Stunning Hyundai Prophecy Concept to create a competitor to the Tesla Model 3

Hyundai design boss Sang-Yeob Lee said in an interview with Autocar published Thursday that Hyundai's Prophecy concept will spawn a production electric car. As a result, Hyundai could become a competitor to the Tesla Model 3 and the upcoming BMW i4.

The production version of the Prophecy is one of three new Hyundai electric vehicles, Lee said. The first is a production version of the Hyundai 45 concept, a four-door hatchback slated for launch in 2021. It will be followed by a Prophecy-based sedan and a third model to be unveiled next year.

All three models will be based on Hyundai's new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which Kia and Genesis will also likely adopt for their EVs. Hyundai plans to launch 16 new electric vehicles by 2025, and Motor Authority reached out to Hyundai to see if the Prophecy was one of those 16, but was told "no comment" by spokesman Brandon Ramirez.

The Prophecy Concept, unveiled in March, has sleek styling inspired by cars of the 1920s and '30s, according to Hyundai. It is in contrast to the 45 Concept, which was inspired by the Giugiaro-designed Pony Coupe Concept and created Hyundai's first domestic production model.

Some of the Prophecy Concept's more unusual features, such as joystick steering, will likely never reach production. However, Hyundai has previously stated that some of the concept's styling features, such as "pixel" lights and propeller-shaped wheels to reduce aerodynamic drag, could go into production.

While it is unclear when a production version of the Prophecy will arrive, the 45 has already been seen testing ahead of a 2021 launch; the 45 will be Hyundai's first dedicated electric vehicle model. The current Kona Electric and Ioniq Electric are based on existing models. Hyundai also has a small production hydrogen fuel cell crossover, the Next.