new concept Cars Hyundai Sonata 2009 of New York

new concept Cars Hyundai Sonata 2009 of New York 

By Mike Monticello

* The 11th concept car penned by Hyundai's California Design Center in Irvine is called the Nuvis. Sporting gullwing doors, the Nuvis is noteworthy for two reasons: First, its hybrid drivetrain will find its way into the next-generation Hyundai Sonata, and second, Hyundai says the concept's styling hints at what the Santa Fe's replacement could look like. 

* Hyundai's Hybrid Blue Drive architecture combines a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder (known as the Theta II) with a 30- kW electric motor, the last also producing 151 lb.-ft. of torque. The total estimated output of 228 bhp is put to the road via a 6-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai says the Nuvis's lithium polymer batteries, which are stored underneath the trunk floor, are more durable and space efficient than nickel-metal hydride and lithium- ion versions. 

* As a parallel hybrid, the Nuvis can be driven in all-electric mode, gasoline-engine-only mode as well as any combination thereof. Engine management software automatically shuts off the gasoline engine when the Nuvis comes to a stop, improving overall fuel mileage and providing zero emissions, while Hyundai's Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) restarts the engine once pressure is applied to the accelerator pedal. 

* Besides optimized engine-management software for the Theta II, fuel consumption is further reduced by using electric assist for the vehicle's steering system and air-conditioning compressor, as well as through the use of low-rolling-resistance tires. Hyundai estimates the 188.3-in. long and 3400 lb. Nuvis would achieve fuel ratings of 34 mpg city/35 mpg highway. 

* Hyundai says the Nuvis's radical styling "hints at a possible design direction for a future-generation crossover," most likely the next Santa Fe or its replacement, although don't count on the production vehicle using those gullwing doors! The staff at the California Design Center "studied the way water splits across and flows around the hull and sides of a boat" in creating the Nuvis, to form the illusion of constant motion.* The large gullwing doors open to a luxurious 4-seat cabin with a "cascading" floor and ambient blue lighting. The seat fabric is made from 100-percent reclaimed soda bottles, while the seatbelts were made by Harveys Original Seatbeltbags (they make handbags out of seatbelts); Harveys also provided two matching handbags for the Nuvis. 

* The Nuvis's instrument panel streams information throughout the cabin, with passengers able to access each other via Methode Electronics TouchSense technology that links all four seats; after all, why go to the trouble of actually talking to one another?