• Hyundai puts the Inster on steroids to create the Insteroid design study.
• Although Hyundai doesn’t say it, its inspiration for this concept was Group B rally cars from the 1980s.
• There are no plans to take the Insteroid racing, though, as cool as that would be.

Hyundai knows how to build its image to make its origins as a maker of simple, cheap cars a distant memory. Many of its production cars are punching above their weight, but it’s also the source of many bold and enticing concepts, the latest of which is the Insteroid study, which is based around the adorable Inster electric city runabout. Its name is a clever play on the model’s name and the word “steroids.”

The study features an exaggerated widebody kit similar to what you may have seen on a Group B rally car from the 1980s. It reminds us of the Renault 5 Turbo (of which there’s a modern reinterpretation) or the MG Metro 6R4, both crazy mid-engined machines with big body kits and aero. We doubt Hyundai wants to take the Inster rallying, but the vehicle would become an instant design icon because it just looks so outrageous.

Simon Loasby, senior vice president and head of the Hyundai Design Center, describes the Insteroid as “a celebration of pure fun – a journey where we explored new ways to ignite emotion and imagination in every detail. It’s not just about how it looks but also how it sounds and makes you feel. From its bold visual language to the immersive sound experience, it’s a concept that invites everyone to dream a little louder and smile a little longer.”

The interior is completely stripped out and rally car-like, but the more you look, the more cool details you see. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into making the interior look the way it does, and it does a great job of blending the look of an actual rally car with lots of design-focused details that make it surprisingly aesthetically pleasing to behold.

Maybe if the concept is well enough received, Hyundai might actually consider making this its official World Rally Car when the time comes to replace its current i20 N-based racer. The Inster is one size class smaller than the i20 on which the current car is based, but that shouldn’t be an issue.

Would you like this to become an actual rally car? Let us know in the comments.