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Hyundai considering pickup after good reaction to Santa Cruz

The Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz pickup concept was one of the stars of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show and even earned fifth place on Autoblog's Editors' Choice list of favorite debuts. The strong response might have been enough to get it made. Hyundai research and development director Park Byung-cheol said that the company was considering building the truck, according to Reuters. He warned, though, that there were still some obstacles in the way of the pickup arriving to showrooms without saying what those were. Rumors about Hyundai considering a pickup in the US go back several years but were fruitless. The Santa Cruz's unveiling really reignited things, though. The North American arm of the Korean brand reportedly chose Detroit for the debut so that foreign executives could see the media reaction to the concept. That gamble might have paid off. Hyundai's pickup at dealers might not look like the Santa Cruz concept, though. The company said the version in Detroit had nothing production-ready about it and even lacked an interior. At the time, a platform still hadn't been decided on, and the brand had several internal design studies underway. Related Video:

Best car infotainment systems of 2022

Declaring one infotainment system the best over any other is an inherently subjective matter. You can look at quantitative testing for things like input response time and various screen load times, but ask a room full of people that have tried them all what their favorite is, and you’re likely to get a lot of different responses. Some prefer systems that are exclusively touch-based with a simplistic user interface. Others may prefer a non-touch system that is navigable via a scroll wheel. You can compare it to the phone operating system wars. Just like some folks prefer Android phones over iPhones, we all have our own opinions for what makes up the best infotainment interface. All that said, our combined experience tells us that a number of infotainment systems are at least better than the rest. WeÂ’ve narrowed it down to five total systems in their own subcategories that stand out to us. Read on below to see our picks, and feel free to make your own arguments in the comments. Best overall: UConnect — Various Stellantis products If thereÂ’s one infotainment system that all of us agree is excellent, itÂ’s UConnect. Both UConnect 4 and the latest UConnect 5 software are included in this praise, too. It has numerous qualities that make it great, but above all else, UConnect is simple and straightforward to use. Ease of operation is one of the most (if not the single most) vital parts of any infotainment system interface. If youÂ’re expected to be able to tap away on a touchscreen while driving and still pay attention to the road, a complex infotainment system is going to remove your attention from the number one task at hand: driving. UConnect uses a simple interface that puts all of your key functions in a clearly-represented row on the bottom of the screen. Tap any of them, and it instantly pulls up that menu. We like the radio/media interface — itÂ’s super easy to swap stations or sources. The menu structure is easy to grasp, and of course both Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are available if you want them. UConnect 5 is a big visual improvement over UConnect 4, but thankfully it retains the same ease of use as the outgoing system. WeÂ’ll also point out that Stellantis is able to adapt UConnect to different screen shapes and sizes with great success — it works stunningly well in the vertical 12-inch screen of the Ram.

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