The chunky Three is a hatchback that measures 168.7 inches long, 76.4 inches wide, and 56.2 inches tall; that makes it about the same size as a Toyota GR Corolla hatchback, although the Hyundai is six inches shorter overall, about four inches wider, and has a roof an inch closer to the ground. Even still, its wheelbase of 107.2 inches is more than three inches longer that the Toyota's, which should translate to more interior space. The magic of EVs and their more compact powertrains, we're promised, gives this B-segment exterior C-segment roominess. The concept appears to have concept-style rear-hinged rear doors with no B-pillar, but we expect the production model will get four conventional doors.

The styling is sensational, a sort of amalgamation of the Hyundai Ioniq 5's sharp-edged, ’80s-tastic pixelated vibe and the Genesis GV60's squat plumpness. The exterior is painted a matte Tungsten Gray—a familiar hue among the Hyundai brands—while the interior is done up in gray, silver, and Moonbeam Yellow, a highlighter shade that somehow actually works even if we'd probably get jeans stains on it almost immediately. "IONIQ" lettering on the liftgate identifies the Three as a member of Hyundai's electrified family. Don't count on the yellow-highlighter tinting on the greenhouse glass, but we wouldn't be shocked if the see-through yellow "active spoiler" made production (perhaps shrunken slightly for aerodynamics, though being transparent means it's not a visibility problem).

Inside, interesting shapes and textures abound, including a grooved floor and door cards, large X-shaped appliqués on the sides of the retro-futuristic headrests, which look like they could be couch cushions on Space Station V from 2001: A Space Odyssey. More sci-fi influence is found in the "screens," which are formed from cubes that display all sorts of physical and digital messages, symbols, and lights. At the debut, they pulsated with orange lighting reminiscent of special effects from the original Star Trek.

Illuminated "Thrillseeker" (passenger side) and "Troublemaker" (driver side) wording on the seatbacks make it pretty clear this thing is meant to kick ass and quicken pulses. A cute, slightly impish ghost acts as a sort of theme in various places, appearing not only on the rooftop shark-fin antenna but also animated on a monochromatic circular screen on the end of the dashcap. Baseball stitching on the window sills and center console adds a bit of luxury detailing.

When the Three concept becomes the Ioniq 3 ("one year from now" we were told at the unveiling) we could see it using the Ioniq 5's base 225-hp motor for propulsion, perhaps in tandem with its 63-kWh battery pack. If so, a range figure of 275 miles isn't out of the question. Of course, now that we've seen the Three, the real question is how much power a Hyundai Ioniq 3 N would have? Fingers crossed it's a number that starts with a 5.