Hyundai unveils build yourself soapbox ride

Hyundai Motor has designed the Hyundai Soapbox ride which parents can build together with their children and groups of friends can create.

The soapbox was developed by engineers and designers from the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center (HMETC) using affordable and easily-available materials. Intended to promote quality time for customers, families and friends, Hyundai has made the instructions available to download so the vehicle can be built at home.

With schools still closed in parts of Europe, and families spending more time together, Hyundai recognised the importance of spending quality time with one's family and wanted to come up with a project that would be fun for parents and children alike.

As a mobility provider, this naturally involved something related to cars - and thus the idea of the Hyundai Soapbox was born. The Hyundai Soapbox is a motor-less vehicle designed by Hyundai experts that is nonetheless fairly easy to build.

Designers and engineers at HMETC conceived the model in the company's workshop, and built a prototype to ensure the feasibility of the design. In order to keep it accessible, the HMETC team was careful to only use materials which were readily available at an average hardware store. They also paid attention to the total cost of materials to make sure the design stayed affordable.

When looking to other Hyundai models for inspiration, the 45 concept stood out for its straight lines and geometric shapes, as well as the Hyundai design identity 'Sensuous Sportiness'. As a basis, the 45 provided the general direction and inspired the final soapbox design. Aspects of 45 can be seen in the surface treatment of the soapbox body, such as the flat panels and wedge-shaped silhouette.

Instructions on how to build the soapbox ride can be found here.