Hyundai Tiburon
At a recent press conference, acting Hyundai CEO John Krafcik revealed some new plans for the Korean based brand that include a full-fledged focus on fuel efficient cars and crossovers. As such, the automaker's slow selling Entourage minivan will be axed by year's end, while its first full hybrid is expected by the fall of next year.
Entourage sales peaked in 2007, when dealers moved 17,155 units. It's been a rollercoaster-type sales ride with numbers gaining recently as a result of lucrative rebate offerings.
"We weren't a big player to begin with, and the segment continues to shrink," said Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford to Automotive News.
Filling the lineup void will be a Sonata-based hybrid by October 2010.
Possibly influencing other models in Hyundai's portfolio will be the Blue-Will dedicated plug-in hybrid concept on schedule for display at this week's Seoul Motor Show. It features the aggressive lines of a sports car, but the fuel efficiency of a compact city car, the automaker touts.
It's powered by a direct-injected 1.6L four-cylinder with CVT gearbox and is supplemented by a 100-kilowatt lithium-ion battery charged electric motor as well. There's "a very good possibility" the car could see a U.S. production cycle at some point, Krafcik said. The "eco-sleek" Blue-Will could even lead the way for an all-electric vehicle, the executive continued.
Most likely arriving ahead of any Blue-Will based rides is a totally redesigned Tiburon coupe successor. It'll be smaller, cheaper than the model last produced in for MY2008. If everything goes as expected, it'll arrive sometime in 2011 under a new name altogether.
The new coupe's design inspiration, Krafcik says, comes from the brand's Veloster concept that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It'll be underpinned by the Accent platform and powered by a 1.6L four-cylinder. Like the Blue-Will, its sports car lines evoke a futuristic combination of speed and fuel consciousness.
"It will have a lower price point, kind of eco sport positioning, where it is not going to be all about performance," Krafcik said. "It is going to be very fuel efficient. It is going to be stylish, a real nice complement to the Genesis coupe."
SOURCE: motortrend
