2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid in the Works

Toyota, Honda, GM, and Ford are some of the world's biggest car companies--and Hyundai wants to be in their clique. So while all those brands offer a range of hybrid vehicles, so too will Hyundai, starting with a gas-electric version of the Sonata sedan.

Automotive News reports that Hyundai's American product chief John Krafcik confirms the Korean automaker is working on a hybrid powertrain for its mid-size sedan. He tells the News that the hybrid will feature a lithium-ion battery--the advanced kind being developed by Toyota, GM, and others--and that a prototype will be shown this fall.

The hybrid Sonata likely will be modeled after the next-generation Sonata; the current sedan bowed in 2006. The new hybrid is expected as a 2011 model. And while it will offer battery-augmented power, it won't be a plug-in, Hyundai's Krafcik adds. 2007 Hyundai Sonata 4dr Sdn Auto exterior front leftEnlarge PhotoToyota, Honda, GM, and Ford are some of the world's biggest car companies--and Hyundai wants to be in their clique. So while all those brands offer a range of hybrid vehicles, so too will Hyundai, starting with a gas-electric version of the Sonata sedan. Automotive News reports that Hyundai's American product chief John Krafcik confirms the Korean automaker is working on a hybrid powertrain for its mid-size sedan. He tells the News that the hybrid will feature a lithium-ion battery--the advanced kind being developed by Toyota, GM, and others--and that a prototype will be shown this fall. The hybrid Sonata likely will be modeled after the next-generation Sonata; the current sedan bowed in 2006. The new hybrid is expected as a 2011 model. And while it will offer battery-augmented power, it won't be a plug-in, Hyundai's Krafcik adds.