Hyundai has been driving automotive design development for more than a decade. What’s more, it’s not just copying and pasting a set of styling cues on various vehicle shapes and sizes.
The automaker’s “chess piece” strategy means that its designs are tailored to segment needs, while remaining recognizable across design principles. The Santa Fe SUV and the Ioniq 5 electric crossover, for example, look different because they serve different purposes and appeal to different customers.
At the 2026 New York International Auto Show, Hyundai surprised everyone by unveiling the Boulder body-on-frame concept and the latest iteration of its design language, called ‘Art of Steel.’ We spoke with Brad Arnold, Head of Hyundai North America Design, about Hyundai’s unique design concepts and philosophy.
(The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.)
Photo by: Hyundai
Brad Arnold: We’ve focused a lot on XRT over the last five years. But it all starts with Santa Cruz. We developed the vehicle for the US, and it’s our first vehicle that’s more focused on outdoor activities. Of course, it has evolved tremendously to the point where we are today, where we are moving to body-on-frame.
But yes, the area of emphasis when we started designing this was stronger terms, not stronger, and designing something that allowed the honesty of the product to come to the surface and be reflected in the final design. A bumper is a bumper, a tow hook is a tow hook. Let’s consider it a unique design feature.
And also, as SangYup [Lee, head of Hyundai Global Design] mentioned in his presentation, ‘The Art of Steel’, using the materials that we used to make this, and trying not to torture the interior or the materials into undesirable shapes, you know?
I think production processes in the past limited what designers could do with those surfaces. So that’s why they’ve become quite iconic and simple. And I think people are craving simplicity and honesty in today’s design world. So that’s something we really focus on, letting it speak for itself, letting it be honest and authentic to what you’re using it for.
Photo by: Hyundai
I think the great thing about Hyundai is that it’s a fast-paced, lean company, and almost everything we do is leveraged in some way, right? There is no room for doing design exercises just for the sake of design exercises and throwing them in the trash. So everything you see from us, usually, is a version of something that is going to happen. No pun intended.
But specifically for this, we’re working on a lot of different derivatives and versions of adventure vehicles, US-focused vehicles, so of course, it’s something that’s being contemplated across the company. This is an exciting adventure for us, especially as a US Design Studio.
So I mentioned ‘Art of Steel’ as the inspiration that shaped the body, shaped the fenders, letting the honesty and integrity of the material come into the design. But another part that’s really fun is when we have honest rolling parts like this [points to rear tailgate and taillight]this gives a lot of depth to lights that at first glance look like big, soft pixels.
So, from afar, across the intersection, it looks bold and impressive. But upon further inspection, there are many wonderful technical details. And also the ambient light that is cast on the surface draws your attention to where you need to take it, so making sure that even in the design and flowing light, we draw attention to the areas that need to work, you can put your hand here and feel the part on both sides, like the double-hinged back door, but leaving it like that, what is the most comfortable grip that you can imagine? Correct? It’s like rock climbing, like some of those hand holds.
I don’t like rock climbing, but we have some of that stuff in our studio for inspiration, and it’s very encouraging [conversation]. What is the most convenient part we can make that is not a separate handle? Just grab the surface and open it.
Photo by: Hyundai
No, I think [it is practical]. But it can also be made into one unit and can be inserted from the back. But no, it definitely looks like this.
Potentially, but for us, it’s not about wanting to create a boxy shape and creating something in the architecture that is most useful for the customer. Usually, the shape is formed for a reason, right?
What we want is to give the customer the maximum visibility into the outdoor experience they’re going through, as well as the most interior space, so that we don’t feel cramped, and boxes are pretty efficient at doing that, right?
Anytime the tumblehome and windshield are more upright, the interior space feels much larger, and then allows you to open the window graphics more to ensure that light from the environment you’re passing through floods in. So it has driven an aesthetic that looks quite functional, but is driven by a desire to give them the best experience when they drive the vehicle. It wasn’t like, ‘Okay, we want to make it square.’
I think the shape will change depending on what we’re trying to design for it. In this case, the most functional is to make it this shape. This also allows for a lot of versatility. If the object is a little more linear, it will be easier for you to mount objects on it, right? Yes, they all have many changes to the appearance of the fields, crowns, sections and heights. It’s very difficult to make ladders or boxes or accessory kits because it looks like it will only fit this one car in one location. So I think it also speaks to freedom of expression, like giving customers the greatest flexibility we can to make sure your Boulder looks different than mine.
I think it’s a unique way for a customer to put their stamp on a vehicle like this. It’s like, ‘I go kayaking, I go hiking,’ and they want to wear that badge of honor on their vehicles, right? Even though it’s not something they do all the time, they want to represent, I’m the one who loves to climb. I’m a canoeist. I’m a cycling person.
Photo by: Hyundai
Especially for outdoor driving that focuses on adventure, it’s quite freeing for you, right? This gives you a platform that is inherently more capable than a unibody.
You can of course develop a unibody vehicle to be very capable, but this platform gives us an inherently more capable starting point. So it can be simpler, because there is no need to embellish something that is lacking in terms of capability, you can leave the actual proportions of a short wheelbase, short overhangs, high ground clearance of the car, basically it’s already cool, right?
And I think this is the kind of vehicle that, if most kids were given a marker and said, draw an SUV or draw a truck, then this is what they would draw, right? And in our subconscious, that’s what a truck should look like. I don’t want to say it’s easier, because it’s still a huge challenge, but it is. This is something we allow the vehicle’s inherent capabilities to be represented in the final design. And don’t try to get in the way of styling. You have to show a lot of restraint in a vehicle like this.
I think so. We are still discussing chess pieces internally and externally. This is a good way for us to remind ourselves that customers only want the best products; they’re not that impressed with, ‘But this is the grille we have on all the other cars,’ right?
This allows design teams and product development teams to focus on building the best product for each need. And we keep using the chess piece analogy, because it’s a good way for us to see that the overall picture of a vehicle can be different at any time, but the basics remain the same. So it maintains a certain level of consistency.
And for me, internally, when we talk about designers, the consistency is that this brand, since its inception, has had companies and customers shaking hands, right? It is form [Hyundai logo] H. And if we remind ourselves on every project that that’s what we’re doing here, that we’re trying to stay focused on the customer and their experience. This gives us greater freedom to sketch the shape. I don’t want to say that this isn’t important, but it is secondary to the experience we want to convey.
Photo by: Hyundai
We talked a lot about the ‘Art of Steel’ when we designed this vehicle, and when we talk about details like wheels or tow hooks, what’s the simplest way to describe the functionality we’re giving those components?
So the tow hook, what does it do? It should be fitted in these two areas, and should be circular to give you volume, to put shackles or straps in the back. The same thing happens with the wheels. How do we give you a feeling of connection and power, but keep it as simple as possible? So, you’ll notice the great drill detail on the side for light weight, but if you glance at it, it feels familiar, right?
It is a six-spoke wheel. I think every child, if given a marker, could imagine how tough the wheel is. It might be something they would draw, but we add something special to it as we perfect it.
We really want to celebrate the gaps between surfaces. I think when things get really messy, your brain automatically starts thinking, ‘Well, that’s not a real bumper. That’s not a real tow hook.’
With a vehicle like this, celebrating inequality and celebrating negative space is quite powerful, isn’t it? And showing physical relationships with things means showing relationships. Plus, it just draws your attention to the tow hook. You don’t need to look for it, right? So I think that motif is something that we play with a lot.
