Green Options

If there is any single success story of 2009 in the automotive world, it is Hyundai. They have really stepped it up a notch across their lineup, and cars like the Genesis sedan and coupe have been universally hailed for both their quality and value. Hard to believe this is even the same company. Yet for all their progress, Hyundai is a bit behind other manufacturers in the hybrid game. Their first hybrid, the Sonata, won’t hit showrooms until later this year.

But Hyundai’s engineers have been hard at work, and the fruits of their labor are quite good looking indeed. The Blue-Will plug-in hybrid concept car will make its North American debut at the Detroit International Auto Show next week. Is that a menacing grin or what?

I don’t normally get excited about hybrids. They’re pretty humdrum if you ask me, and I was into performance vehicles way before I was into alternative fuels. The Prius is boring, the Fusion is just a Fusion, and the Insight and downright ugly.

But Honda seems to have been listening, having announced that the aggressively styled CR-Z concept hatch will make it into production as a 2011 model for Japan and America. This is a hybrid car I could actually see myself driving.