Hyundai announces Blue Drive efficiency strategy, Sonata hybrid in 2010
Hyundai has decided not to wait until 2020 to get its fleet average fuel economy up to 35 mpg, aiming instead for 2015. That will provide several advantages for the Korean manufacturer, including earning credits for being ahead of the curve. Perhaps more importantly now that Democrats are controlling both Congress and the White House, there is a strong possibility that California may get its waiver for CO2 standards from the EPA. If that happens, Hyundai and everyone else will have to get well beyond 35 mpg. By targeting that amount by mid-decade, Hyundai will be a lot closer to the stricter targets.
Hyundai's strategy to get to 35 mpg is officially called Blue Drive. Blue Drive kicks off in 2009 with new "Blue" editions of the Accent and Elantra that will get better fuel economy at a lower price than current models. The following year, Hyundai's hybrid system will debut in the next generation Sonata along with a lithium-polymer battery. At about the same time a new CUV based on the HED-5 concept will go into production with a new 2.0L turbocharged direct injection engine. Over the following years, downsized turbo DI engines will also appear in other Hyundai models. You can read more about Hyundai's plans over at AutoblogGreen.
[Sources: AutoblogGreen, Hyundai]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jake B 5:41PM (11/26/2008)
If it is priced anywhere close to the Fusion Hybrid it better fail or damn America.
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Daniel 7:56PM (11/26/2008)
I have no doubt that Hyundai will be successful in this effort. And, I have no doubt that the Big 3 will fall farther behind and then cry for another tax payer bailout.
Conundrum 8:48PM (11/26/2008)
I'm sure the Fusion hybrid, Camry hybrid, and others will continue to sell just fine beside the Sonata hybrid even if they cost a bit more.
No matter how low the price, no matter how mainstream the styling, and no matter how hard they market the current Sonata, other cars in the class continue to sell very well.
The Sonata is a nice car for the money but it is not for everybody. I'm sure the Sonata hybrid will be similar.
Dave 11:15PM (11/26/2008)
Dude, why do the comments on Autoblog Green suck so much?
Back to reality, the Accent/Elantra Blue editions sound like the Cobalt XFE. Stripped down for a few more mpg, which, quite frankly, is a good idea if thats what you want.
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Raz 6:59PM (11/26/2008)
Avg 35mpg? A few non hybrid diesels can do that already. If they are so desperate to compete with the Germans, they are already a few years behind so they really should cut the crap with how they are "better" than the Germans like their "new" diesel engine publication a week or so ago, well, like most of their publication with the "world beating", "state-of-the-art" BS. its just for show and those who doesn't know a damn thing about cars will believe in them. And can't they pick a name that is distinctively different to Merc's. Copycat losers all the bloody time.* all my own opinions *
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joe97 7:30PM (11/26/2008)
You, sir, have no idea what you are talking about.
Hyundai right now ranks 3 with its US CAFE in the high 20s, IIRC, coming with a statement with an avg of 35mp is excellent.
No multi-line automakers have even acheived an average of 30 yet.
Oh, by the way, the Germans are not in the top 2 if that's what you are thinking.
Raz 8:26PM (11/26/2008)
May be I should've termed relative fuel economy to engine size. If you use a 1L engine in a small car and compare it to a 2L sedan, then most probably the 1L car will definitely uses less fuel in nominal conditions and I never quite remember them making any engines bigger than 3.8L and more than half their range has a engine less than 2.2L anyway, so its understandable they have better fuel economy across the entire range. If its the lowest fuel consumption you are talking about, then yea, a smaller engine will do better in a combined cycle.
When comparing with the same engine size:
2009 Hyundai Sonata NF
2.0 litre 4 cylinder
CO2 Emissions: 159 Grams per kilometer
Fuel consumption: ADR 81/01, combined (l/100km): 6.0, combined (mpg): 39
2009 Audi A4 2.0 TDI
2.0 litre 4 cylinder
CO2 Emissions: 154 Grams per kilometer
Fuel consumption: ADR 81/01, combined (l/100km): 5.8, combined (mpg): 41
And when i said "A few non hybrid diesels can do that already", it didn't pop up to you that i meant engines/ vehicles? Of coz they can't do it across the range when they are making AMG's, Black series and RS models. And is comparing across the range a good comparison of technology and efficiency when one manufacturer makes half their cars with below 2.2L and max's out at 3.8 while the Germans are selling most of their cars around the 3L mark and making up to 5.5 - 6.x L's.
joe97 9:53PM (11/26/2008)
The 35mpg referenced is for the US market. This CAFE figure has to be met by 2020, or pay heavy fines. Currently, no one is even close to 35 average. Hyundai USA is saying they will do it 5 years earlier, that's good for everyone, frankly.
EPA doesn't care if you have AMG models across the board, or only city cars, automakers to comply or they get fine.
rocketdan9 1:21AM (11/27/2008)
Please do some research and think before you make comments like this. Can you understand that this engine will be used for almost all hyundai cars and can warrant an avg of 35mpg prob at worst?? meaning that cars like accent and elantra will avg even better and Suv' like the santa fe will do an avg of 35.
Tell me a company other than possibly toyota that has able to come close to that figure for most of their entire lineup??
Lastly don't get your comment about hyundai being a copycat because pretty much any vehicles with four wheels have copycated ford.
exkart 4:31AM (11/27/2008)
you mean mass production vehicles right?
JB 7:13PM (11/26/2008)
It looks like the $3 billion they are spending in R&D yearly will soon pay off.
The fact they will offer a 3rd Gen battery and get the jump on Toyota and everyone else is significant. For you doubters, the battery is state of the art. Acceptance and change is hard.
My wife's 2009 Sonata is getting a regular 25 city and 38 highway. Real world numbers are indeed hard to argue with. I'm not sure it's even broken in yet
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David 8:08PM (11/26/2008)
Actually, real world numbers are easy to argue with. CAFE doesn't have a strong resemblance to actual MPG you see on the road. And besides, your experience is just anecdotal in any case.
tekd 4:03AM (11/28/2008)
Hyundai does not spend $3 billion in R&D yearly, they don't even spend $2 billion so quit making nonsense up. Their 2008 R&D budget is $1.87 billion, or a little over half of your $3 billion claim. While they're certainly free to increase this to $3 billion someday, they haven't done anything close to spending $3 billion yearly.
And considering that the #1 and #2 R&D spenders in the entire world in 2007 were Toyota and GM, it's not like the competition is just standing still. Maybe GM is less of a competitor R&D wise now, but just realize that Hyundai's R&D spending is still a fraction of it's competitors. For 2007 Toyota spent almost SIX times as much money as Hyundai on R&D ($8.6 billion vs $1.59 billion), and while they certainly sell more products as well a lot of them are all built on the same platforms so they can pour a lot more money into something like the Camry platform that'll underpin everything from a Scion xB to a Sienna.
K 8:17PM (11/26/2008)
For some reason it took me like 10 seconds to realize the pic is not BMW but Hyundai
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Patrick 8:44PM (11/26/2008)
I just blue myself.
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Seoultrain 11:34PM (11/26/2008)
There has got to be a better way to say that.
hyundaifans.com 10:42PM (11/26/2008)
Looking forward to that Hybrid Sonata.
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BowserUSC 7:18AM (11/27/2008)
my 2006 elantra already gets 30+ mpg highway. I'm curious how high it would be if they hybridized it.
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Dave 1:53PM (11/28/2008)
Blue is the new Green?
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