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Quality issues drive resignation of Hyundai R&D president

Hyundai released a statement Monday announcing that its research and development president, Kwon Moon-sik, and two other executives resigned from their positions, Reuters reports, to "take responsibility for a series of quality issues," according to the statement.
The resignations seem to be related to recent recalls around the globe. A few weeks back, Hyundai recalled 27,500 Genesis sedans from model years 2009 to 2012 in the US for brake fluid that doesn't prevent corrosion of the electronic hydraulic control unit. The recall recently was expanded to include 43,500 Genesis sedans in the US, but nearly 150,000 are reportedly affected including the South Korean market.
"The latest personnel change shows our firm commitment to quality management and reaffirms our will to continuously improve R&D competitiveness," says Hyundai.

Does this Hyundai Intrado concept preview the next Tucson?

The second generation of Hyundai's Fluidic Sculpture design language has arrived a bit early, thanks to these leaked images of the Korean automaker's Intrado Concept. Set to make its big debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show, the three-door crossover is based on a next-generation version of the hydrogen powertrain used in Europe's ix35 Fuel Cell (that'd be a hydrogen Tucson, for anyone who's wondering).
We can see some 2015 Genesis Sedan in the grille, but the sharp, narrow LED headlights are something different. The c-shaped LED taillights also look good, although we're less sure about the odd fairings around the wheel wells. Overall, it's not a terrible design in our minds, but it probably won't be the pretties vehicle to debut in Geneva.
But instead of focusing on the design, let's talk about what impact the Intrado may have on Hyundai. Aside from the hydrogen powertrain, it seems as if the Intrado's design is too conservative to be a pure concept. Instead, and as you may have guessed from our headline, we're thinking this could be a preview of the next-generation Tucson. Considering the Tucson and its cousin the ix35 are the oldest vehicles in Hyundai's lineup (not counting the Sonata, which is getting replaced at the New York show) and it's a vehicle sold worldwide, previewing its replacement on a stage as big as Geneva doesn't strike us as a bad idea.

Hyundai previews Intrado fuel-cell crossover concept

We may still be several months off from the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, but it's apparently not too early for Hyundai to give us a glimpse at what to expect when the Palexpo's doors open in March.
Called Intrado, Hyundai's new concept car takes the form of a high-riding crossover with styling that takes its cues from the Korean automaker's Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language. Designed and engineered in Germany, the concept bears the codename HED-9, a giveaway that it's the ninth concept from Hyundai Europe Design. Inspiration is said to have been drawn from aircraft, with a lightweight form and a name borrowed from the underside of an airplane's wing.
Hyundai isn't saying much more, revealing only the teaser rendering above. But it has indicated that the Intrado concept packs a new hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain that's both smaller and lighter than the one powering the existing ix35 Fuel Cell, which (last we heard) Hyundai was hoping to bring Stateside as part of its Tuscon lineup by 2015.