The partnership between Pininfarina and Hyundai has produced the Matrix, the MPV this Asian company is aiming at the European market and which proudly flaunts the logo of the Turin designer in a prominent position on its side.

Lorenzo Ramaciotti, the General Manager of Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche, says he’s delighted with his firm’s latest partnership with a Korean company (following Kia and Daewoo) and excited by the challenge that Korean projects represent. He points out that while the Daewoo Tacuma and Hyundai Matrix are both MPVs, they have been interpreted in very different ways. Specifically, while the rounded lines of the former are distinctly oriental, the much more geometrical Matrix has a decidedly Western air.

“Obviously”, continues Ramaciotti, “we were delighted to see that no major changes had been made to our design by a client that has more experience of styling than most Korean manufacturers”.

Pininfarina’s work for Hyundai was conducted at top speed. After the first exploratory sketches were completed, the renderings were ready by May 1998 and the model was handed over just two months later. Development was based on a new floorpan (which was subsequently adopted for the Elantra) and the Pininfarina team was given a free hand over the bodywork design. The engineering was handled by Hyundai after in-depth feasibility studies were jointly conducted by the Korean and Pininfarina engineers. No doubt that explains why there were so few differences between the definitive model and the actual production car. Most of those changes were made on the front and most concerned the headlights and the trapezoidal radiator grille.

Hyundai itself created the dashboard which is softly shaped with the instruments clustered at the centre and a “peninsula” that holds the gear lever. “Overall the project was completed to the satisfaction of both parties”, concludes Ramaciotti, “which augurs well for future collaboration between us”.