The 2021 Hyundai Tucson appears to be dramatic departure, design-wise, from its predecessor.

We’re used to getting teaser images showing concept versions of upcoming vehicles, as we did with the reveal of the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept this week – so we were ready to downplay today’s image of the next-generation Hyundai Tucson as more of the same. Except, it turns out, these are the real thing.

We’ve used some Photoshop magic to peer into the shadows but what these images reveal is the actual production model set to be formally unveiled mid-month. And while the term borders on the cliché, Hyundai isn’t far off when it says this is a “revolutionary redesign” of its familiar compact crossover.

We likely should have been expecting something radical after seeing not only the Hyundai Vision T concept at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, along with the recent updates of other familiar Hyundai products, such as the Sonata and Elantra sedans. But, starting with the new “Parametric Hidden Lights” emerging from the jewel-like front grille, the look goes well beyond what we’ve seen before with a design language the Korean carmaker calls “Sensuous Sportiness.”

(Hyundai punches things up with launch of Elantra N-Line.)

The mission, said SangYup Lee, senior vice president and head of Hyundai Global Design Center, “is to elevate the emotional qualities of automotive design. We want our customers to feel moved. With the all-new Tucson, we are introducing its ultimate evolution and a definitive statement about Hyundai’s unstoppable forward momentum.”

The new Tucson adopts a new design language for the 2021 model year.

With show-stopping visuals, Lee said Hyundai hopes the 2021 Tucson will “raise the game in the industry’s most competitive segment.”

With the emergence of LEDs and other new technologies, distinctive lighting has become a favorite tool of automotive designers. The new Sonata, for example, has lights that emerge, unexpectedly, from under what appear to be chrome strips on the front of the sedan. With the Tucson, Hyundai has taken a similarly bold approach, with the delta-shaped pattern of its daytime running lights largely hidden until switched on, only the headlights visible at all times.

At the rear, a light bar runs across the tailgate and flows into the rear fenders. It is accented by a quartet of diagonal light blades.

We’ve seen plenty of recent SUVs adopt “floating rooflines,” meanwhile, with their rear pillars blacked out. The new Tucson flips that theme, a bright accent strip rising to frame the windshield and then flowing with the roofline before plunging to meet the tailgate.

As dramatic as the exterior design might seem, the interior is bound to be even more unexpected, partitioned into the more cockpit-like layout you’d expect from a sports car, rather than a sport-utility vehicle.

The interior of the new Tucson shifts to an all-digital gauge cluster.

(First Drive: 2021 Hyundai Veloster N.)

This particular teaser image almost appears to be a late-stage rendering, so we’ll be curious to see what things look like at the Sept. 14 formal unveiling. But if it holds to what we see here, the new Tucson opts for a sportier, flat-bottomed wheel and a fully digital gauge cluster, along with a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display than on the existing model. It essentially floats in front of the instrument panel, along with a fair number of conventional controls – one big surprise – with what looks to be some storage space tucked behind.

The center console appears to have a new electronic shifter design, meanwhile, that gently rises up, more like a shallow hill. It will be intriguing to see a close-up to understand precisely how it operates.

As with the exterior, lighting is a critical element in the cabin, the new Tucson featuring ambient lights that can be dialed to 64 different colors and 10 brightness levels.

The overall look of the cabin adopts an “Interspace” design theme, according to Hyundai, and is meant to make you feel like you’re sitting in a “modern boutique hotel where your comfort and convenience are the utmost priority.”

The previous generation Tucson got refreshed for the model year and added some new technology as well.

Considering Hyundai’s typical approach, offering a variety of different trim levels, starting with a base, or fleet-oriented, package, we’re expecting what we see here to be the premium upgrade. That said, there are expectations that the 2021 Tucson may introduce a new, high-performance N model making as much as 340 horsepower.

The new crossover is expected to be produced in two different lengths, the U.S. getting the long-wheelbase version.

(Hyundai and Aptiv name AV venture: Motional.)

More to come soon as the 2021 Hyundai Tucson makes its formal global debut.