Groundbreaking ... Hyundai Australia is hoping to get an LPG hybrid Elantra here. Photo Gallery
Buoyed by its successful diesel expansion, Hyundai Australia is pushing to become the first company to bring in an LPG hybrid.
Its parent company, Hyundai Motor Company, has revealed details for an Elantra powered by an LPG engine paired with an electric motor. The car is known as the LPI HEV, which stands for Liquid Petroleum Injected Hybrid Electric Vehicle. It is due to hit South Korean roads by July 2009 and Hyundai Australia has already told its parent company it is interested in getting it into Australian showrooms.
“We are interested and have let HMC know that we are,” Hyundai Australia spokesman Ben Hershman says. “But at this stage there is no confirmation that the car will be released in Australia.”
Despite that, there is plenty of enthusiasm from Hyundai Australia.
“We had a product meeting in May and made it clear a product like this would be one we'd be very interested in,” Hershman says. “The concept is great. Obviously South Korea has a great LPG infrastructure and so does Australia and we've pointed that out.”
Australia is one of few countries with a well-established LPG network and with no other manufacturers with such a car, Hyundai knows that it is well placed to get a jump on its rivals.
“There's no doubt it would be an opportunity,” Hershman says.
“We're very focused on the roll-out of our diesel products at the moment but we're looking to the future.”
The car is labelled by Hyundai as a mild hybrid and is powered by a 1.6-litre LPG engine that is supported by a 15kW electric motor.
Drive is through a continuously variable transmission. Though pricing is still be be revealed, the company claims the price premium for the hybrid Elantra will be made up within two years through fuel savings.
As well as its reduced economy, Hyundai is also claiming the car is a Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle.
It emits 103g/km of CO2, 90 per cent less than the petrol-powered Elantra.
While the company is rolling out the technology in the Elantra, plans are already under way to transfer it to other models across the range, starting with a mid-sized sedan by 2010. The announcement comes as Hyundai continues to show the economic benefits of its diesel engine.
Auto adventurer Hans Tholstrup drove a Hyundai i30 SX CRDi manual diesel towing a trailer from Sydney to Melbourne without refuelling.
The 400kg trailer also had a 300kg load on board. The i30 averaged 5.4 litres per 100km Its official combined claimed figure is slightly lower at 4.7 litres, but that's without a trailer.
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