A new way of storytelling:
Hyundai’s webtoon approach
5 minute read
August 06, 2026
Everyone likes a good story full of emotion, human interaction, plot twists, and suspense. Now, Hyundai is using the storytelling format to craft an engaging, illustrative narrative that marks a new step in its content marketing. In our first-ever webtoon, Ah-In’s quiet crush on Hyun unfolds into a tender will-they-or-won’t-they story. Guided by her car Concept THREE and its companion Mr. Pix, her hesitant steps toward romance begin to take shape.
Following this, the second installment brings the same characters back in a different setting. This time, Ah-In and Hyun find themselves in a story shaped around pursuit and investigation, shifting the tone to a more suspenseful, detective-driven narrative. At the center of this new storyline is the CRATER concept car, taking on a key role as the main vehicle that moves the story forward.
Webtoons? Why not!
Webtoons are short, serialized stories optimized for vertical scrolling on smartphones. Often created as “snack content” for on‑the‑go entertainment, they feature distinctive illustration styles across a wide range of narrative themes. A unique feature of webtoon is its flexibility: stories can quickly evolve in response to reader feedback. This allows creators to track reactions in real time and refine narratives in ways that keep audiences engaged.
Like gaming, webtoons offer an inclusive and dynamic format for imagination and creative expression. What began as a format enjoyed mainly in Korea has now grown into a global medium, attracting readers worldwide and steadily expanding its fanbase.
Mr. Pix as your wingman
Hyundai’s Concept THREE debuted at the IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich. As a bold new step in our electrification journey, Concept THREE was the first compact EV design in the IONIQ EV family. Among its many fascinating features was the introduction of the small, recurring character Mr. Pix, embedded in the car’s design. Like an easter egg waiting to be discovered, Mr. Pix evokes curiosity while creating an emotional connection with the driver.
For our webtoon social media content, we took Mr. Pix’s whimsical character and storytelling potential and gave him a new role: helping Ah-In win Hyun's heart with tips, motivation, encouraging words, or simply helping her out of cringe moments.
And when it comes to their first encounters with each other inside Ah‑In’s Hyundai Concept THREE, there is no shortage of memorable moments. The story’s authentic style and portrayal of down‑to‑earth human emotions allow readers to relate to the nervousness and excitement of sitting next to one’s crush, the tension it creates, and the embarrassing things one can say in such situations. These subtle moments of unexpected closeness echo the kind of romantic tropes often seen in K‑dramas, making the scene instantly familiar to many readers.
New plot twists around every corner
For our first venture into the world of webtoons, we collaborated with the renowned Korean illustrator Kinve, whose strong character design and narrative direction perfectly suited our developing story. Her stylized portrayal of the protagonist’s emotions, their interactions, and, of course, the ever-helpful Mr. Pix created a distinctive stage, with Concept THREE serving quite literally as a “vehicle” for our unfolding romance-driven storyline.
Ah-In and Hyun’s promising relationship is further supported by another helpful feature, namely Instagram’s poll function. To enrich the story and increase viewer engagement, we encouraged audience participation by asking readers a story-related question at the end of each content piece. This inclusive approach opened the narrative to creative suggestions and feedback, adding new layers to the story and enhancing its appeal.
A hit with viewers
Our first webtoon turned out to be in tune with digital natives and their desire for snackable mobile-first content. The first episode successfully reached not only high-intent automotive audiences but also highly engaged webtoon audiences. Episode 2 took things even further with 21.52M views, 44K likes, 837 comments, and 762 poll participants. The positive reception and impressive engagement confirmed that such storytelling formats have strong viral potential among webtoon-based audiences.
Buckle up for more exciting webtoon content
Building on the momentum of our first webtoon story, a second chapter has now been released, continuing to expand Hyundai’s approach to tailored, social media brand experiences.
While Hyun and Ah-In return as the same familiar characters, this new chapter introduces them through a collaboration with a different webtoon artist, YongSung Choi, bringing a fresh visual style to the story. In contrast to the romantic tone of the first installment, the two now stand on opposing sides—Hyun as a member of a criminal organization, and Ah-In as a detective determined to track him down.
With the CRATER concept car taking center stage, the narrative unfolds through dynamic off-road pursuit scenes, adding a new level of energy and intensity to the storytelling. This chapter is available not only on Hyundai’s global social channel, but also on NAVER WEBTOON’s community platform, Cuts, inviting an even wider audience to engage with the story.
That’s the magic of the webtoon format, as well as its power as a brand communication tool. See for yourself and be part of an evolving social storytelling ecosystem that brings people together.
Watch the whole story at @hyundai on Instagram
