Germany. The i-Flow's C-pillars themselves were other interesting exterior design features, floating like flying-buttresses outside of the wrap-around rear window they also graphically run over the roof like a roll-hoop.
Inside, the fluidic-sculpture continues with all of the forms literally sweeping around the cabin. Adding to this quality is the 'flo-tec' material that allows for the fine-lined texture of the IP to be designed into the form such that it relates well with the adjacent elements. Another interesting technically driven innovation (like the Hyundai HED4 Qarmaq concept car from three years ago, this car was heavily co-branded, this time with supplier BASF) are the glass-fiber reinforced polymer seats that were structurally 'grown' on a computer and have inner illumination that shines through the translucent outer to show off this unique seat structure.
The i-Flow is an exuberant design that has clearly had a lot of energy put into its conception. We hope Hyundai might see the value of many of this concept's design ingredients and ensure that they are carried through to production
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