#NYIAS It has gullwing doors and "floating" seats inside, yet the Hyundai Nuvis has more production implications than you might think. As Hyundai continues to move upmarket with cars like its new Genesis sedan, the Nuvis could very well signal its intention to hit the sweet spot of the luxury crossover market currently dominated by the Lexus RX 350.
In the near term, it's the drivetrain of the Nuvis that shows some promise. It combines Hyundai's latest "Theta" four-cylinder gas engine with a 30kW electric motor to create what Hyundai calls Blue Drive.
It's a parallel hybrid system similar to that used in the Toyota Prius, so it can run on pure electric power or both gas and electric power together. For electric power, it uses a 270V lithium-polymer battery that Hyundai claims is superior to both nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries because lithium polymer batteries are more durable and space-efficient.
We'll see if those claims hold up soon enough as Hyundai has announced that it will offer the Blue Drive system in the next-generation Sonata in the United States. No timetable was given, but expect to see more news on this front as early as next year. -- Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor, Inside Line
firstwagon says:
03:25 PM, 04/ 9/09
I'll bet they would sell a huge number just on the doors alone.
Not too sure about the big butt though.
autoburetor says:
08:13 PM, 04/ 9/09
As with almost all concept vehicles, I'm sure there will be some stylistic changes before any production model made an appearance. The doors and seats are probably each too expensive to implement in mass production -- especially with Hyundai's standard marketing strategy of dramatically undercutting the price of whatever they are aiming to compete with. THe doors are pretty cool, but when was the last time we saw those make it into any mainstream production vehicle? And, Firstwagon, you are TOTALLY right about the rear. Just think of the difficulty backing out of a parking spot in that!
billt9 says:
08:36 PM, 04/ 9/09
X means no.
firstwagon says:
12:39 PM, 04/10/09
"The doors are pretty cool, but when was the last time we saw those make it into any mainstream production vehicle?"
The Delorean and the Bricklin are the only 2 I can think of. Neither one was really common enough to be called mainsteam.
It would be a huge selling feature if they could find a way to do it. Hyundai has done a great job shedding it's image of making cheap junk. Now they need a car that rid them of the dull design problem.