Hyundai to Introduce Hybrid Cars in 2006


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Hyundai and Kia to Introduce Hybrid Cars

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Update 3: Kia is planning to show prototypes of their hybrid Rio at the Geneva Auto Show in March, 2007. The company plans to build about 4,000 of the hybrids for the South Korean Ministry of the Environment. In South Korea , the Rio is called the Pride.

Update 2: A lot of car companies are changing their plans about hybrids, trying to find a strategy that will be a success. Here's a timeline of Hyundai's plans from hybridcars.com:

Update: Hyundai showed a hybrid version of the Accent at an exhibition in China. It has an 90 HP 1.4-litre engine with variable valve timing combined with a 16 HP electric motor. The company reports a very respectable fuel savings of 44 percent. The car is expected to be the least expensive hybrid in the US when it goes on sale.

Hyundai will bring out a hybrid car based on the Accent model in 2006. Affiliated company Kia will also bring out a hybrid based on the same platform.

The company hasn't provided details about the car. But as a point of comparison, the current gasoline engine version has a 1.6-liter DOHC engine producing 104 HP. A manual transmission is standard, with automatic available as an option.

With an automatic transmission, the 4 door version has a base price of about $11,500. Adding in popular features like air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, AM/FM stereo and CD player, power windows and door locks adds $1,685. Hyundai's are known for having strong warranties, typically 10 year, 100,000 miles on the powertrain and 5 year, 60,000 miles on most other components.

The current model is EPA rated 26 city / 35 highway with automatic transmission.

So based on this, the hybrid version of the Accent may have near top-of-class mileage and be lower priced than the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius, which start at about $21,000. This is a very good development, since it will bring more affordable hybrids to the average person.