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What is it? The Nuvis is a new small SUV concept
about the size of Hyundais Tucson. The Nuvis design team, four men and a woman, all of whose names start with A, say they styled the outside of the car to look like wind or water current was constantly shaping the lines. The wavy theme is carried inside with neon light tubes that squiggle down the length of the very flat floor. The cars two giant gull-wing doors that provide access to both front and back seats will not make it to production.
The Nuvis uses Hyundais upcoming Blue Drive parallel hybrid technology, which allows either the gasoline engine or an electric motor to power the car independently or in parallel. The Blue Drive system will use an advanced lithium-polymer battery. In the Nuvis, it was combined with a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder gas engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. Air conditioning is electric to save more fuel.
What is new or notable: The interior, with four captains chairs, uses
technology from Methode Electronics that allows each passenger to receive their own information updates, such as news, music, TV, GPS, traffic, and even ads with menus from local restaurants. The occupants can also send each other photos, songs, links,
and Tweets, if talking is too much effort. This electronics system has also subsumed all the vehicle controls into a large touch-screen monitor cascading down the center console.
CR's take: While all the electronic gee-whizzery is just conceptual, as a styling exercise, the Nuvis may point to a next-generation small SUV. And Hyundai plans to introduce a version of its Blue Drive hybrid architecture in the next Sonata midsized sedan in 2010.
Consumer Reports New cars: A to Z
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