5 days ago
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Widebody, big rear wing, and video-game-inspired aesthetics will inform the Hulked-out Insteroid concept from Hyundai.
Hyundai has injected more attitude to its pint-sized 2025 Inster electric hatchback, transforming the BYD Dolphin rival into the Insteroid show car.
Taking inspiration from video games, the shadowy teaser images do not reveal exact details, but a monster, rally-inspired rear spoiler can be seen.
Taking its name from ‘Inster’ and ‘Steroid’ the Insteroid also features wider bodywork, with vented front fenders to help cool the brakes, as well as what appears to be roof and bonnet scoops to also aid cooling.
Hyundai has also shown what appears to be a drift brake, indicating the Insteroid will not just be about straight-line performance, but could take a page out of the N playbook like the i30 and Ioniq 5 and offer up corner-carving thrills.
The teaser does not detail whether the Insteroid has increased performance compared to the doner car, which outputs as much as 85kW/147Nm in Extended Range form.
The base Inster Standard Range is tuned to 71kW/147Nm, and both send drive to the front wheels.
As standard the base Inster features 15-inch wheels, expanding to 17 inches in the Extended Range, but the show car sports arch-filling 21-inch wheels.
“Insteroid is designed to boost the emotional experience of electric cars,” Hyundai said in the release.
“Equipped with fun details, it offers plenty to discover; every element – from the control buttons to the instrument cluster, the rear spoiler to the brakes – reflects Interoid’s character.”
Hyundai will unveil the Insteroid in early April, likely lifting the silk at the 2025 Seoul Motor Show, while the production Inster is due to hit local showrooms shortly.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
