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Weekly Recap: Kia leads Korea's quality surge

The rapid rise of Korea's auto brands in the US market has been apparent on the sales charts for several years, and now it's showing up in an area that's just as crucial: quality. Kia and Hyundai earned the highest rankings among mainstream brands in the J. D. Power Initial Quality Study released on Wednesday. The study tracks problems owners report during the first 90 days they own their car. Kia reported 86 problems per 100 vehicles, or fewer than one problem per car sold, to take second in the rankings behind luxury sportscar-maker Porsche (80). Kia's score improved by nearly 20 percent compared with the 2014 study. "The big industry story is Kia," Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in a video statement, noting Kia's infotainment systems were the key reason for its improved performance. Hyundai was fourth for the second straight year, though its score actually worsened by one, to 95. Even with Hyundai's slight dip, Korean quality increased 11 percent, according to the study, which far outpaced American and European companies' three-percent increases. Japanese brands improved one percent. Hyundai Motor Co. (parent company of the Hyundai and Kia brands) captured four individual vehicle awards, which tied for the most with General Motors, Nissan, and Volkswagen. "The Korean brands have really taken off," Stephens said. "There's movement in the industry, and the patterns are shifting." Another luxury brand, Jaguar (93 problems), slotted in between Hyundai and Kia in third place. Infiniti was fifth, followed by BMW. Chevrolet was the highest domestic brand, taking seventh place, followed by Lincoln, Lexus, and Toyota, which were all well above the industry average of 112 problems per 100 vehicles. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Kirk Kerkorian dead at 98 Kirk Kerkorian, a billionaire activist investor who wielded enormous influence on the Detroit Three car companies in the 1990s and 2000s, died Monday. He was 98 years old. Kerkorian made headlines in 1995 for trying to take over Chrysler – with the help of former chairman Lee Iacocca – before being fended off by Chrysler management. His takeover attempt ultimately pushed Chrysler to be sold to German giant Daimler. He tried to buy Chrysler again in 2007 when Daimler put Chrysler on the market, but Kerkorian fell short and the automaker was sold to private equity firm Cerberus.

2019 Hyundai Veloster N revealed with 275 horsepower

Hyundai has finally revealed the first N model to come to the U.S., the Veloster N, and it's basically the i30 N's funkier cousin. Under the hood is the very same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder cranking out 275 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That power goes to a 6-speed manual transmission that features an automatic rev-matching system for downshifts, and on to the front wheels by way of an electronic limited-slip differential. Backing up the power is a suspension that is adjustable for damping via the various drive modes on the car, which also adjust throttle response, rev-matching characteristics, steering, differential settings and the exhaust note. The Veloster N also has standard 225-mm wide high-performance summer tires on 18-inch wheels, which can be swapped for 19-inch wheels with 235-mm wide high-performance summer tires. There are two sets of brakes available, too. The standard front rotors are 13 inches and the rears are 11.8 inches, and the optional set are 13.6 inches in the front and 12.4 inches in the rear. Of course all of these performance upgrades need more visual flair, which the Veloster N proudly displays. Up front it has a more aggressive front fascia with red accents around the grille. There are vents behind the grilles that direct air toward the brakes for additional cooling. More aggressive side skirts and a faux rear diffuser with split dual-exhaust tips complete the look of the lower body, while a big wing caps it off. That big wing also has a triangular high-mount brake light just like the i30 N. The exterior can be coated in one of four colors, white, black, red, or the trademark light blue of N. The interior gets some updates, too in the way of cloth sports seats, an N steering wheel with buttons in that same blue color, and shift indicator lights appear on the instrument panel. Production of the Veloster N begins this September, and they will be available at dealers in the fourth quarter of this year. If you can't wait, though, the car will be available for download and virtual driving in Forza Motorsport 7 on January 16. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Hyundai Veloster N: Detroit 2018 View 16 Photos Related Gallery 2019 Hyundai Veloster N View 25 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2018 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Detroit Auto Show Hyundai Hatchback Performance 2018 detroit auto show hyundai veloster n

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe previewed in official renderings

As we near its official reveal in Geneva, Hyundai is trickling out more teasers of the 2019 Santa Fe crossover SUV. This time, instead of a dark photo, the company released a pair of renderings of the new family car. From what we can tell, it's like a huge, subtle Kona. At the front, we can see the SUV version of Hyundai's corporate "Cascade" grille complete with mesh insert instead of the slats found on Hyundai cars. The most obvious connection between this and the Kona are the headlights. It appears illumination may be split between slim, angry lamps high up, and a set of extra lamps lower in the fascia. The front fascia also looks more upright and tough than that of the current model. From what we've seen in spy photos, the front fascia seen in the rendering will translate very closely to real life. The illustrations also suggest the new Santa Fe will have much more sculpted, detailed flanks, too. Bolder plastic cladding shows up on the rocker panels, complete with contrasting aluminum brightwork. Another nod to the Kona shows up in the wheel arches. The creases rise up at the back, similar to the Kona's plastic flares. The rendering also shows a crease just below the windows running along the length of the Santa Fe. Looking at the last teaser image of the actual crossover, this crease is quite prominent. At the rear, the plastic cladding continues along the bottom. The hatch also looks more sculpted than the plain slab of the current model. It also appears to be raked forward more. But the forward rake is countered by the window line on the sides that rises upward. As mentioned with the front fascia, comparing these renderings to spy shots and the previous teaser, it looks like the production Santa Fe will look very much like it does here. Only the exaggerated things like the ultra-slim windows and massive wheels with rubber-band tires will be altered by the hands of rational, practical engineers. As such, the Santa Fe should be a pretty handsome family hauler, and a slightly bigger one than its predecessor, when it makes its debut at the Geneva show in March. Related Video: