Hyundai’s Clever Concept Veloster

Did you ever wonder what you could do with all those broken skateboard decks that you have piling up out back?

Well, the folks at Hyundai Design North America might have been asking themselves that question when working on the Veloster C3 Roll Top concept.

That’s not entirely true. Liz Curran, Hyundai color and trim expert at the studio, explained, “We visit several shows and events like the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City every year to find new, exciting and interesting materials. This year we uncovered Art of Board, a company that makes hand-cut tiles from 100% recycled skate decks. The decks are very durable and repurposed into art, shelves, benches, and chairs. Every scratch, scrape and gouge is kept intact—adding character and making them truly original and each with its own story. They’re alive with texture, shape and color.”

So, for the cargo floor of the C3, more than 20 depleted decks were used to line it and the rear seatbacks.

Another issue: What do you do with those tarps that you use to cover your trailer?

Well, in this case the design team took an industrial billboard truck tarp and reconfigured and re-stitched it so that it forms the roll top of the C3.

Another urban inspiration for the car is the fixed-gear bike (a.k.a., “fixie”) that is essentially a stylish but minimalist (no brakes; single speed) mode of transportation. One of the things that these customized bikes boast is a unique color pallet.

So the C3 designers lifted the pallet, using colors like teal for the rear wheels, a high-gloss white for the body, and flat black and flat red for various bits and pieces of trim.

The Veloster has long been one of the favorites of autofieldblog. The Veloster C3 Roll Top just shows how far the Hyundai design team is willing to push. Props to them.