Saturday, February 6, 2010

SCOOP: Mystery Hyundai Crossover Model Looks Like Production Version of HED-5 Concept


Our man with the long lens captured this unmarked Hyundai prototype in disguise parked at the Korean automaker's European headquarters in Germany.

It's obvious that it's a compact crossover / MPV model, while the manufacture's label on the windshield reveals that it's powered by Hyundai's 1.7-liter VGT diesel engine that develops 117 horsepower in the ix35 (Euro Tuscon), but which model is it?

Well, the spy shots had us baffled for a while but after careful observation of the prototype's size (as seen in the pictures), shape, profile and certain details such as the styling of the window line, our best guess would be the production version of the Korean firm's HED-5 i-Mode concept that unveiled at the Geneva Salon in 2008.

The HED-5 i-Mode was also presented at the Los Angeles show the same year with Hyundai announcing then that the crossover has been approved for production with a six-seater model to within the next couple of years.

We've enclosed photos of the HED-5 i-Mode below so you can compare them to the prototype model. Take a look at them and tell us what you think.




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HED-5 i-MODE CONCEPT