Hyundai meets Iron Man in special edition car

Hyundai Motor Company unveiled an “Iron Man edition” of the Kona at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Comic-Con event in San Diego on July 19. (provided by Hyundai Motor Company)

Automaker presents Marvel collaboration in opening ceremony of 2018 Comic-Con event

Marvel superhero Iron Man meets Hyundai in a special edition of the automaker’s Kona subcompact crossover SUV.

Hyundai Motor Company unveiled an “Iron Man edition” of the Kona developed in conjunction with Marvel designers when the opening ceremony of the 2018 Comic-Con event kicked off in San Diego around midday on July 19. It’s the first mass-produced vehicle in the world incorporating a Marvel character theme. The vehicles are to be produced on an order basis as of early next year through a simultaneous global launch event. Orders will be restricted to one over a specified period of time.

The vehicle includes numerous examples of colors, symbols, and images recalling the Iron Man character. The paintwork is matte metallic gray to match the original Iron Man suit when the character first appeared in 1963 in the Marvel Comics series “Tales of Suspense.” The shade of red used for the most recent Iron Man suit was applied as a point color for the vehicle.

Hyundai Motor Company announced on July 19 that it unveiled its collaboration with Marvel, the Kona Iron Man Edition, at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Comic-Con event in San Diego on July 19. It’s the first mass-produced vehicle to be themed after a Marvel comic book hero. (provided by Hyundai Motor Company)

The vehicle also features a Marvel logo emblazoned on its hood. The separate daytime running lights (DRLs) and LED headlights recall the shape of the eyes on Iron Man’s mask. The 18-inch two-tone wheels feature a metallic badge and the Iron Man mask. The door features the logo of Iron Man’s company Stark Industries, while the red two-tone roof shows the Iron Man mask and the license plate garnish in back reads “Iron Man” in engraving.

Other Iron Man features can be found inside the vehicle. The seats come in basic colors of gray and red, emblazoned with the Iron Man mask and logo. Exclusive Iron Man edition graphics appear on the head-up display, and the signature of Iron Man alter ego Tony Stark appears on the crash pad (buffering device).

“We selected Iron Man because it was suited to the Kona’s product identity as a state-of-the-art safe SUV optimized for urban lifestyle patterns,” a Hyundai Motor official explained.

“It will be launched on the domestic market early next year with a variety of driving functions and state-of-the-art safety and convenience features including Hyundai Smart Sense,” the official added.

By Choi Ha-yan, staff reporter

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