Hyundai, Kia to unveil electric car at global motor show

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia
Motors Corp. said Sunday that they plan to unveil an electric car at the world's
largest motor show to be held in Germany next month.
Hyundai and Kia, South Korea's top two car makers, will display the small
electric car, the i10, at Frankfurt Motor Show scheduled for Sept. 15-17, said
the flagship companies of Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group.
The exhibition is in line with the group's push to manufacture "green cars" that
don't emit carbon dioxide, the prime culprit for global warming.
According to industry watchers, the group's showcasing of an electric car at the
global motor show indicates it has made considerable headway in its "green car
project."
On Friday, the group made public a master plan to develop environmentally
friendly cars in an effort to become one of the world's four largest green car
makers.
Under the plan, Hyundai and Kia will push to produce hybrid and hydrogen fuel
cell vehicles within two to three years and start selling plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles in the United States in 2012.
The blueprint came after the group announced last month they will invest a total
of 4.1 trillion won (US$3.3 billion) by 2013 to develop more fuel-efficient
vehicles with lower carbon emissions.
The two auto makers began selling hybrid versions of their Avante and Forte
compact models, powered by liquefied petroleum gas, in South Korea this month.
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