Gas 2.0

It wasn’t that long ago when it seemed like I spent more time fixing my friend’s Hyundai Elantra than she spent driving it.

It was the basest of base model cars, and it would throw mechanical temper tantrums almost weekly, and I thanked the car gods when she finally splurged on a used Lancer. But the Hyundai of today is an altogether different beast, coming out with cars like the Genesis Coupe, a punky, cheap, rear-wheel drive racer that runs as good as it looks. Now Hyundai is looking to break into the American hybrid market with a California-designed concept called the Nuvis, which debuted a few weeks ago at the New York Auto Show.

This crossover concept is squarely aimed at the young, hip, eco-concious crowd with sleek styling, lambo-doors, and a petrol-electric motor combo that can run on either engine, or both at the same time. Inspired by fluid and constant motion, the shape is booth aggressive and slick in one fell swoop. The interior looks like the cockpit from a futuristic fighter plane, and even the steering wheel has a slightly avionic look. Power comes from an eco-friendly 2.4 liter Theta II engine backed by a six-speed transmission, and a 40-horsepower electric motor kicks in at lower speeds.

If the Nuvis does go into production in America, it will certainly be toned down, losing the lambo doors and blue-accent bucket seats and gooey-looking center console, but it would certainly be one of the best looking hybrids on the road.

Source: Hyundai News

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