Geneva Preview: Hyundai reveals diesel hybrid i-Flow
Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Hydrogen, MPG, Hyundai, Geneva Motor Show
Hyundai's home office in Korea has dropped the first frontal image of the new concept that will be shown next week in Geneva along with some technical details. The i-Flow is a D-segment sedan meant to go up against cars like the Ford Mondeo in Europe. Under the hood, the i-Flow has Hyundai's first diesel hybrid powertrain including a new 1.7-liter inline-four. The diesel has dual stage turbocharging and is paired up with Hyundai's Blue-drive system using a new six-speed dual clutch gearbox. Like the upcoming Sonata hybrid, the i-Flow uses a lithium polymer battery pack. With its drag coefficient of 0.25, the i-Flow is claimed to achieve 78.4 miles per gallon (U.S.) and CO2 emissions of just 85 grams/kilometer.
Joining the i-Flow onstage will be a refreshed version of the i30 (badged as the Elantra Touring in North America) and low emissions "blue" versions of the i10, i20, i30 and ix35 (Tucson). These models get automatic start-stop, low rolling resistance tires and aero tweaks. The four cars all get CO2 ratings under 100 g/km while the crossover ix35 gets 135 g/km. Finally, Hyundai will also show a fuel cell version of the new ix35/Tucson for the first time. Hyundai still plans to produce fuel cell vehicles in the thousands annually by 2012.
[Source: Hyundai]
Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid teaser - Click above to enlarge
Lotus has just formally introduced a new 400-plus horsepower sportscar concept. That news in and of itself would be enough to pique our interest, but the rest of the car's spec sheet makes the Evora 414E Hybrid an astonishingly intriguing concept vehicle. As you surely surmised by now, this two-seat sportster is a hybrid, specifically an extended-range electric vehicle that features a pair of rear-mounted electric motors and a 1.2-liter three-cylinder gas-powered engine. Why not fully electric? According to Lotus:
With regard to the total lifetime CO2 emissions of the vehicle, including the energy required to manufacture and run it, the range extender solution has a lower overall CO2 footprint than a fully electric car of comparable performance and operating range running with a larger battery.
That 47-horsepower gasoline engine never actually sends power directly to the Evora 414E Hybrid's wheels. Instead - as with other cars such as the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the Fisker Karma - the mill is used to recharge the onboard 17 kilowatt-hour lithium polymer battery pack, which is centrally mounted down the middle of the car for optimal weight distribution. That battery pack can provide up to 35 miles of gasoline-free driving per full charge.
Because each rear wheel has a separate connection to its own electric motor, Lotus has programmed in torque vectoring for stability control of the vehicle. This means that a complex set of software algorithms can provide the same kind of benefits as rear-wheel steering and exaggerated toe-in without the expense or efficiency losses of a mechanical system. Each rear wheel puts down 204 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
Further, though the actual transmission has only one forward ratio, Lotus has programmed in seven artificial "gears" that the driver can row through via a set of column-mounted paddle shifters. Also included is the HALOsonic Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis technologies from Lotus and Harman International that pipes artificial sound to both the cabin and outside to pedestrians. Want more? There's plenty to be gleaned in the exhaustive press release that you'll find after the break. Sadly, just one lone copper-topped teaser image, which you can enlarge by clicking above.
[Source: Lotus]
Fiat TWIN-AIR - Click above for high-res image gallery
Geneva Motor Show attendees will have a chance to see the first of a coming family of Fiat Twin-Air engines on exhibit. An 80 horsepower turbo version of the two-cylinder will not only appear naked on the stand for close-up inspection but also with a Fiat 500 wrapped lovingly around it. The two are promised to be paired in September. The new 900 CC powerplant, which will also be available in non-aspirated 65 hp and turbo 105 hp flavors, is said to emit 32 percent less CO2 than engines with similar outputs. Compared to the 1.2-liter currently available in the retro-cutey, the 85 hp variant packs 25 percent more punch while burning 15 percent less petrol. Matched against the up-sized performance of the 1.4-liter option, the newcomer equals it in driving pleasure while using 30 percent less of the liquid stuff.
Besides being more powerful and efficient than traditional motors, the Twin-Air is also smaller and lighter. Given this fact, it is no surprise that Fiat is hinting at using it in both hybrid applications as well as a natural gas-combusting configuration. Beat the Geneva crowds and check it out for yourself in the gallery below get even more details from the press release awaiting you after the break.
Gallery: Fiat Twin-Air
[Source: Fiat via Green Car Congress]
Fisker Karma - Click above for high-res image gallery
At the Chicago Auto Show last week, Fisker Automotive brought along the Karma Sunset with a new black exterior we hadn't seen before. For the Geneva Motor Show that starts in a few weeks, the automaker is going in the other direction and will be showing off the "advanced aluminum space frame" that underpins the Karma and gives the plug-in hybrid car "new levels of rigidity and strength" for "world-class ride and handling characteristics." Here's how Fisker describes the frames, which will be made by Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki, Finland, in a statement:
Though it forms the foundation of a large sedan, the Karma space frame's rigidity is exceptional even when compared to today's sports cars. By utilizing 5,000- and 6,000-series aluminum alloys and a unique extrusion-intensive architecture, the Fisker engineering team achieved the best balance between weight and size.
Maybe at the New York Auto Show in March we'll get to see the Karma's raw materials. Nah, only joking. There's more information after the jump.
Gallery: Fisker Karma
[Source: Fisker]
IED Tesla EYE concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
Though it proudly sports a chrome Tesla Motors logo on its nose, the Geneva-bound EYE concept pictured above was not penned by that California company's designers. Not directly anyway. That credit goes to 11 transportation design master course students at the Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin (IED). That's not to say Tesla Motors weren't involved in the effort though. In a bid to uncover the student's future-vision, the school decided to hook up with the company whose name they felt is "synonymous with innovation" and the team went on to develop their green dream under the supervising eye of Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief designer.
Though we'll likely never see how this full-size model looks rolling down the road, we will get see it posing for the public at the Geneva Motor Show. Perhaps our photos taken there will better reveal whether the concept has successfully achieved its maker's goal of creating a 2 + 2 sportscar "conceived to become a status-symbol."