Why the New Santa Fe Looks Like it Does
Stemming from BMW’s branding success with the design idea of “Same sausage cut at different lengths,” every manufacturer seemingly decided they needed a corporate face and consistent design cues across all their models. Some worked, and others failed, only to be replaced by a new corporate look. Hyundai, however, announced years ago that their models would not follow the brand cookie-cutter approach. Instead, every vehicle would be designed specifically for its expressed purpose. The 2024 Santa Fe is the boldest expression of that design philosophy yet, looking nothing like the Tucson, Palisade, or any other Hyundai and boldly embracing a squared-off look with numerous unique design details.
Automotive reviewer Tom Voelk posted a video with a talk by Kevin Kang, Head of Design for Hyundai North America, who shares how Santa Fe’s design was developed and why it looks like it does. Dick Smith Hyundai shares with you the highlights.
From Covid to the Road Trip
Kang begins by discussing how Santa Fe was designed during the shut-in days of COVID-19 when everyone worked from home. The spot-on prediction was that this vehicle would launch after the crisis was over and that people would be more eager to get out and explore than ever before.
So, great thought was given to the idea of the road trip. Two primary ideas stemmed from this. One was that contrary to design norms, the Santa Fe design began from the back of the car because that area is central to road trip activity. Thus, the windows are large all the way to the rear, and the tailgate opening was designed to be as tall as possible and wider than on any previous Hyundai model. This facilitates both loading and unloading and provides an inviting space to simply sit and enjoy the open air. It was also essential to have both 3rd and 2nd-row seats lower easily and provide a flat floor.
Another road trip inspiration was that such trips are not merely from Point A to Point B. Along the way are stops from your basic gas stations combined with large convenience stores to outlet shops, roadside stands, etc… The result is you accumulate things along the way, so rather than have these things collect on the floor, storage spaces should be plentiful. And they sure are, including two glove boxes and dual phone charger spaces on a spacious center console completely free of transmission selection controls (now a sleek steering wheel stalk) with a large storage cubby underneath. The back of the center console even features a large drawer for 2nd-row passengers.
The Power and Challenge of the Box
The tailgate opening dimensions combined with the storage space plans led to Santa Fe’s boxy exterior and interior. There simply is no shape more space-efficient than a box. The look also suggests strength and, thus, the ability to withstand rugged treatment. So, Kang states, his directive was to create the best-looking box possible inside and out.
Conveniently, the “H” from Hyundai has a boxy shape (despite how it appears in the Hyundai logo), and the designers seized on this to make “H” a design theme seen throughout the vehicle, including the front and rear light treatments, the front climate vents and even the ambient lighting across the dashboard. There are even compound H shapes, such as on the front, with each DRL forming its own H and then a bar across the front, creating an overall H. He told his designers to give people something to distinctly remember about Santa Fe after they left it. Indeed, the first thing you will likely remember about the Santa Fe are those “H” headlights and tail lights.
Clever Details
Kang also discusses the long wheelbase, which results in short overhangs for a dynamic stance accentuated by the chiseled blocky fenders. The upright pillars combined with the road trip theme also resulted in a unique and very useful feature: the C-pillar houses a push-in panel that gives you a recessed handhold to climb up to work with things on the roof rack. The COVID-19 experience, combined with the idea of accumulating things, also led to the concept of a sanitizer in the upper glove box.
Once you hear about how its attractive design stemmed from an interesting design approach, you will want to see the Santa Fe up close even more. Dick Smith Hyundai in Greenville, NC, has a suggestion of where you can do that with a vast selection of Santa Fe models to examine.
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