Hyundai's first hybrid will sport a "distinctive look"
Click above to enlarge the Hyundai Blue Drive diagram
One of the many reasons cited for the continued success of the Toyota Prius is its unique styling, which is both aerodynamically-sound and makes the car instantly recognizable as a hybrid. Other automakers have taken the route of adding special badges or modified grilles to their fuel-saving automobiles to help differentiate them from their standard siblings, but sales of these slightly modified hybrids have not taken off like the Prius. While the car's unique shape isn't the only reason the Prius is the best-selling hybrid, it certainly doesn't seem to hurt.
Hyundai is expected to release its first hybrid model in late 2010. The car will be based on the Sonata midsize sedan, but may sport a distinct look to separate it from its non-hybridized sibling. Further, according to Woong-chul Yang, president of R&D for Hyundai-Kia Motors, the Korean automaker "may change the name if the exterior is quite different. People who drive a hybrid like to be differentiated." You don't say.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TIMMAH! 8:43PM (3/09/2009)
"Distinctive look"... hmmm... hopefully that doesn't mean "looks-like-a-Prius" like Honda Insight's "distinctive look"...
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Flashpoint 9:43AM (3/10/2009)
So who will they steal from: Lexus or BMW?
Ackbar 8:54PM (3/09/2009)
I've always found the awkwardly "distinctive" design of cars like the Prius to be somewhat of a turn-off. I hope by distinctive, they mean it will look better than the car it's based on.
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Sektor 10:42PM (3/09/2009)
All we need is another car that looks as weird as the Prius.
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Paul Allen 7:28AM (3/10/2009)
Maybe it will look like this:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/27/spy-shots-next-gen-hyundai-sonata-going-four-door-coupe-route/
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Rick 2:15PM (3/13/2009)
No matter what it looks like, we can be certain of one thing...it's going to look like it belongs to somebody else. Hyundai is creator of bastard children, after all, and what a Hyundai if it doesn't appear to be a Lex-Benz-Infin-Bimmer?
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The_Rocker 1:12PM (3/23/2009)
Hyundai is not sincere about their environmental claims. A friend of mine works at their technical center and they are too cheap to even recycle paper. That's their core value, the bottom line trumps all environmental considerations. And they do not even recycle junked cars and car parts in many cases - just goes in the dumpster.
I can't imagine any other automaker in the U.S. with practices like this. These are some of the simplest and cheapest environmental efforts, yet Hyundai would rather take our money and fill our landfills. Take this into consideration when their hybrids come out. The car may be environmentally friendly, but the company is not.
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