Hyundai at Geneva - Fuel cell concept, Ioniq plug-in hybrid and more
Plug-in hybrid, fuel-cell... and two high-performance stars from Paris are among Hyundai's Geneva lineup
Hyundai has revealed a new fuel-cell concept and two production models at the Geneva motor show, alongside two performance models that made their debuts at the Paris motor show late last year.
Those two performance models are the RN30 concept car and the i20 Coupe WRC - the latter of which is already competing in this year's World Rally Championship, and is set to influence a future i20 hot hatchback under the N performance brand.
The RN30 concept car meanwhile also gives hints as to the look and ethos of the firm's upcoming Hyundai i30 N, the first production model under the Korean company's new performance brand. The striking concept looks more racer than road car, a full 84mm lower and 30mm wider than the production i30 with a 375bhp 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine up front.
> Hyundai RN30 at Paris motor show - details and photos of hot hatch concept
Hyundai's performance chief Albert Biermann, formerly of BMW M, has previously told evo that Hyundai's performance models will be more focused than their counterparts at Kia, with more of an emphasis on on-track performance than the road-focused Kia GTs.
The brand's other Geneva debuts aren't quite as exciting as the pair we've already seen, though both are likely to exert a strong influence on the brand's future products.
The first is the production version of the Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid. We've already driven the Ioniq in both regular hybrid and full battery-electric form, and both are solid efforts - if not quite aligned with evo's own ethos. Of the pair the EV is the better to drive, so the Ioniq plug-in hybrid, offering an all-electric range of up to 39 miles before the 1.6 petrol engine takes over, may well prove to be a good balance between the two.
Styling is similar to both, leaning towards the more conventional-looking hybrid - without the electric model's blanked-off grille, or unique interior centre console. Alongside the plug-in hybrid, Hyundai will also show the autonomous Ioniq first shown at CES.
> Hyundai Ioniq Electric review - is Hyundai's Leaf rival a driver's car?
The second production model is the wagon version of the firm's new i30 hatchback, the i30 Tourer. Not a car to get too many readers' hearts beating faster, but with N performance hatchbacks on the way, there's always the possibility of a fast estate...
A new hydrogen fuel-cell concept has also been revealed at the show, dubbed the Future Eco Fuel Cell Concept. It represents a programme from the company that will see more than 14 new environmentally-focused models debut before 2020.
Its hydrogen technology is claimed to be 20 per cent lighter and 10 per cent more efficient than that already used in the production Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell, while the fuel cell stack itself has 30 per cent greater power density. Range on a tank of hydrogen is quoted at almost 500 miles.
