N Vision 74 Should Have Been a Tesla

Hyundai's N Vision 74, a retrofuturistic sports coupe, remains a concept, while Tesla's Cybertruck made it to market. Could Tesla have turned the N Vision 74 into a reality?

...because Tesla would have actually put it into production.

It might have taken several years, it might come in a bit more expensive than planned, and it might not have been completely finished at delivery, but they would have delivered it.

In 2022, Hyundai teased us with an epic-looking sports coupe - the N Vision 74 - that seemed to share styling inspiration with the IONIQ 5 - an angular body, square lights, and an overall bold styling that, unusually for Hyundai, was bold in all the right ways. Retrofuturism looked alive and well at the automaker, and many of us quietly hoped that we might one day be able to own the 80s future-car of our dreams. It looked poised to be wicked quick and all electric, if its shared styling with the IONIQ 5 was anything to go by. Then we didn't hear much for awhile.

Earlier this year, Hyundai dropped a wet blanket on the N Vision 74, announcing that it would be a hydrogen powertrain vehicle. With hydrogen comes expense, all-but-nonexistent infrastructure, and unnecessary complexity. Still, I held out a glimmer of hope that they might backtrack this decision, come to their senses and simply produce an EV.

Then I heard about the price tag - close to $400,000! Oh well, maybe in a decade or two when they're old and decrepit, like Lambos that can now be bought used for a few tens of thousands.

More recently, it seems apparent that the N Vision 74 has been axed altogether - doomed to exist only as a concept with which to tease the public, and drum up excitement while shipping much less exciting driving fodder to the fickle masses. With the IONIQ 5 under Hyundai's belt, I thought there was a snowball's chance it might actually make it to production one way or another. It seems I was giving them too much credit, thinking they would see their budding all-electric platforms as a path toward releasing the 74.

When I look at the car-no-longer-to-be, I am reminded of another concept-esque vehicle, but a one whose creating company actually brought to market - the Tesla Cybertruck. By all accounts, the Cybertruck looked like many other concepts - radical, expensive, loaded with features and gimmicks - but unlike the legacy automakers, Tesla actually lets us buy the thing - and for less than $100,000! While other automakers tease us with the good stuff only to ship mass-market sludge, Tesla ignored the mass declarations that the Cybertruck would "never sell" - and let the masses make that decision by buying or not.

With the Tesla Roadster ever on the horizon, I can't help but think that the N Vision 74's form factor would be best used around the Roadster. It could be a sister vehicle to the Cybertruck - the Cybercoupe? (Elon, I will accept my royalties as regular checks.) Tesla would be the company to actually put it into production at a realistic price point, and I wouldn't hesitate to get one.