Dezeen promotion: Hyundai's first hydrogen-powered SUV – featured in the brand campaign Because of You – is a "sublimely futuristic" vehicle that purifies air rather than pollutes it.
The NEXO model is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell – a technology developed by Hyundai that generates electricity from a mix of oxygen and compressed hydrogen.
Hydrogen fuel cells only emit water and heat, therefore acting as a clean energy source, and are also much quicker to refuel than electric charging. The car manufacturer estimates that just five minutes is enough to refill, much like a petrol car, and can be used for up 600 kilometres before another recharge is needed.
The Hydrogen Fuel Cell is among a number of environmentally friendly aspects included in NEXO, which underpinned the advertising campaign Because of You.
This campaign was developed by Creative Works – the Seoul-based design studio set up by Hyundai in 2015, with the goal to transform the automotive company into a design-led lifestyle brand.
The NEXO's other environmentally friendly features, as detailed in the video, are durable high-performance air purifier filters that work to remove 99.9 per cent of micro-pollutants from the air surrounding the vehicle.
Other features are remote parking and alerts for drivers when other vehicles enter blind spots. There are also a number of cutting-edge safety features, like automatic braking and a lane-tracking warning when crossing over road markings.
Hyundai intended to highlight the cleanliness of the sustainable electric vehicle in the design of the SUV's exterior, which features triangular tail lights and curvilinear indentations.
"We've styled the exterior to reflect [the car's eco-credentials], making it as streamlined and sublimely futuristic as possible," said the brand.
The NEXO is the latest in a series of Hyundai projects that Creative Works has applied its new design-focused approach to.
The team overhauled Hyundai's branding and identity with a simple font and aesthetic in hues of blue, white and grey, and delivered a series of design and architecture projects that include pavilions, hotels, and minimal shops.
"We had many experts who can design cars but there was no one in the company who knew how to deliver brand value or create consumer experiences," said Hyundai's chief marketing officer Wonhong Cho, explaining why they decided to set up the new studio.
The team also worked on the pavilion by British designer Asif Khan, which took cues from the Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicle, for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea earlier this year.
The temporary building was coated in ultra-dark Vantablack, and punctuated by "stars" that represent hydrogen as a chemical element on a cosmic level.
Creative Works has also teamed up with Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment to reimagine tour buses for performance artists. Called the Solati Moving Hotel, the vehicle features Scandinavian-style interiors adapted to multiple functions, such as dressing rooms and relaxing areas.
Other projects include the minimalist Genesis Gangnam retail space for the exhibition of Hyundai cars.
To find out more about the NEXO model, visit the Hyundai website.