Hyundai Motor Accelerating Eco-friendly Hybrid Car Project
- Delivers 50 hybrid Click units for testing to the government

 
Hyundai Motor Co. said it would launch commercial production of hybrid cars in 2006 as part of its efforts to accelerate the development of next-generation econ-friendly passenger cars.

Hyundai Motor, Korea's largest automaker, unveiled a hybrid compact car called "Click" during a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Oct. 1 with 400 participants from business, academics, media and other circles. Hyundai Automotive Group Chairman Chung Mong-gu, Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Energy Lee Hee-beom, Minister of Environment Kwak Kyul-ho, Minister of Construction and Transportation Kang Dong-suk, GE Capital Chairman Jeffrey R. Immelt also took part in the ceremony marking the development of next-generation growth engine industry-futuristic cars.

During the ceremony, Hyundai delivered to the Ministry of Environment 50 Click hybrid cars, to be used for experiments. The ministry plans to make the hybrid cars available for official duties of the National Police Agency. It will be the first such case in which hybrid cars will hit the road in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Hyundai Motor has decided to build up a platform for strengthening its competitive edge in the global market by accelerating the structure for mass-producing hybrid cars in the futuristic eco-friendly car sector and upgrading the domestic automotive industry.

Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung said in his speech during the ceremony, "The Hyundai Automotive Group has developed eco-friendly cars since the early 1990s with the goal of realizing lives in company with nature." He said his company would do its utmost to be in accordance with the government policy of setting futuristic cars as one of the next-generation growth engine industrial sectors, preserve the environment of the earth and meet customer satisfaction.

"Hyundai Motor has grown into a global carmaker with both the quality and technology as its Sonata brand ranked first in the medium-size category in a quality survey conducted by J. D. Power this year. It will make every effort to offer globally advanced financial services in a bid to meet customer satisfaction on top of the development of automotive technology, as Hyundai forged an alliance with GE Capital in the financial service sector last August," Chairman Chung said.

Prime Minister Lee said in his congratulatory speech, "The government, setting futuristic cars as one of the next-generation industrial growth engine sectors, has supported the development and application of such cars, and it is considering spearheading the purchase of hybrid cars." A combination of the government's will and the Hyundai Automotive Groups efforts has made the operation of Korea's first hybrid car possible, and the government will not spare efforts to support the development of parts and key technologies so that commercialization of hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel-cell cars can be realized at the earliest possible date. GE Capital Chairman Immelt said he expressed expectations on the expanded cooperation between Hyundai Motor and General Electric and praise over the development of Korea's automotive technology. He noted that GE Capital will try to do its best to offer its capital and advanced finance services after discussing possible collaboration in the financial and industrial businesses between the two companies.

Hyundai invested 10.6 billion won for the Click hybrid project during the 16-month period between May 2003 and the time of producing it. Hyundai say the Click can run 19 km per litter, showing a 50 percent higher fuel efficiency than gasoline-fueled cars mileage of 12 km per litter.

As part of its efforts to develop eco-friendly cars in earnest, the Hyundai Automotive Group developed an electric car mounted on the Sportage model and an electric car on Santa Fe model in 2001. The Santa Fe electric car had been tested in cooperation with the Hawaiian state government, and its experimental operation that launched in Jeju Island last December certified the driving capability and excellence, Hyundai Motor said.

In the category of fuel-cell cars emerging as pollution-free vehicles, the Hyundai Automotive Group developed a Sportage fuel-cell car in 2000 and a Santa Fe fuel-cell car in 2001. Last April, Hyundai Motor was designed as one of test-operators of futuristic cars by the U.S. government, and Tucson and Sportage fuel-cell cars will be test-operated in major U.S. cities in the next five years.  As recently as 2004, Hyundai Motor supplied Santa Fe electric cars during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, demonstrating its prowess in the eco-friendly car technology all over the world.

Hyundai Motor plans to acquire key technologies necessary for the mass-production of hybrid cars by churning a small number of MC hybrid cars with higher mileage performance, a replacement of the Berna model, by the end of next year. By the end of 2006, the company will mass-produce and market hybrid cars in earnest with the goal of building up a mass-production system with a yearly capacity of 300,000 units by investing an additional 300 billion won by 2010.   nw