Hyundai may not have a hybrid model in its current lineup, but the Korean automaker plans to make the jump to plug-in hybrids by 2012. Hyundai’s first plug-in hybrid – which will be based on the company’s recently debuted Blue-Will concept – will debut in the United States in late 2012
According to Automotive News, Hyundai is specifically targeting Chevrolet’s upcoming Volt and Toyota’s forthcoming Prius plug-in with its production Blue-Will. The Blue-Will concept uses a 1.6L gas engine aided by a 100-kilowatt electric motor. Hyundai also says it has developed its own lithium-ion battery technology.
Like the Chevy Volt, the Blue-Will is able to travel 38 miles on all electric power, netting a fuel economy rating of 106 mpg. If the gas motor is needed, the Blue-Will is still capable of topping 55 mpg. Roof-mounted solar panels can also charge the car’s batteries.
Although Hyundai views the Blue-Will as an important product for the brand, it doesn’t expect to turn a profit on the green sports car. “We want to show our technological image to get people to the dealerships to drive our cars,” Yang Woong-chul, president of Hyundai- Kia Motors’ r&d division, told Automotive News. “We are not necessarily trying to make money on hybrids.”
Yang failed to give a price target for the Blue-Will, but the similar Chevy Volt is tipped to retail for at least $40,000.
