Hyundai News - LA 2008: Hyundai rolls out HED-5 i-Mode for first time on U.S. soil

November 20, 2008 by tsikot

LA 2008: Hyundai rolls out HED-5 i-Mode for first time on U.S. soil

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hyundai, LA Auto Show

Click above for high-res image gallery of Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode

We first saw Hyundai’s rolling CUV shapeship, the HED-5 i-Mode, back in Geneva, but today at the LA Auto Show is the first time the Korean automaker has shown the car in the States. New to the crossover is a 2.0L gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine that Hyundai plans to roll out in production machines shortly. The new Theta Turbo GDI engine puts out 286 horsepower, which is very impressive for such a small powerplant. Hyundai puts its direct injection and turbo technology to good effect and combines these new features with its Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) to allow for a 15-20 percent fuel economy increase compared with a standard 2.0L four-banger. Expect to see this new engine make its way into a production car sometime in 2010.

According to Hyundai, a new six-seat production CUV will hit the market in 2010 that’s inspired by the HED-5. Of course, don’t expect to see its far-out future-spec interior make it production, but the GDI engine and general look is a lock.

Gallery: LA 2008: Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode