Hyundai Nuvis Hybrid Concept in NY

Posted Friday, Apr 10, 2009 by kdevs21

The wraps are off the Hyundai Nuvis crossover concept that made its world premiere at the 2009 New York Auto Show. Hyundai's futuristic proposal for a small three-door crossover is the eleventh concept car to come out of the company's Design Center in Irvine, California. According to the Korean automaker, apart from showing off various technologies such as the firm's proprietary parallel hybrid drive system, the Nuvis also hints at a possible design direction for a future-generation crossover. Though don't expect to see the gullwing doors nor the 22'' alloys finding their way into production.

"Our goal was to create a living machine, constantly moving, that the driver and passengers could be part of," said John Krsteski, Hyundai Design manager. "There are no lines on or in this car that are standing still."

Other notable features aside from the gullwing doors, is the protective roof that looks like its floating atop of the body and the 'super-duper' futuristic interior with its blue ambient lighting that will never see the... light of production.

Underneath the fancy-pancy sheetmetal, the Nuvis sports homegrown Hybrid Blue Drive architecture that mates a 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder gasoline engine to a 6-speed automatic transmission and a 30kW (205 Nm) electric motor. Like the Prius, the system allows the wheels to be powered by the gasoline engine, or the electric motor, or both together.

The hybrid system stores its electrical charge in a 270V lithium polymer rechargeable battery (5.3Ah/270V) that is housed in the crossover's trunk.