Student-Designed Hyundai Obsidian Concept Looks Futuristic Yet Awfully Familiar
Hyundai, along with its luxury brand Genesis, has produced some sensational and extremely unique concepts in recent years. Just think of the N Vision 74 or the more recent Insteroid, for example.
Looking for fresh ideas, the automaker's European division gave university students the challenge of designing “the next enriching experience for Hyundai drivers.” A team from the Munich University of Applied Sciences in Germany came up with the result you see here—a futuristic-looking proposal, for sure, but not a very imaginative one if you ask us.
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Called Obsidian, the concept was designed as a spacious and aerodynamic five-door sports car with a flat nose, a continuous hood and windshield line, and a hump-like rear end. Looks familiar? Well, it should. This is essentially a budget version of the Honda 0 Saloon, last seen at CES 2025 earlier this year and slated to enter production for the North American market late in 2026.
The LED light strip at the front and the vertical taillights in the rear both use the pixel motif that Hyundai loves so much these days, with the all-new IONIQ 9 serving as the latest example. There are sporty additions like the sharp chin spoiler and side skirts, not to mention the bulging fenders or the red accent lines that continue around the wheel rims.
In a video shared on Facebook, Hyundai describes the Obsidian as an “absolutely gorgeous” concept. That’s highly debatable. And of course, as a design study, it's impossible to see what the interior looks like (hence the red tinted windows) or to know what powertrain lies beneath.
The vehicle was officially shown at a car design event in Munich alongside the Hyundai Initium, Kia EV2 and Genesis X Gran Cabriolet concepts. No offense to Obsidian's young designers, but we much prefer the imagination and pencil strokes of the Korean giant's own teams.