Hyundai Goes Hybrid
Hyundai plans release of hybrid car in 2005
Hyundai Motor Co. is planning to offer its first hybrid electric car next year, the company said yesterday. Korea’s largest automaker is developing a hybrid version of its Verna sub-compact car. The new model, tentatively called the MC, is expected to be out late next year.
The more, the merrier. No word if these will be available in the States, but if they are: The article indicates that only 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles will be made. And thus the production problems continue… I think the first car manufacturer to figure out a way to mass produce hybrid cars in multiple styles (SUV, compact, 4 door) and keep up with demand will be the one to change the world.
28. June 2004 at 12:24
Man, I was really hoping for a picture of the car…
28. June 2004 at 16:35
Great! By the time it’s mass produced in a large enough quantity to be affordable, I’ll be all ready to trade in my (currently brand new) Sonata!!
28. June 2004 at 19:07
personally, i’m holding out for a diesel-hybrid. diesels ar emaking a minor comeback in the states of late, mainly because their fuel economy is so much better than gas burners (if anyone has the sepcifics, they can offer them up, but in short — a diesel engine burns less fuel per cycle and thus a car can go further on one gallon of diesel than on 1 gallon of gas). with clean/low-sulfur diesels around the corner (federally mandated in 2007, i think — mainly to address the two major shortcomings of diesels in terms of pollution: soot and discharge of NOx) and most car manufacturers confident that sengines meating thjose criteria are eminetly doable, i think a diesel hybrid could easily crack 70 mpg in actuality, rather than based on the EPAs overly optimistic testing right now (most insights and priuses are hard pressed to crack 45 mpg, nevermind the 60-70 they are rated for).
there is a lot of upside to increased use of diesels — a turbo diesel has outlandinsh torque, which means they actually tend to out-accelerate their gaspowered counterparts. hp isn’t spectacular, but really, torque what you want in your car anyway. better merging power, more hauling power, more getup and go.
VW and mercedes recently released a few turbo diesel models in the US and the automotive press was quite taken by their offerings. see:
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=reviews&loc_code=index&content_code=04772799
and
http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=reviews&loc_code=index&content_code=00291841