Hyundai Blue-Will concept to make US debut at Detroit Motor Show

Although the Hyundai Blue-Will concept made its world debut last April at the Seoul Motor Show, the brand's first plug-in hybrid will still appear in concept form when shown at Detroit next week.

Blue-Will utilises the same Hybrid Blue Drive technology Hyundai unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show - a parallel hybrid system that allows the concept to run as a conventional hybrid vehicle or as a pure electric vehicle.

Hyundai says the Blue-Will can return up to 4.2L/100km in hybrid mode and a staggering 2.2L/100km when operating as a plug-in hybrid. The Blue-Will has an all-electric operating range of 65kms.

Blue-Will is powered jointly by a 1.6-litre direct-injected four-cylinder (113kW) and an electric motor (100kW) that in turn is fed by a lithium polymer battery setup.

The Blue-Will is expected to preview a dedicated hybrid model from Hyundai, with a launch date expected in late 2011.