Hyundai Motor was recently honoured at the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards, with the forthcoming Ioniq eco-friendly model recognised for its outstanding design in the coveted ‘vehicle category’.

The Red Dot Design Award, granted by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany, acknowledges international excellence in product design, said a statement from the company.

In the Vehicles category, the 2016 edition of the awards recognised the future-orientated design of Hyundai’s first dedicated eco-friendly model, it added.

Officially launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March and due to be released in selected international markets during 2016, the Ioniq takes a new approach to green motoring. Rather than commit to a single combination of energy source and drivetrain, the ground-breaking Hyundai offers three different powertrain options within a shared vehicle architecture. These include parallel petrol-electric hybrid, where both engines work together to move the car; plug-in petrol electric hybrid, which offers a limited range using electric power, supplemented by a petrol engine for longer journeys; and a fully electric option for pure zero emissions motoring, it said.

In selecting the Ioniq, the Red Dot jury recognised Hyundai for presenting an evolutionary design, through a refined, sophisticated form, and for its application of new eco-friendly materials. The vehicle presents new possibilities for Hyundai Motor’s future mobility styling, with its purified shape led by aerodynamics, and its refined, clean lines and surfaces enhancing its coupe-like silhouette, said the statement.

Drawing on a jury of 38 experts from 25 countries - all high profile designers, professors and journalists - the Red Dot Design Award is recognised globally as one of the most sought-after marks for quality design. The 2016 contest attracted 5,214 entries from 57 countries, making the Red Dot Award the largest and most international product competition in the world, it stated.

Jin (James) Kim, vice president and head of Hyundai Africa and Middle East, said: “The Ioniq is a unique concept in the market for greener motoring, with this latest award bringing further global recognition for the company’s forward-looking design philosophy.”

“To date, alternative-fuel vehicles have committed to one technology, such as hybrid drive or pure electric. The Ioniq is flexible according to the needs of specific customers, which will contribute to the take-up of more environmentally friendly vehicles,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service