South Korean manufacturer Hyundai is presenting at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show not only its more tangible, soon to be released vehicles, but also their interpretation of how the future of the green automotive industry should look like. And, in their case, that future is...blue.
The BLUE-WILL concept, already at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show, is now in Europe. The car, perhaps one of the most eco-friendly out there, is not all about displaying Hyundai's engineering capabilities, but to show that cars can be made of recycled materials as easily.
The hybrid uses PET soft drinks bottles as the main material for the headlamp bezels, while bio-degradable bio-plastics (made from plant extracts) have been used for the interior. The engine cover is made of a bio-plastic called PA11, while the panoramic roof features integrated sensitized solar cells, to add to the battery's efficiency.
Power for the BLUE-WILL comes from an all-aluminum gasoline direct injected 1.6l engine, paired with an electric motor and linked to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Using the electric mode, the concept car travel as much as 38 miles (60 km), slamming fuel consumption figures to 106 mpg (2.2l/100 km) in plug-in mode and up to 55 (4.2l/100 km) in hybrid mode.
"We want to show our technological image to get people to the dealerships to drive our cars," Yang Woong-chul, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors' research and development division said back in April, when BLUE-WILL was given a purpose: create production hybrids.
The BLUE-WILL concept, already at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show, is now in Europe. The car, perhaps one of the most eco-friendly out there, is not all about displaying Hyundai's engineering capabilities, but to show that cars can be made of recycled materials as easily.
The hybrid uses PET soft drinks bottles as the main material for the headlamp bezels, while bio-degradable bio-plastics (made from plant extracts) have been used for the interior. The engine cover is made of a bio-plastic called PA11, while the panoramic roof features integrated sensitized solar cells, to add to the battery's efficiency.
Power for the BLUE-WILL comes from an all-aluminum gasoline direct injected 1.6l engine, paired with an electric motor and linked to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Using the electric mode, the concept car travel as much as 38 miles (60 km), slamming fuel consumption figures to 106 mpg (2.2l/100 km) in plug-in mode and up to 55 (4.2l/100 km) in hybrid mode.
"We want to show our technological image to get people to the dealerships to drive our cars," Yang Woong-chul, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors' research and development division said back in April, when BLUE-WILL was given a purpose: create production hybrids.