Other than the production-ready i30 hatchback, Hyundai's big news at Geneva is this crossover coupe, the HED-4 QarmaQ (HED for Hyundai European Design, 4 because it's the studio's fourth concept. Last year Hyundai showed a similar vehicle at the 2006 Detroit show, the HCD-9 Talus. Last fall's HCD-10 Hellion was also a crossover coupe, but one designed after an all-night coke binge on the moon. The QarmaQ brings Hyundai's next important vehicle back to earth, and 2+2 crossover should hit dealers in the next few years, albeit as less of a technological showcase.
The QarmaQ was developed in conjunction with GE plastics and is made out of environmentally friendly and advanced materials including a panoramic windshield made of Lexan and a patented front end designed from energy-absorbent, pedestrian-saving materials. In all, this Hyundai uses thirty environmentally friendly technologies that will go into production by 2014. Because the car replaces many traditionally metal parts with plastic bits, Hyundai estimates that the QarmaQ weights 132 pounds less because of the advanced materials. But we have to wonder-if the QarmaQ were a regular car instead of a crossover, and if it were two-wheel drive rather than all-wheel, how much weight would that save?