No Hyundai Elantra any time soon
Only in KoreaLithium polymer. It could be a wild card for the future of Hyundai, as it might provide the automaker a cost-competitive advantage for Hyundai's hybrid vehicles. And, next year, the Hyundai Sonata hybrid will be the first lithium polymer powered hybrid to come to America, which is great news.
Unfortunately, for those preferring a smaller and, presumably, cheaper hybrid, there are no immediate plans for a Hyundai Elantra hybrid for the US according to Hyundai execs.
Labels: Hybrid Vehicles, Hyundai
posted by Dahcredyns at
7:17 AM
2 Comments:
I think this is a smart move. First because the smaller cars already get better gas mileage, so a hybrid is not as likely to be a game changer for someone who already owns a usable small car. Plus there is a lot of competition from the Prius and the Insight.
The mid-size car market only has Ford Fusion and the corresponding Mercury. Together they don't sell a lot. However, there are a lot more families that need a mid-size car and can't fit into a small car. A cost competitive hybrid could be a game changer in that market. Spending 22K-25K for a Sonata that gets 41 mpg vs. the 28K-30K for a Ford can be huge.
That may even be enough to convince families that have a mid-size car that's only getting 22-25 miles to trade in.
It all depends on the price, but it does offer the opportunity for families to finally start taking part in the hybridization of America.
There is also the Camry hybrid, which sold very well last summer. So, if gas prices are right, hybrid sedans can sell.
Still, I wonder if small hybrids offer advantages, largely because of cheaper pricing. And, while it is true that smaller cars achieve better fuel economy, even small cars aren't very efficient in urban driving compared to something like the Prius.
Ultimately, I believe that all automakers are going to need a portfolio of hybrid vehicles.
Anyway, at this point, I'm more excited about the rollout of Hyundai's lithium polymer technology, not the vehicle it comes in.
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