Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - attribution auxo.co.kr

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - Will Arrive in the U.S. Market in 2010

The Korean car maker, Hyundai, officially announced it expects to release its first hybrid car, the Sonata Hybrid, in the U.S. market as early as 2010. “We’ll be coming to market with lithium-ion technology,” said John Krafcik, vice president for American product development. That’s the battery chemistry that GM is hoping to develop for its Chevrolet Volt electric-drive car. All hybrids currently on sale in the U.S. use less-efficient nickel-metal hydride batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are capable of holding more power than current batteries.

The hybrid version of the Sonata, Hyundai’s best-selling car, will likely make its first appearance at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

The hybrid Sonata will not need to be plugged in overnight, Krafcik said. He described a “strong parallel hybrid” vehicle that has both a gas-burning engine and an electric motor to drive the wheels.

HybridCars.com writes, that Hyundai spokesperson said, “Fuel economy should be improved by 20 to 25 percent, but those are not hard numbers. We’ll talk more about that when the car is introduced in LA.”

The news gas-powered Sonata gets 22 mpg in the city and 32 on the highway. If fuel economy improves by 20 to 25 percent, then the Sonata Hybrid will have a combined fuel economy higher than 30 mpg.