While driving in Southern California last week, Carscoops reader Amar came across this camouflaged prototype.
“I just saw this test mule in SoCal with Michigan license plates,” Amar told Carscoops. “Looks like the rumored Hyundai dedicated hybrid I’ve heard about. My wife was not as enthused as I was.”
You’re spot on with your model assessment Amar, as it’s the same car we spied in Europe just last month with the addition of fancier aerodynamic wheel covers (or are those alloys?).
We don’t know what it will be called yet, but we do know that the Korean firm’s first dedicated hybrid model is being designed as a direct competitor to the widely popular Toyota Prius – a hugely challenging task, as Honda bitterly found out with the Insight.
Based on the compact underpinnings of the next generation i30 and Elantra, Hyundai’s wedge-shaped hybrid model will likely employ a 1.6-liter inline-four gasoline engine with an electric motor using lithium batteries. The Korean brand could also expand the car’s range with a plug-in hybrid version.
We should see it entering production sometime next year.
Many thanks to Amar for the scoop!
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