2009 Melbourne Motor Show: Hyundai i30 Blue And i10 Blue

Hyundai pulled back the covers on its i10 blue and i30 blue concept cars at the Melbourne International Motor Show today. Both concepts come under the new Blue Drive sub-brand of eco-conscious Hyundai vehicles.

The i10 blue and i30 blue feature Hyundai’s advanced eco-dynamic Blue Drive technology, which consists of revisions to the vehicle's powertrain efficiency, aerodynamics and chassis to deliver a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

The production version of the i3o 'blue' will be on display at next week’s Geneva Motor Show (but no word yet on when we might see it here).

Improvements in engine efficiency are achieved by minimising friction in rotational components, partly by using low-friction engine oil. Engine management also plays a big role by keeping careful control of timing, injection pressure and idle speed.

The most notable change is the inclusion of Hyundai's ISG (Idle Stop and Go) technology which will shut the engine down when the car is stationary and the transmission is in neutral. A simple tap of the clutch pedal is all that's needed to fire the engine back into life.

Using the same 1.6 litre CRDi turbo-diesel mill as the regular i30 five-door, the i30 blue manages to best the standard model's CO2 emissions by 15 percent, down from 125 g/km to 106 g/km. Similarly, fuel efficiency is also improved from 4.7 l/100km to 4.1 l/100km.

The i10 blue drops emissions by equally impressive margins, dipping from an already low 114 g/km to 95 g/km. No mention is made of fuel economy figures but expect the i10 to return solid numbers. We'll keep our eye out for confirmed specs during the Geneva show.

Aerodynamics are the last area of improvement for the blue Hyundais, with careful attention paid to reducing each vehicle's drag coefficient. This has been achieved by lowering ground clearance and smoothing out underbody airflow on both models.

Striking paintwork aside, motor show attendees can identify the i10 blue and i30 blue by their special Drive Blue badging. We should have more information on pricing and availability come the Geneva Show, so stay tuned.