Kia Ray Concept: next generation hybrid revealed

South Korea's Kia Motors unveiled the very sweet looking Kia Ray Concept car today at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.

The Ray is Kia's version of the next generation plug-in hybrid car and according to the company it can travel 50 miles using just its electric motor with a top speed of 109 MPH. The Ray has a range of 746 miles and its fuel economy is an unbelievable 202 miles per gallon.

Range has always been a big issue with electric cars, so the hybrid plug-in is seen as an intermediary technology that eases the idea of a fully electric car into the market. Simply explained, the electric motor hums along on its charge and a small internal combustion engine kicks in from time to time to augment power much in the same way that a hybrid like the Toyota Prius does today.

The big difference between conventional hybrid technology and the new plug-in is, well... the fact that you can plug in and recharge the batteries at any time which allows you to drive a lot longer on electricity alone.

So the Kia Ray Concept's hybrid plug-in technology is nothing new. That being said, this is by far the coolest looking plug-in hybrid I've seen yet.

Massimo Frascella, the Design Manager for Kia explains that:

"At the end of the day it is a car so it has to look dynamic even standing still! Beautifully crafted wheel flares and pronounced shoulders at the back give our model a great presence and stance and the front negative angle, inspired by F1 racing cars, along with the lower wing supports a sporty and forceful appearance"

The Kia Ray Concept is definitely raising the bar in the hyper-fuel efficient auto category.