Hyundai to unveil eco-friendly vehicles at motor show
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The 2017 Hyundai Motor i30 Wagon / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors plan to unveil their new eco-friendly vehicles at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show, which kicks off today.
One-hundred-and-eighty companies are expected to showcase 900 automobiles at the show, which will continue through March 19. Of them, 148 are new models, a motor show official said Monday.
For one of the most renowned car shows in the world, Hyundai Motor will demonstrate its latest eco-friendly technology with a second-generation hydrogen-powered electric car. The model will be on the market in time for the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games and Paralympics in February next year.
Hyundai’s sister company Kia Motors will also disclose a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the Niro small-size sports utility vehicle (SUV) for the first time before debuting the model in the United States and Europe later this year.
It will also show off the K5 sports wagon PHEV. The sports wagon won the International Forum (iF) Design Award in product design for automobiles and vehicles.
Hyundai Motor is also expected to introduce the new i30 wagon, which industry insiders say will be sold exclusively in the European market.
Separate from the global automakers’ neck-and-neck race in producing green cars, supercar markers are set to display their latest technologies.
Italian supercar maker Lamborghini will introduce the Huracan Performante, an upgraded version of the Huracan model with enhanced engine output and a four-wheel drive system. The new Huracan Performante set a new Nurburgring lap time of 6:52:01 ahead of the motor show, besting the 6:57:00 time set by the Porsche 918 Spyder in September 2013.
Its local competitor Ferrari will introduce the new Ferrari 812 Superfast, the company’s most powerful road car. Mounted with a V12 6.5-liter high-performance engine, the car can accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour in 2.9 seconds with a maximum speed of 340 kilometers per hour.
German powerhouse Mercedes-Benz is expected to unveil the four-seater convertible version of the new E-Class sedan along with the Mercedes-Maybach G 650, the company’s new luxury off-road SUV.
German premium sports car maker Porsche said it will unveil the Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid, which Porsche argues is the world’s most powerful hybrid sedan. It has a driving range of 50 kilometers with battery only power.