Hyundai i-flow Hybrid Concept
First seen at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show and looking vaguely familiar (yes, it does have a little something from the Batmobile), the Hyundai i-flow Hybrid Concept is proof of Hyundai's growing determination to build unique-looking cars that you will recognize as Hyundais, and a convincing demonstration that the company is perfectly capable of developing its own sophisticated design language.
There's more than style at stake here, though. The i-flow Hybrid Concept is a diesel hybrid, a proposition that promises breathtaking improvements in fuel efficiency, although few car companies anywhere have done much to explore the possibilities because the technology is too expensive for an affordable production car.
Stylish and futuristic
It does look like a movie car, doesn't it? And it also has features that could be seen in a sci-fi movie. For example, the i-flow's seats are made from a curious gel-like substance that glows blue, while its interior controls can be triggered without the need to touch them. It has a glass roof inlaid with leaf-shaped solar cells and its windshield wipers have been replaced by an air blade.
Future is now at the tip of your fingers. As soon as you start the car, a series of controls illuminate on the instrument panel. These are operated by what Hyundai calls "gestural movements," and your hand need only hover across the surface of a control in order to operate it. Drivers and occupants that are particularly expressive should be careful with their gesture, the dashborad is not that fragile, but still.
Efficiency with a capital E
The powertrain follows through with the leafy styling references with a very green concept, a diesel hybrid. The basic building block is a turbocharged 1.7-liter diesel inline-4. It makes a rather modest 115 horsepower, but it's supplemented by a 30-kilowatt (40-hp) electric motor. In addition, the i-flow incorporates a thermo-electric generator that captures waste heat from the exhaust and then converts it to electrical power, reducing fuel consumption by 5 percent.
Thanks to these innovations, the Hyundai i-flow diesel hybrid is capable of 78 mpg, the Hyundai engineers promise.