Hyundai's plastic fantastic

That's the message from Hyundai, which showed on its latest model how plastic materials are lighter, cheaper and more recyclable than conventional panels. And they look set to become showroom-ready sooner than you may think.

The Geneva Motor Show concept, codenamed HED 4, was unveiled with its official QarmaQ name. The model was produced with International materials expert GE Plastics. While plastic panels are nothing new - Renault's Clio and Suzuki's Swift both feature them - fresh composites and designs allow the lightweight mat-erials to be used in shapes that would not otherwise have been possible.

"We will have a mature, market-ready solution within a year," said Rob Butterfield, marketing director of GE Plastics. "We're working on technology with the aim to build economically for production." As well as giving a substantial weight reduction, the plastic panels are constructed in a unique way to conform to the latest safety and pedestrian-impact regulations. They're environmentally friendly, too, built from materials which can be easily recycled.