When a Game Console Fell in Love with an EV — and Their Child Was Born in a Powerslide

If you still think Hyundai is just that sensible brand that’s recently started making EVs, hold on to your hat — because they’ve just shaken up their design department like a cocktail in a wind tunnel. The result? A futuristic little beast that looks like it’s escaped from the secret garage of a video game boss level. Its name? Insteroid. Think of it as the Inster — on steroids.

Despite being roughly the size of a microwave, the Insteroid punches above its weight with an aggressively sculpted body kit, a rear wing that could double as a bookshelf, 21-inch wheels, and a rear diffuser so dramatic it looks like it could generate its own gravitational field. It’s exaggerated, unapologetically over-the-top — and honestly? It works.

Hyundai hasn't revealed what motor or battery lies beneath this flamboyant shell, but it's safe to assume it’ll be quicker than the standard Inster, whose current top-spec model manages 0 to 100 km/h in a leisurely 10.6 seconds. Though frankly, this thing looks like it should do that in half the time, sideways, and with a glowing trail of pixels in its wake.

Then again, this might all be pure theatre. A visual concept. A design statement that says: “We could go completely nuts — we just haven’t yet.” And that’s kind of brilliant. Sometimes it’s not about the specs — it’s about the attitude.

The full-size Insteroid is set to debut in April, and whether it ends up on the road or remains a glorious digital fever dream, one thing’s clear: Hyundai is no longer playing by the old rules. It’s pressing start on something entirely new.