Hyundai Releases First Real Life Photo of the New i40 Mid-Size Model

Hyundai today gave us a new sneak peek of its upcoming i40 mid-size model with the release of the first real life image of the car, which is scheduled to receive its world premiere at the Geneva Salon on the 1st of March. The new i40 will replace the older generation Sonata in Europe competing in the D-Segment with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. At Geneva, we'll see the estate version of the model (probably named i40 CW) with the four-door sedan variant to follow before the end of the year.

Up until now, South Korea's largest automaker had only released a set of illustrations of the i40 CW (CrossWagon). The new photo shows off the interior of the i40, and in particular the dashboard with its sculpted shapes.

There's a big screen display mounted high up on the middle of the dash flanked by a pair of small air vents, underneath which nestle a bank of push buttons for ventilation and minor controls.

The company claims that new i40 "will move the company towards a ‘modern premium’ positioning that will bring high-end features and vehicle quality to Hyundai customers at accessible prices."

Hyundai has not released any details on the engine line-up, but it is believed that at launch, the i40 will be offered with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol with direct injection and an output of around 170-horsepower, plus two variants of the a 1.7-liter turbo-diesel with 115 HP and 136 HP.

The new i40 will be joined in Geneva by the European specification of the Veloster sports model (see our scoop photos here) and the Curb small crossover concept study, which we first saw at the Detroit Motor Show this past January.

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2011 Detroit Show: Hyundai's Curb Small Crossover Concept

Sharing the spotlight with the Veloster coupe at Hyundai's Detroit motorshow stand is the Curb, a conceptual study for a small crossover model positioned under the Tucson. Labeled by Hyundai as a compact Urban Activity Vehicle (UAV), the Curb is aimed at young city dwellers.

Penned by the designers at Hyundai's California studio, the Curb's styling is said to have evolved from the firm's “Fluidic Sculpture” design language seen on the latest Sonata and Elantra.

“We wanted the Curb to be urban tough without looking like a Brink's truck,” said Jason Brown, Hyundai designer. City driving was going to be its forte, not crossing the Rubicon trail, but we wanted it to have urban armor for daily driving on city streets. It needed to empower its passengers in this setting.”

Another Hyundai designer, Arash Badeanlou boldly stated “The world has never seen lines like this on a car before," adding "it is as if the architect Santiago Calatrava inspired it.”

The Curb, which is the seventh vehicle (hence the HCD-12 codename) to be designed at the company’s California Design Center, is motivated by a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with direct injection tech, mated to Hyundai's Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) [wonder what the VW Group has to say about the abbreviation...]. The force-fed motor develops 175 horsepower and 169 lb. ft. of torque. Hyundai said that by adding Idle Stop and Go (ISG) technology, the Curb would deliver 30+ mpg in the city and 40+ mpg on the highway.

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Detroit Show Preview: Hyundai Curb Crossover Concept Study

The upcoming Veloster sports hatch will be sharing the spotlight at Hyundai's Detroit motorshow stand with a new crossover concept called the Curb. The South Korean firm has released very little information on the study that carries the HCD-12 codename, but we do know that it has been penned at the firm's California Design Center. According to the company, the Curb's styling is an evolution of the "fluidic sculpture" design language seen on the latest Sonata and Elantra sedans. The official unveiling of the Curb will take place on Monday, January 10 at the Cobo Hall in Detroit.

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Shane Baxley Renders the Aebulle, the Hyundai Future-Cycle

How would everyone feel if Hyundai built a Matrix-meets-Akira lightcycle? If you have eyes and can see this, then the answer should be "Pretty darn good".

Called the Aebulle - Korean for "cocoon" - designer Shane Baxley says the magnesium-framed trike was inspired by the cocoon of the European Peacock Butterfly (Inachis io, for all you lepidopterists).

A student at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design, Shane says, "The main idea was to design a personal vehicle that delivers the mobility and speed of a motorcycle while offering the safety that a cocoon offers a butterfly. The Aebulle is targeted for the Los Angeles region where it would utilize the commuter lanes allowing its occupant a quick commute."

Much like concepts for the near-future, in-wheel motors provide motivation while energy is stored in floor-mounted lithium ion batteries.

The Aebulle's two independently-mounted front wheels allow it to lean into turns by means of separate swing arms.

That tinted windshield / green house would theoretically be constructed of aluminum oxynitride, a transparent ceramic that's reminiscent of the clear aluminum from Star Trek. To improve ingress / egress, the front lifts open and brings the steering column with it.

Inside, relevant information chosen by the driver (speed, fuel economy, GPS, etc) would be visible using e-ink technology incorporated into the glass. Think of it like an Amazon Kindle dashboard.

Shane - here is clearly a man with big dreams, and this is a step in a hugely right direction. When's the last time anyone really tried to revolutionize the mass-market motorcycle?

By Phil Alex

Images: Shane Baxley , Via: CBD

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Hyundai i-Flow Sport Sedan Concept: New Photo and Details, Powered by Diesel-Electric Hybrid Powertrain

As well as publishing a second photograph of the Geneva-bound i-Flow concept car, Hyundai also released new information on its sport saloon study that is said to hint at a future Ford Mondeo rivaling, D-segment mid-size sedan.

The European penned i-Flow features all the typical design cues of the new Hyundai style with the company claiming a drag coefficient of only 0.25Cd.

Equally important, the concept study is the first ever Hyundai model to feature a diesel-electric hybrid powetrain. Previous reports stated that the Hyundai-Kia Group plans to have such a hybrid system on the road by 2012.

In the i-Flow, Hyundai has used its new 1.7-liter "U2" diesel unit augmented by two-stage turbocharging and a Lithium Ion-Polymer battery motivated electric unit. Power is transferred to the wheels through a six-speed, dual-clutch transmission.

According to the Koreans, the i-Flow is capable of returning an average fuel consumption of just 3.0lt/100km - equal to 78.4mpg US and 94.2 mpg UK- with CO2 emissions of just 85g/km.

We'll have all the details and pictures on the i-Flow straight from the Geneva Show next week.

Striking Hyundai i-Flow Sports Saloon Concept Heading to Geneva, Hints at Upcoming Mondeo Rival

This year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show is turning out some impressive world premieres. Following earlier announcements today by Lexus about its CT 200h hybrid hatchback and Citroen for the pre-production DS4 crossover, Hyundai just revealed that it will debut an all-new concept car called the i-Flow at the Swiss show.

Penned at the Hyundai's European design headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the i-flow is said to preview the look of the South Korean firm's upcoming D-segment mid-size saloon contender that will go against the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Opel Insignia, Citroen C5 and Toyota Avensis.

It is not clear yet if the production version of the i-Flow Concept will take the place of the current generation Sonata (previous for North America) in Europe or if it will be a more compact-sized proposal.

The latest conceptual product from Hyundai follows the company's new form language called 'fluidic sculpture'. It unquestionably looks exciting from the single teaser image, but then again, that's the case with most teaser sketches, so better wait to see it in the flesh before we jump into any conclusions.

Looks aside, Hyundai said that the i-flow incorporates numerous new technologies from chemical company BASF, ranging from novel lightweight materials to solar cells, to assist in reducing weight and improving energy efficiency.

Hyundai ix Metro: New Hybrid Electric Small CUV Concept to Inspire Future Production Model

The 'arse' that you're looking at the picture above does not belong to some Alfa Romeo model -no really- but to Hyundai's ix Metro, a B-segment sized concept described by the Koreans as a compact utility vehicle (CUV) that is said to influence the creation of a small crossover model in the very near future. At 3,925mm long, 1,760mm wide and 1,576mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,513mm, the ix Metro has a similar footprint to Hyundai's i20 supermini. However, it does features a much higher ground clearance at 207mm.

With the exception of the Alfa Romeo-esque rear end design, the small crossover's exterior styling with its swoopy body lines and pointy snout that features a large hexagonal front grille looks very Mazda-ish. The ix Metro

The Hyundai ix Metro comes with a pair of conventional front doors and a set of rear-hinged sliding doors at the back. Hyundai says that the pillar less design not only enlarges the greenhouse to improve all-round visibility, but also allows easier entry and egress into the rear passenger area.

For the creation of the cabin, the design team says that it took its inspiration from sci-fi movies. Highlights include the white semi-transparent silicon-like material that covers the dashboard area, the ice-blue illumination and the digital side view cameras.

The Korean concept model is fitted with a hybrid powertrain that combines a 123HP 1.0-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine to a 5kw / 7HP electric motor. The hybrid system delivers 16.0kg.m / 116 lb-ft of peak torque at 1,750-4,500rpm which transferred to the wheels through a six-speed dual clutch transmission.