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Keep it simple, stupid | 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid and Plug-In First Drive

The Ioniq is Hyundai's "golden medal project," conceived from the outset as a car to beat the Toyota Prius and be the most efficient on the market. Ki-Sang Lee, Hyundai's senior vice president in charge of eco R&D, promised that if they could accomplish that feat, he'd give every single engineer on the project a gold medal. The result of their work is an attractive trio – hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric – built on the company's first dedicated green vehicle platform. And Lee gave out more than 500 gold medals to his engineers. With a growing number of drivers – bolstered by Millenials replacing the buying power of baby boomers – who value efficiency and consider the environmental impact of their purchases, hybrids and electric cars should be a popular choice, right? While cheap gas has not helped to encourage people to make the switch to greener vehicles in the last couple years, the added cost and complexity of electrified cars have also been barriers to wider adoption. Hyundai's approach appears solid. The Ioniq hybrids are straightforward, affordable, and something drivers would be proud to own without appearing smug. So Hyundai has built the car people claim to want, but will the drivers show up at dealerships? The Ioniq is attractive for a number of reasons, not the least of which is pricing. The Ioniq Hybrid starts at $23,035, undercutting the Toyota Prius by $2,535 (with its base MSRP of $25,570). It's also more efficient, with EPA mpg figures of 57 city/59 highway/58 combined. The most efficient Prius (the Two Eco trim level) falls slightly short at 58 city/53 highway/56 combined. While the Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid doesn't have price or fuel economy figures yet – it doesn't go on sale until the fourth quarter of 2017 – we do know its 8.9-kW battery pack offers over 27 miles of all-electric range and can be topped off in 2.5 hours on a Level 2 charger. The Ioniq's green cred doesn't stop at its efficient powertrain. Sitting inside the cabin, you wouldn't realize that the soft plastics contain 25 percent sugar cane, or that the headliner and carpet contain about 20 percent of the same renewable plant material. There's no way to tell by look or feel that door trim uses recycled plastics mixed with wood powder and volcanic stone, making it 20 percent lighter. Interior metallic paints use soybean oil to lessen their environmental impact. Even better, it all agrees with the senses.

New Genesis G80 costs $2,650 more than its predecessor

If you're in the market for a Hyundai Genesis, you'd best act fast. The Korean company's new luxury sub-brand, Genesis, just announced pricing for the rebadged G80, kicking the starting figure up across the board while adding a suite of desirable safety and tech features. The base model, with a 3.8-liter V6 and rear-wheel drive, starts at $41,400. All-wheel drive adds $2,500 to that figure, while both V6 models add $2,650 to the price of a Hyundai-badged Genesis sedan. Hyundai justifies the increase with a slew of now-standard equipment from the current car's discontinued Tech Package, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, high-beam assist, and adaptive cruise control. Considering the Tech Package tallied $3,500, this is a net win. You can improve your six-cylinder G80 with a pair of packages. A $4,750 Premium Package adds fog lights, a panoramic sunroof, a 14-speaker Lexicon stereo, a seven-inch color instrument display, vented front seats, and a power sunscreen for the rear window. Genesis essentially carried over the current $3,500 Ultimate Package, which now costs $4,200. It includes matte wood, full-color HUD, 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment, a 17-speaker Lexicon stereo, and a power trunk lid, along with an upgraded power driver's seat, which used to be part of the Tech Pack. If you're hankering for the V8 model – no longer listed on the Hyundai USA consumer page – you're looking at a $650 bump, from $53,850 to $54,550. There are no option packs for the V8, so all you need to do is pick a color and drive away. Not surprisingly, the G80 undercuts its rivals by a few dollars. BMW will happily sell you a base 5 Series for $51,195. Mercedes offers an E-Class, the E300, at $53,075. Audi and Lexus are slightly more down to earth – an Audi A6 is $47,125 while a base GS is $46,595. So, going with the V6 G80 against its all-four-cylinder-turbo competition will save you, on average, around $8,100. That makes the $8,950 in option packs look awfully attractive. The difference between the G80 V8 and its rivals is smaller, but still significantly stacked in Genesis' favor, mainly because only BMW still offers a V8 in this segment – it's $67,295 ($12,745 more than a base G80 V8). Pricing on the US market 2017 E-Class is only available for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged E300, while neither Lexus nor Audi sell a V8 outside their respective high-performance brands.

Hyundai reveals refreshed Grandeur sedan in South Korea

Never heard of the Hyundai Grandeur? That's alright, because that's just the name the model uses domestically. Over here it's known as the Azera, but it's back in Korea where Hyundai has revealed a revised version of what is currently the company's largest front-drive sedan.
Compared with the previous Grandeur and even the recently redone Azera we know, the new model is marginally longer and benefits from a redesigned bumpers front and rear, a new grille, new LED fog lamps and upgraded equipment. Inside there's a reshaped center stack with upgraded HVAC controls and an eight-inch nav screen, and keeping it all on the straight and narrow are all the latest electronic aids you'd expect of a high-end model from a global automaker.
Whereas the Azera is offered here with a 3.3-liter V6 packing 293 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque, back home Grandeur buyers get a choice of the 2.4-liter Theta II four-cylinder with 187 hp and 178 lb-ft or a 2.2-liter diesel with 199 hp and 325 lb-ft.