Offenbach / Groups of friends and parents can build together with their children the Soapbox ride designed by Hyundai Motor. Using affordable and easily-available materials, engineers and designers from the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre (HNETC) developed the soapbox. The vehicle can be built at home and instructions are available for download intended to promote quality time for friends, customers and families. “We wanted to create a fun project that would give families and friends an enjoyable project that brings them together,” says Andreas Christoph-Hofmann, Vice President of Marketing & Product at Hyundai Motor Europe. “Of course, the Hyundai Soapbox had to stay affordable, so our designers developed it using materials that can be easily found in a local DIY store.”
Recognising the need to spend quality time with one’s family, Hyundai decided to come up with a project that would be fun for children and parents alike. The Hyundai soapbox idea was born from the fact that Hyundai is a mobility provider and therefore the choice zeroed in on a car. Fairly easy to build and designed by Hyundai experts, the Hyundai Soapbox is a motor-less vehicle. The model was conceived in Hyundai’s workshop where the HMETC designers and engineers ensured the feasibility of the design by first building a prototype. To ensure the design stayed affordable, the HMETC team paid special attention to the cost of materials and to keep it accessible, they used material that was readily available in an average hardware store.
The Hyundai Soapbox is primarily made from environmentally-friendly materials such as wood and metal keeping with the company’s commitment for eco-friendly mobility solutions. Wood, metal rods and connecting materials such as brackets and screws make up the soapbox. For steering it has joysticks and for braking a simple mechanism while a wheelbarrow provides the wheels. Although built for a child’s shape, the Soapbox can also carry a adult due to its clever engineering. Tipping the hat in honour of the launch colour of the original Kona, and meant to capture the optimism and joy of childhood, the colour of the HMETC prototype is bright yellow. The Hyundai Soapbox can fit into a regular passenger car and when fully assembled is 1 mtr wide and 1.76 mtr long.
With its main office in Offenbach, Germany, the Hyundai Motor Europe HQ was set up in the year 2000. In 2019, the company achieved registrations of 563,018 vehicles in Europe, where it currently sells in 41 countries through 3,000 outlets. Served by the company’s extensive infrastructure, 75% of the vehicles sold by Hyundai in Europe are adapted for the continents peculiar requirements. The parent company, Hyundai Motor Company, was established in 1967 with a commitment to providing mobility solutions and its products today sell in over 200 countries. Last year, Hyundai sold more than 4.5 million vehicles globally and employs more than 110,000 employees worldwide.
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