Hyundai Motor to remove shifter from its electric cars

Hyundai Motor will mount a shift lever on the steering column for its next-generation electric vehicle (EV) “NE” set to be released next year. The South Korean motor company plans to equip its internal combustion engine (ICE) cars with column shifters as well. A complete change in space design is expected once the gearbox that separates the driver’s seat from the passenger’s seat is removed.

According to the car industry on Monday, Hyundai Motor will put the gear shift on the steering column for its new EV “NE,” which will be mass produced next year. The column shifter, which refers to the shift lever mounted on the steering column like the turn signals, is often adopted by global car brands, including Mercedes Benz and Tesla.

Hyundai is aiming to completely transform the interior design of its EV by using a column shifter for its NE, which is based on EV platform called E-GMP. With the shifter no longer taking up space, Hyundai Motor designers will be able to change the interior design as they want to.


Do-Hyong Kim dodo@donga.com