It might be a half-world away, but this could be a very exciting development for U.S. hybrid consumers as well. Hyundai unveiled their Accent Hybrid at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition in China this week. Here are some of the details from a Ward's Auto report:
The hybrid-electric vehicle is equipped with a 1.4L continuously variable valve-timing engine delivering 90 hp, plus a 16-hp electric motor. The auto maker says the engine achieves a 44% improvement in fuel economy.
The '06 conventional Accent lists for just over $10k. It gets an EPA estimated 32mpg, and gets a "6" on the smog-forming emissions for its national version, a "7" for its CA-emissions version. Quick back-of-the-envelope calculations would estimate the hybrid would get around 46mpg, and here's to hoping they learned from the Civic (indeed, the specs here seem to indicate a that this is a mild hybrid with a similar fuel economy boost to the Civic’s) and made sure that the smog score is at least a 7.
If that's the case, could we be seeing a hybrid that gets mid-to-high 40s in MPG that's well under $20k, and perhaps even under $15k (and that’s not even mentioning the tax credit which is likely to be around $1,500)? Current reports have the Accent and its sister the Kia Rio hybrid debuting in the United States late next year. Just as Hyundai has put a real scare in the big automakers with its conventional models, the Accent Hybrid could be a real boon to the hybrid market if it meets (or even exceeds) these expectations.
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Harry Stone
Posted by: Harry Stone | March 14, 2007 at 03:40 AM