Hyundai

Hyundai’s Electric Mini Minivan

You got to give Hyundai credit. When the Excel was introduced to the North American marketplace in the mid-1980s, the price was right but quality wasn’t there. Many years and models later, Hyundai quality has risen to be on par with the best while prices remain below the industry average.

Hyundai has already passed both Nissan and Honda in global annual sales and is setting its eyes on the #3 position behind General Motors and Toyota. What they sell in Asia is different than what is sold in Europe and what the company sells in North America, but there are some models which could become truly global particularly if gas prices remain high.

At the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, Hyundai gave us a glimpse at where they are heading, debuting the HED-5 i-Mode concept. HED stands for Hyundai European Design, thus the vehicle is aimed squarely at the European market.

The concept is actually a small minivan (mini-minivan?) that is based on its i30 platform, a car that is roughly the size of the VW Golf/Rabbit. We know that car as the Elantra in the US.

The key attributes of the car? Let me name a few:

• Lighter plastics to reduce weight are included, with an emphasis on environmentally friendliness — fewer emissions are required to build each panel.

• Self-healing paints, the type you find on the Infiniti G37 coupe will be standard.

• Swivel seating along the lines of Chrysler’s Stow and Go minivan seating will be included.

• Extensive use of LG electronics to hook up with wireless networks allowing communication between car and house, and between items within the car such as headphones and keyboards.

For the record, Hyundai is planning to build a vehicle at its Czech factory that is quite similar to this concept. Though there may be some differences, look for the HED-5 i-Mode to be the hint at where Hyundai going for the European market, perhaps the world.

Photos copyright Hyundai Motor Company.