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Hyundai pulls wraps off new i20 WRC rally car

Hyundai Motorsport is ready for the 2016 World Rally Championship after the unveiling of the New Generation i20 WRC at the team's shop in Alzenau, Germany. This is Hyundai's third season in the WRC, and it wants to improve after taking third place in the manufacturer's championship in 2015. The New Generation i20 WRC is now based on the five-door i20 hatchback from Europe, and the updated rally car boasts a stiffer chassis and a tweaked suspension. Other than the extra doors at the rear, the latest design features a more angular front end with harder edges around the grille and headlights. The WRC car boasts a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 300 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed sequential gearbox routes the power to the all-wheel drive system. Hyundai originally wanted to base the new rally car on the latest three-door i20 production model for the 2015 season, but a delay in the vehicle's homologation turned the team's attention to the five-door for 2016. "The New Generation i20 WRC is the product of a full year of development and, with a more experienced team, we now raise our objectives to be more confident to fight at the front," Team Principal Michel Nandan said at the unveiling. Drivers Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville give the New Generation i20 WRC a competition debut at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo in January. Hayden Paddon gets his at the following event – the Rally Sweden. While those guys are racing, Hyundai Motorsport also has another car under development to be ready for the next crop of WRC machines that will see action in 2017. Related Video: Hyundai Motorsport unveils New Generation i20 for third WRC season New Generation Hyundai i20 WRC revealed as Hyundai Motorsport previews a third season at the team's 2016 launch event. Alzenau, Germany, December 9, 2015 - Hyundai Motorsport today revealed its New Generation i20 WRC during a launch event for media and guests at the team's factory in Alzenau. The car will be used in our third season of WRC competition by drivers Dani Sordo, Hayden Paddon and Thierry Neuville. The venue for the launch was significant as it will soon be Hyundai Motorsport's customer racing headquarters. From this base we will supply teams around the world with our new R5 rally car that is also based on the New Generation i20. The reveal marks a new chapter in Hyundai Motorsport history as we build on two successful WRC seasons and approach our third.

Recharge Wrap-up: Rimac Concept One vs. Bugatti Veyron, Tesla Autpoilot in the snow

Watch the Rimac Concept_One and the Bugatti Veyron drive head-to-head along the Croatian coast. Rimac Automobili founder Mate Rimac invited the Earl of Pembroke to drive his 1,088-horsepower EV, while he'd drive Lord Pembroke's Bugatti for comparison. Besides the scenic coastal roads shown in this first film, the pair also drove on a racetrack and an airfield. More episodes – and a drag race – are to come. Watch the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Watch how Tesla Autosteer operates in the snow at night, with no lane markings and no lead vehicle. While Tesla doesn't recommend using Autopilot in these conditions, it seems to manage rather well. Even thought the system shows that it doesn't always recognize the curb, the car doesn't instruct the driver to take control. It's possible that data plays a key role when there aren't other guiding factors on the road, and Tesla's high resolution mapping and the car's GPS could help navigate when there is little sensor input. See the video and read more at Electrek. Andromeda Power shows how a Nissan Leaf rescue car can charge a Tesla Model S. Andromeda Power uses its V2V Orca Inceptive onboard charger, which is meant for CHAdeMO to CHAdeMO charging. It requires a lot of equipment, including a CHAdeMO Tesla adapter, but it's definitely one way to feed a Tesla enough juice to get to the nearest charging station. Read more at Inside EVs. Hyundai increase the range of its Tucson Fuel Cell by 30 percent. The next generation of the hydrogen powered Hyundai is expected in early 2018, and range will jump from 265 miles on a full tank to 348 miles. That surpasses the Toyota Mirai's 312-mile range, but not the 366 miles of the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. Read more at Green Car Reports, or from the Nikkei Asian Review. Related Gallery Rimac Automobili Concept_One View 35 Photos News Source: Electrek, YouTube: KmanAuto, Teslarati, YouTube: Wilton Classic & Supercar, Inside EVs, Green Car Reports, Nikkei Asian Review Green Bugatti Hyundai Automakers Nissan Tesla Green Automakers Autonomous Vehicles Electric Supercars Videos recharge wrapup

Why Kia doesn't need a premium brand

Hyundai's creation of the Genesis luxury brand means it and fellow Korean brand Kia have finally hit the mainstream in the U.S. – as far as products are concerned – after nearly three decades of trying. Which is about as long as it took Toyota and Nissan to roll out Lexus and Infiniti, respectively. It's history repeating itself. Genesis is supposed to be the way Hyundai's premium models get the respect they deserve, without carrying the baggage of a name associated with frugality. Hyundai has, in fact, built up a reputation over the last decade or so for cars that compete head-on with class leaders, rather than aim to be 90 percent as good for 75 percent of the price. And because Kia shares a number of components with Hyundai, its vehicles have also steadily become not only better mainstream vehicles, but have continued to aim higher than their price points. Does Kia need to follow now in its parent's steps with a prestige brand to market its most expensive models? I'm aware of the Kia K900, the company's deepest foray into luxury territory notably occupied by Lexus. Kia, however, has consistently been pushing this $60,000 full-size luxury sedan along with $0 down, low monthly payment lease deals. Turns out there really aren't many people looking for a full-size Kia luxury sedan. Or maybe they're just waiting to get it for $20,000 in a couple of years. Consider the K900 and Genesis when I convince you Kia already makes upscale cars to rival those with premium badges. They just don't happen to be its most expensive model. Shortly after Hyundai's announcement it would spin its luxury models off into the Genesis brand, I spent a few days with a 2016 Kia Sorento SXL. And I'm willing to call it a more convincing attempt to get people out of luxury cars than the K900. Driving the Sorento is not an emotional experience. You feel parental driving it, thinking you might've forgotten to pick your kids up until you remember you don't actually have kids. But after settling into the nicely stitched and perforated leather seats, you respect its comfort, quiet and amenities. The headliner is soft, the stitching on the dash top is convincingly real and everyone is impressed by the sharp graphics on the touchscreen and the slick powered shade that reveals an expansive glass roof. A Kia Sorento costing more than $46,000 sounds absurd until you wonder how much better an Acura MDX or Lexus RX350 is when those cost as much as $10,000 more.