It Looks Like A Honda But It’s Actually A Hyundai

Sometimes the best ideas don’t come from a boardroom full of seasoned designers, but from students with fresh eyes and no corporate filter. That’s exactly what happened when Hyundai teamed up with the Munich University of Applied Sciences in Germany, handing transportation design students a sleek, forward-looking challenge.

The result is the Hyundai Obsidian, a full-scale concept for a futuristic sports car that somehow manages to feel both refreshingly new and oddly familiar.

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The project originated with a brief from Eduardo Ramirez, head of design at Hyundai Europe, who asked the students a simple but open-ended question: “What could be the next enriching experience for Hyundai drivers?” With that, the students set out to explore a more refined, grown-up angle, aiming beyond Hyundai’s usual performance-first narrative.

Refining the Vision, Not Just the Vehicle

The winning proposal was penned by transportation design student Dominik Anders, who envisioned a next generation Hyundai with a spacious cabin and a touch of luxury. The Hyundai Obsidian is a five-door sports car with a monolithic silhouette, calling to mind the form language of the Honda 0 Saloon, perhaps a little too closely, as we’ll get into later.

The low-slung study features a flat nose with pixel LED headlights and clean surfacing. The windshield continues the line of the hood without a visible break, similar to what we’ve seen on the Tesla Cybertruck. The pronounced chin spoiler with active aerodynamic elements infuses sportiness to the design, as with the red accents on the large-diameter alloy wheels. The aggressive bodykit rounds things out with swollen fenders, sculpted side skirts, and a wide rear diffuser that ties it all together.

Photos Car Design Event

Honda

Details under the skin? Not available. The concept is purely a design study, so there’s no official word on its powertrain. Still, the proportions and closed-off surfaces strongly suggest a battery-electric layout. Since this is a static model, there’s no interior to speak of either, which explains the opaque red-tinted windows that keep curious eyes from peering inside.

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Hyundai shared a video of the Obsidian on Facebook, describing it as “absolutely gorgeous.” And visually, it’s certainly compelling. But there’s no denying the overlap with Honda’s upcoming 0 Saloon, which is actually headed for production. In contrast, the Obsidian is likely to remain just a design study, its future limited to shows and sketchbooks.

The Hyundai Obsidian was unveiled at the Car Design Event 2025 in Munich, Germany, where it was showcased alongside the Kia EV2, Hyundai Initium, and Genesis X Gran Convertible concepts from the Korean automaker.

Institute for Mobility and Life in Motion

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