(February 24, 2010) Hyundai has released a pair of images of a new mid-sized sedan concept that will debut next week at the Geneva Motor Show. The i-Flow is Hyundai's first diesel hybrid and the automaker claims it can achieve 78.4 mpg (U.S.). Primary propulsion comes from a new 1.7-liter inline-four diesel with two-stage turbocharging.

The i-Flow is expected to use a version of the Blue-drive hybrid system that is currently available in the Korean market Elantra and debuting later this year in the North American Sonata. Unlike the Sonata which will use a conventional six-speed planetary gear automatic transmission the i-Flow uses a new six-speed dual clutch transmission.

The i-Flow will continue to use the lithium polymer batteries that are in the Elantra and the upcoming Sonata. The design of the new concept is a continuing evolution of the new "fluidic sculpture" language that has debuted on the new Sonata and Tucson. The lines of the concept are even more extreme than seen on the two production vehicles but car still has a very low coefficient of drag, claimed by the manufacturer to be just 0.25. Hyundai claims the CO2 emissions from the i-Flow are a mere 85 g/km, exceptionally low for a vehicle of this size.

The concept will be unveiled alongside several new production models for the European market begin with a refresh of the i30 (sold in North America as the Elantra Touring). The i30 along with the i10, i20, and ix35 (badged as the Tucson in North America) will debut with new "Blue drive" packages. Like the low emission BlueMotion models offered by Volkswagen, Hyundai's Blue models are optimized for low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

All of the blue models get automatic start-stop systems, taller gearing, low rolling resistance tires and aerodynamic modifications. The i10, i20 and i30 are rated at under 100 g/km of CO2 emissions. The larger ix35/Tucson gets a rating of 135 g/km.

Hyundai has also installed its latest generation fuel cell system into the recently introduced ix35/Tucson for its next round of testing. Hyundai plans to start series production of fuel cell vehicles by 2012 with volumes in the thousands of units annually.