New York Auto Show: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

After releasing the first teaser on Friday, Hyundai revealed today the all-new 2011 Sonata Hybrid at the New York Auto Show. The new car carries the Hyundai-developed Hybrid Blue Drive architecture which is a full parallel hybrid drive system. With this system the car can operate on an electric motors, gasoline internal combustion engine or , as you imagined, using a combination of those two. The new system uses lithium polymer battery technology – leapfrogging competitive in-market nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion applications.

Under the hood we find a fuel-efficient 2.4-liter Theta II engine capable to deliver 169 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 156 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and a 30kW (151 lb-ft) electric motor for maximum fuel economy.

This means we have a total output of 209 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, exceeding all mid-size competitors, and 195 lb-ft of torque. Sonata Hybrid’s projected best-in-class highway fuel economy of 39 mpg offers significant benefit to hybrid owners with highway commutes, while also offering outstanding city fuel economy of 37 mpg (for those who don’t know, the recently unveiled 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid delivers an impressive 41mph – take that Hyundai!).

“Hyundai applies advanced technologies to vehicles to provide the best solutions for the everyday driver,” said Krafcik. “Unlike traditional hybrids that trade off highway fuel economy for higher city ratings, the Sonata Hybrid delivers best-in-class highway fuel economy, while still delivering about a 40 percent improvement in city fuel economy compared to a Sonata equipped with the Theta II GDI engine. We think this is a better balanced approach for the majority of car buyers.”