New car news

08 September 2009 - 12:00

The Metro returns…

In the future, the use of straight lines will be banned in car design, and those who transgress will be sentenced to 10 years' hard labour in the Ssangyong design studio.

Hyundai does not wish to suffer such a fate, so has created the ix Metro concept, a mini hybrid set to be unveiled in Frankfurt next week that points towards a new low-emissions future for compact crossovers.

The ix Metro is a dinky petrol-electric hybrid producing less CO2 than a butterfly. A 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine provides primary motivation, backed up by a small electric motor.

Created at Hyundai's Global Design studio in Korea, the ix Metro also gets a six-speed dual clutch gearbox, a more efficient transmission than a standard auto.

Hyundai describes the ix Metro as a Compact Utility Vehicle, and says it will be smaller than its own Fiesta-rivalling i20, with a slightly raised driving position.

Frankly, we just like the name...