Hyundai will release its first hybrid vehicle for sale to the general public in 2009, as long as the general public in question lives in Korea. Though the automaker has been testing hybrids for the last few years, only government officials were able to drive the vehicles. According to Hyundai, though, none of the research and development costs for its hybrid drivetrain were paid for through government grants. This information seems much more important after Mark Fields' recent assertion that the Korean government had provided assistance to its automakers for the development of the fuel-saving technology. There has also been some question as to whether the Japanese government helped pay for hybrid development, though Toyota denies these allegations.

Regardless of who has funded its development, Hyundai's first hybrid will be the Avante, which is known as the Elantra in the U.S. Interestingly, the first versions of the vehicle will use liquified petroleum gas (LPG) for fuel, along with, of course, electricity. The year 2010 will bring a flex-fuel version capable of using gasoline or LPG. So far, there is no announcement regarding a launch date in the states, though Hyundai indicates it would like to be selling hybrids here by 2011. By that time, the market will be much more crowded.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Hyundai will introduce an Avante Hybrid in its Korean home market in 2009. The Avante (known as the Elantra here in the US) will use an LPG/electric setup in order to take advantage of LPG's price advantage over gasoline (it's half the cost) and because Korea already has a workable LPG infrastructure in place. The automaker will follow up with a gasoline-electric hybrid by 2010. It's anticipated that the LPG/electric system will pay off with fuel economy between 44 and 47 mpg (US). Hyundai also wants to take advantage of planned government incentives on hybrid vehicles, and if it doesn't get its own entrant into the market in a timely manner, it will effectively cede the space to Japanese automakers like Honda and Toyota.

There are still some hurdles to clear, as currently, LPG-fueled cars are only legal for rental cars and vehicles that transport the handicapped, but the government is expected to find a workaround that will allow private citizens to buy the cars when they arrive.

No mention of it is made in the article, but one has to wonder if we'll be seeing that gasoline/electric hybrid from Hyundai soon after it makes its anticipated 2010 debut in Korea.

[Source: The Chosun Ilbo]

Just because Hyundai thinks that diesels are a better option than hybrids, it doesn't mean they aren't hedging their bets. In the car business as with others if you want to succeed you have to offer customers what they want to buy. That's why carmakers have been churning out as many different SUVs as possible for the past decade and a half. It's also why everyone is now developing hybrids.

Hyundai has a team actively developing hybrid technology at their Namyang Technology Research Center in South Korea. They recently took journalists on a tour of their tech center for the first time to see development of the Avante Hybrid. The Avante is the Elantra in the US market. Hyundai plans to produce about 3,000 hybrids in 2008 for the Korean government and then start commercial sales in 2009. Right now Hyundai's biggest problem is getting the cost down. They are trying to get parts from Korean suppliers at the same prices that Japanese makers get from their suppliers.

[Source: TheAutoChannel]