Frankfurt Preview: Hyundai diving right in with i-Blue Concept
by John Neff on Aug 31st 2007 at 1:28PM 
UPDATE: Larger image and press release added.
click above for larger image
Though not officially announced yet, the Hyundai i-Blue Concept will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, according to Automotive News. The i-Blue Concept is a hydrogen-powered exercise in being green and practical at the same time. It uses Hyundai's third-generation hydrogen fuel cell. While past Hyundai hydrogen concepts were SUVs, the i-Blue mirrors the trend of the day by sitting atop a new car-based crossover platform. No more news is available on the i-Blue Concept since Hyundai hasn't officially announced it yet. We don't know where Automotive News got the above image, and we're interested since the i-Blue may contain future Hyundai styling cues. Look for those on the vehicle's front end, as that giant C- and D-pillar combination at the vehicle's rear would make for one hellish blind spot on a production vehicle.
[Source: Automotive News]
PRESS RELEASE:
Hyundai Motor Corporation will unveil the i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle at the 2007 Frankfurt International Motor Show which opens on September 13. The i-Blue demonstrates the company's commitment to developing environmentally responsible transportation.
Hyundai's new hydrogen-powered, zero-emission concept, the i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle was developed at Hyundai's Design and Technical Center in Chiba, Japan. The all-new i-Blue platform is tailored to incorporate Hyundai's third-generation fuel cell technology, currently being developed at Hyundai's Eco-Technology Research Institute in Mabuk, Korea.
In keeping with this year's show theme, "See What's Driving the Future," which focuses on sustainability and climate protection, the i-Blue signifies a major step towards the commercialization of Hyundai fuel cell vehicles. Unlike its predecessors which were built on SUV platforms, the i-Blue features a new 2+2 crossover utility vehicle (CUV) body type.
"The i-Blue is Hyundai's first-ever model designed from the ground up to incorporate fuel cell technology, marking a tremendous leap forward for our R&D program," said Dr. Hyun-Soon Lee, president of research and development. "Our engineering team has successfully designed a more compact fuel cell vehicle, while still realizing the safety, comfort, convenience and driving range of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle."
Hyundai is making tremendous efforts to reach mass production of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles a reality in the next decade.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SherbornSean 1:37PM (8/31/2007)
nickname: "Chunks"
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500 2:37PM (8/31/2007)
Lol. They seriously named a concept i-Blue? How about i-Suck, or Byte-me?
500 2:42PM (8/31/2007)
Looks a lot like Mercedes' original Vision R (R-Class) concept, by the way.
iQuack 1:49PM (8/31/2007)
Too bad that so few, if any, of these slick concept teases have windows large enough for safe visibility.
When the production versions of these things are introduced, they never look nearly as good because humans have to drive them, ride in them, and see out of them.
I'm more impressed by designs in which form follows function, not pretty shapes lacking in practical value.
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_Jon 1:58PM (8/31/2007)
The headlight design looks a lot like the Ford "Verve / Fiesta / whetver" B-car.
Oh, btw, Ford had the 999 car out on the front lawn yesterday. :) They wouldn't let me get close enough for pictures though.... :(
They had the hydrogen fuel car frame too.
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iamhoff 2:13PM (8/31/2007)
It looks kinda like the shipping container for a Prius.
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Ron 2:54PM (8/31/2007)
...Loook! It's the 2010 Acura RDX!
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saneAppraisals 3:07PM (8/31/2007)
looks exactly l ike the Elantra touring sketch they released..altho i think they are using the i30 pro-ceed for that
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