Hyundai Debuts Hexa Space Concept with Puzzle-Like Seats in New Delhi

Hyundai is looking to expand the notion of family mobility with its Hexa Space Concept, which it just revealed at the Auto Expo in New Delhi, India. The new concept has room for eight, fold-flat seats for camping, despite the fact it isn’t much bigger than a small hatchback.

Though only a concept, Hyundai is hoping to appeal to urban-dwellers in their 30s and 40s with young families in the world’s emerging economies. It’s also designed to provide a flexible interior space. The concept van is outfitted with eight hexagonal-shaped seats (hence the name) in three rows. The first two rows each have three seats, with the center seat placed aft from the outboard positions, maximizing shoulder room for three-abreast seating. The seats can be reconfigured in numerous ways, including having second-row seats recline, the middle seats folded for more space, or folding any of the seats flat into the floor for load space.

The automaker chose the hexagon because it is the best possible shape for packaging, as shown in nature with the honeycomb. Despite the large passenger load, the Hexa Space is quite small: it shares its platform with the Hyundai ix20 and Kia Soul, meaning it sits on a 108.3-inch wheelbase and is only 169.3 inches long overall. At 71.7 inches wide, it inhabits roughly the same footprint as a compact hatchback. Powering the concept is Hyundai’s Kappa 1.2-liter turbocharged I-4, which is bolted to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Other innovative features of the Hexa Space include rear doors that lift out and then slide back, out of the way, a touch-screen center stack with push-button transmission, and a cluster ionizer air purifier.