Hyundai has been surprisingly aggressive in the hybrid vehicle space over the past 6 months with a number of new models either out or announced. The promising concept vehicle above is called the Hyundai BLUE-WILL and it looks like Hyundai’s shot across the bow of the current industry leader, the Toyota Prius.

The BLUE-WILL features an eye catching body, referred to by Hyundai as fluidic sculpture design, and has been thoroughly tested in wind tunnels with the overall aim being maximum aerodynamic efficiency. The 5-door hatch-back design is a very popular configuration in the hybrid vehicle space, largely due to the fact that the sloping rear of the car has a huge effect on drag reduction.

The power train of the BLUE-WILL is still an unknown quantity but we expect to see a similar set up to the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Hyundai won’t be releasing the hybrid as a plug-in hybrid due to technical constraints but after the initial model is released in 2012 we expect to see a full plug-in version soon after.

Interestingly Hyundai will have one of the biggest line ups of hybrid cars by 2011, a strategic move that could see them leapfrog some of the biggest names in the auto industry once we see the slow but inevitable hike in gasoline prices over the next few years.

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