Hyundai already has a Sonata Hybrid on the way, and now reports are surfacing that the company is planning a dedicated hybrid model that will have its own platform.
The target date for this dedicated hybrid is 2012, with a plug-in model to follow for 2013. Powertrain details are sketchy, but it appears both models would use lithium-polymer battery technology.
That's not the only powertrain news from Hyundai. We know that a larger Tau V-8 is on the way, and Hyundai is mulling whether to bring its 247-horsepower 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 to our shores, where it would find a home in the Veracruz, complete with selective catalytic reduction technology that will make for cleaner emissions.
There's more: Hyundai will likely make the 274-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder available in the next Santa Fe. On top of that, Hyundai is expecting to get a 40 mpg rating on its upcoming Sonata Hybrid and is also looking at building a fuel-cell vehicle for 2012.
None of this is surprising--Hyundai is on a roll, and it wants to gobble up as much market share as it can. Staking a claim in the green marketplace can't hurt.
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