Hyundai announced this morning that it will unveil a new hydrogen fuel-cell concept vehicle, to be known as the Intrado, at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in March. The Hyundai Intrado Concept will be constructed around a “super-lightweight structure” that employs a “mixture of advanced materials” that are joined together using a “revolutionary technique” that the carmaker says “has the potential to change” the way cars of the future are assembled. The Intrado will also incorporate the next generation of Hyundai's own hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain. The stack is both smaller and lighter than the one that powers the 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, the company's first production hydrogen-powered vehicle, which will be available to lease next spring in Southern California. Hyundai released a teaser sketch of the Intrado with its announcement, noting that it will be the first concept to show off the company's Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language, an evolution of the sweeping lines and rounded forms first seen on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The Intrado, Hyundai says, was designed and engineered mostly at its European research and development center in Rüsselsheim, Germany. That may indicate that the company sees Germany and some other European countries as most receptive to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The concept – named after the underside of an aircraft wing that produces lift, enabling flight – may indicate the styling direction for the company's next compact crossover. The Hyundai Tucson is now in its fifth model year, meaning that a replacement could arrive for the 2015 or 2016 model year. Hyundai says it will reveal more information about the Intrado Concept before the show. — SG
