Photo: CarPix
If you would turn back time to 2010, that’s when the first report of a Hyundai Prius fighter came to light courtesy of the good ole rumor mill. Since then, the South Korean manufacturer started testing mules of this soon-to-debut hybrid model, with production slated for summer 2016.
Our latest batch of spy shots show the Hyundai hybrid hatchback testing near the carmaker’s technical center in Germany. The idea of a Toyota Prius-rivaling model has been tossed around for quite a while now, but the second half of 2016 will see Hyundai’s efforts come to fruition. This test mule appears to be in the final stage of research & development, minus the dreary wheels.
The Hyundai Prius fighter still doesn’t have a name yet, but last time our carparazzi spotted a prototype, there were some high voltage cables and a sticker reading “AE HEV.” AE is the program code of the model and HEV stands for the obvious hybrid electric vehicle. From the side profile, the Hyundai Elantra-like petrol-electric hybrid clearly resembles the outgoing Toyota Prius.
As the Prius prepares to kick the bucket and Toyota is edging nearer to revealing the 2017 Prius (codename 690A) towards the end of 2015 with a rumored thermal efficiency of 40 percent and an optional all-wheel drive system, Hyundai appears to be deciding about how blue the headlight tint should be for their eco-friendly vehicle.
We’re able to see some LED daytime running lights under the heavy camouflage and a Honda Civic-like spoiler traversing the rear windshield. To ride on the next-generation 2016 Hyundai Elantra platform, the Prius fighter will be offered as a five-door hatchback.
A parallel powertrain setup will see the model employ a 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine working in conjunction with an electric motor. The battery pack’s capacity is still a mystery, but we’re expecting the pack to be lithium-ion. A plug-in version is also rumoured to be offered a year or 18 months after the launch.
The Hyundai Prius fighter still doesn’t have a name yet, but last time our carparazzi spotted a prototype, there were some high voltage cables and a sticker reading “AE HEV.” AE is the program code of the model and HEV stands for the obvious hybrid electric vehicle. From the side profile, the Hyundai Elantra-like petrol-electric hybrid clearly resembles the outgoing Toyota Prius.
As the Prius prepares to kick the bucket and Toyota is edging nearer to revealing the 2017 Prius (codename 690A) towards the end of 2015 with a rumored thermal efficiency of 40 percent and an optional all-wheel drive system, Hyundai appears to be deciding about how blue the headlight tint should be for their eco-friendly vehicle.
We’re able to see some LED daytime running lights under the heavy camouflage and a Honda Civic-like spoiler traversing the rear windshield. To ride on the next-generation 2016 Hyundai Elantra platform, the Prius fighter will be offered as a five-door hatchback.
A parallel powertrain setup will see the model employ a 1.6-liter four-cylinder petrol engine working in conjunction with an electric motor. The battery pack’s capacity is still a mystery, but we’re expecting the pack to be lithium-ion. A plug-in version is also rumoured to be offered a year or 18 months after the launch.
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