Hyundai goes after Renault 5 Turbo with wild Insteroid concept

Worried that the electric future of the car will be a boring and predictable one? Well fear not, because Hyundai just revealed a wild electric car concept, complete with drift mode, called the Insteroid.

Even the name is a sign of intent. Hyundai has taken the Inster, a small, pleasant and affordable EV, then bought it a gym membership and, well, you can see where the Insteroid name might have come from.

A million miles from its humble city car origin story, the Insteroid is a pumped-up rally racer with humongous box-style wheel arches, a chiseled front splitter and a massive rear wing stuck to the roof. I suspect it goes to the same gym as Dom Toretto and its favourite video game franchise is Need for Speed.

Underground 2 soundtrack intensifies.

The Insteroid feels like Hyundai’s answer to the equally bombastic Renault 5 Turbo 3E, but whereas that slice of French lunacy is almost ready for production, the Hyundai is described as a “dream car concept aiming to challenge conventions and create excitement.”

At least for now. Given Hyundai has already shocked the EV performance car world once, with the Ioniq 5 N and its clever augmented gearbox, a toned-down version of the Insteroid might not be entirely out of the equation.

Designed to “captivate a new generation of drivers,” the Hyundai Insteroid is a “celebration of pure joy,” says Simon Loasby, the British head of Hyundai Design Centre. “It’s not just about how it looks, but also how it sounds and how it makes you feel,” he added. “From its bold visual language to the immersive sound experience, it’s a concept that invites everyone to dream a little louder and smile a little longer.”

The stripped-out, two-seat interior is equally unhinged, thanks to the full roll cage, oversized rally-style handbrake, door pulls in place of handles, and pair of huge subwoofers mounted where the rear seats used to be. It’s mad, it reminds me of the Max Power era, and I am absolutely here for it.

Performance? Well, sadly this is where the madness stops. Hyundai hasn’t said how the Insteroid might be powered, or how quick it could be. It’s a design concept, after all.

Hyundai has at least suggested the Insteroid would have a “drift mode” and a unique sound, so I’m guessing there’d be more under the bonnet than the regular Inster’s 115 bhp electric motor.

A modified version of the Ioniq 5 N’s dual-motor platform would be perfect, of course, or perhaps even a pair of in-wheel motors housed by those box arches, just like the Renault 5 Turbo 3E.

Come on, Hyundai. You know you want to.