Hyundai-Rimac electric sports car to be "game changer"

The EV will be visually distinct from internal-combustion cars.

Hyundai apparently has high hopes for its partnership with Croatian electric sports-car maker Rimac.

Following news that Hyundai was buying a stake in Rimac for around $89 million, the Korean automaker's head of European design, Thomas Beurkle, told Automotive News Europe the jointly developed performance EV will influence the entire company's engineering and design thinking.

"You could say it is a marketing instrument on the outside but it's also a game changer on the inside," he said.

The company wants the EV to be visually distinct from internal combustion cars, geared for buyers "who want to be advanced, who want to lead in terms of taste and style" and willing to buy an unconventional model.

"It will be a real challenge for the design department to work on this," Beurkle added.

The executive did not shed more light on what the car might look like, its performance targets, or the likely price bracket.