Hyundai CEO: Company could hit 50 mpg by 2025, 2011 Elantra to get 40 mpg highway

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

A proposal by the Obama administration will require automakers to deliver a fleet average of 62 mpg by 2025 but Hyundai’s CEO John Krafcik said that the Korean automaker can get to 50 mpg by that date.

Hyundai has two new models that are scheduled to hit dealerships very soon that will average 40 mpg – the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, which is scheduled to debut at the 2010 LA Auto Show next week.

However, it must be noted that the government calculates Corporate Average Fuel Economy differently from the way it measures city and highway fuel economy that you see on window sale stickers. For example, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra’s sticker will say 29/40 mpg (city/highway) – but if you use the Department of Transportations calculation for CAFE standards, the 2011 Elantra gets 44 mpg in combined city/highway traffic.

“When we put it in those terms, it seems a heck of a lot more doable,” Krafcik said.

Refresher: The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is powered by a 2.4L Theta II engine making 169-hp at 6,000 rpm and 156 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The engine is mated to an electric motor that makes an additional 40.2-hp and 151.2 lb-ft of torque. Working together side-by-side, both units develop a total of 209-hp and 195 lb-ft of torque. The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid can also operate in EV-only mode at speeds of up to 62 mph. Fuel-economy is rated at 36/40 mpg (city/highway).

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid:

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Free Press