Hyundai Santa Fe, Kona And NEXO Bag Prestigious 2018 IDEA Design Award

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The International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) judges today recognised Hyundai’s design talent by awarding the firm’s SUV offerings. The IDE Awards are presented by the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA).

The International Design Excellence Award is one of three grand international design prizes. Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV, NEXO fuel-cell SUV, and Kona subcompact SUV have received silver awards in the automotive and transportation category. The IDE Award is one of the three most prestigious awards in the U.S., along with the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award. The IDE Award is presented to winners of 20 categories including automotive and transportation, consumer technology, service design, and so on. The parameters of the award are based on standards such as design innovation, user experience, and social responsibility.

The three silver IDEA design awards won by Hyundai Motor are the most prestigious global design awards won in the South Korean manufacturer’s history for the automotive and transportation category. The Elantra had brought home a bronze award for the company in 2016.

“The three representative models that will be responsible for the current and future of Hyundai Motor’s SUV lineup proved their competitive edge by achieving the highest-ever company performance in product design,” said Luc Donkerwolke, Head of Hyundai Design Center and Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor. “We expect this recognition will help inspire continuous improvement in design performance for Hyundai.”

Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV which debuted this year in its fourth-generation avatar in February globally followed by a Middle Eastern and African launch in September features a wide and stable stance, the automaker’s signature cascading grille, LED DRLs positioned on top of the LED headlamps, all adding to an overall dynamic design.

The new Kona introduced in the Middle East in August adopts the company’s new family design language. The LED Composite Light Design together with the rugged bumper cladding impart the Kona a confident, progressive appearance with a sleek, sharp silhouette. The Kona received all three prestigious awards this year, which goes to show what a great product Hyundai has designed.

Finally, the NEXO fuel-cell SUV has a futuristic design that showcases its advanced capabilities, thoughtful features like a horizon positioning lamp, and a recessed rear wiper that aids the car’s clean image. The NEXO also received the Red Dot Design Award, earning it recognition for its design excellence.

“These awards are perfectly timed for Hyundai in our region, as we begin sales for both the Santa Fe and Kona,” said Mike Song, Hyundai Head of Operations for Africa and the Middle East. “We are emphasizing design as an important point of difference for the Hyundai brand. Such a strong performance in the IDEA awards is further recognition that we offer something distinctive and unique to our customers, and that our latest SUV models once again set the standard in their segments.”