We’ve grown well acquainted with Hyundai’s zanier side by now—after all, we did give our 2024 Car of the Year Award to the bonkers Ioniq 5 N. But for the 2025 Seoul Mobility Show, the Korean car brand is once again flexing how unhinged (in a good way) it can get.
This is the Hyundai Insteroid that was teased just a few days ago, now revealed in full glory. ‘Radical’ and ‘ridiculous’ are a couple of words the designers themselves used to describe this car, which they’re calling a ‘what if?’ project.
Watch: Hyundai Insteroid walkaround
You may vaguely recognize the Inster electric crossover under that new bodykit. The Insteroid still retains elements from the standard car and its combustion-engined Casper twin, like the round circular lighting elements up front. The name is a play on ‘Inster on steroids,’ which could have well started out as a joke during a round of drinks, but kudos to the team for taking the idea and totally committing to it.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Kai Sotto makes his brand-new Toyota Hiace Super Grandia look like a Veloz
The BYD Seal 5 is a warning to traditional carmakers
The massive rear wing is the first thing that catches your eye. While it looks static, it’s actually an active aerodynamic element like a Formula 1 car’s drag reduction system, meant to shed downforce on straights and drop back in place when you’re taking corners. The lower half of the rear end features a display that shows various animations, while the spaces for tailpipes on either side have been converted into speakers—to pump out audio from the Beat House sound system housed in the cargo area.
The ultra-wide sills allow for a bigger battery pack, while the added vents on the bodywork provide better cooling. Underneath the aggressive wheel arches with aero vents sit comically large wheels shod with low-profile tires. Up front, a low, protruding front lip completes the look.
The stripped-down interior mixes motorsports and gaming influences. There’s a roll cage, racing seats, and a rally-inspired handbrake, but also a specialized display that looks more like the interface of an arcade game. Throughout the entire car, the ‘Boost’ icon appears a total of 23 times, as represented by the ‘23’ graphic on the window.
If you’re wondering if a racing version will perhaps compete in the World Rally Championship or do a run of Pikes Peak, don’t hold your breath—this is strictly a design concept. It will, however, race in the virtual world, in games like Kartrider Rush+ and a game developed in-house by Hyundai for release sometime this month.
But more than anything, this is a creative exercise. “Insteroid represents a modern take on the idea of a dream car,” said Eduardo Ramirez, chief designer at Hyundai Design Europe. “The project allowed us to fully embrace unrestrained creativity, drawing inspiration from video games to create an emotional and engaging vision of Hyundai’s brand.”
It also shines the spotlight on the Casper and the Inster, whose presence is gaining traction in a number of markets. So if we’re not getting an actual Insteroid, these standard models in the local lineup would more than suffice...
More photos of the Hyundai Insteroid:
