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Hyundai Santa Fe shows its face on mountain roads

The last time we saw the new Hyundai Santa Fe crossover, it was pretty well covered, and it happened to be hustling around the Nurburgring with at least one racing seat. This time, one of our spy photographers caught it being tested on public roads. It also has a nearly uncovered front end, save for the black and white vinyl wrap. It appears the racing seats are gone, too. Aside from the seats, we can see very clearly that the Santa Fe will wear a version of the new corporate grille introduced on the new Sonata. In contrast to the Sonata, the outer corners are higher and sharper, and the base of the grille appears to narrow much more dramatically. It's also undeniable now that the Santa Fe will have a headlight setup just like that of its tiny Kona cousin, in which the lower lamps are actually the primary lights, and the scowling upper lamps are just accents. Unlike the Kona, the extra slit above the main grille is absent. The rest of the crossover is still well-covered, so there aren't any other revelations. We still expect to see this new Santa Fe to make its debut sometime next year, possibly in the spring or fall, as a 2019 model. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe spy shots View 13 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Hyundai Crossover Economy Cars hyundai santa fe

2018 Hyundai Kona Iron Man Edition is way more subtle than the Ant-Man Veloster

Update: A representative from Hyundai has told us that the Iron Man Edition Kona will only be offered with the 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, but can be had with either front- or all-wheel drive. The text has been updated to reflect this. Following Hyundai's collaboration on developing a frankly garish Veloster for Ant-Man and The Wasp, the company is teaming up with Marvel once again to launch a special edition of the 2018 Hyundai Kona compact crossover SUV. This one is themed after superhero Iron Man, and unlike the Veloster, this car is actually available to purchase. It's a little odd to see a car that's not an Audi used to go with Iron Man, but Hyundai has done a lot to get the Kona Iron Man-ready. The upper daytime running lights have been adjusted in design and color to more closely match the glowing eyes of Iron Man's mask. The hood has also been redesigned with an insert that looks like a heat extractor vent, but is just a red plastic piece. The whole car is painted matte black with a metallic red roof and matching accents all over the exterior. The roof gets a giant Iron Man mask decal, too. On the sides there are badges of his mask on the fenders and on the wheel center caps. The rear doors get Stark Industries logo decals. The inside hasn't been left out either. It appears to be the interior found on the lime green Limited and above trim levels, but instead of lime accents, there are even more red ones. Tony Stark's (Iron Man's not-so-secret identity) signature is found on the dashboard. The gauges have custom graphics themed around Iron Man, including a custom design for the heads-up display. On a side note, the Hyundai Kona Iron Man Edition is not the first superhero-themed car available to the public, nor is it the first Iron Man car. Jeep previously had a special edition Renegade for the Batman vs. Superman movie. And while it wasn't the Iron Man superhero, Isuzu had a special edition Vehicross for the Iron Man Triathlon event. The Hyundai Kona Iron Man Edition goes on sale in the first quarter of 2019, and it will be a limited-production vehicle. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but a Hyundai representative told us what will power it. It won't get the the entry-level Kona's a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 147 horsepower, but rather the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 175 horsepower. It will also be available in either front- or all-wheel-drive versions.

Hyundai and GM say they're serious about air taxis

The Hyundai S-A1 electric concept is displayed at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. (Getty Images)   DETROIT — Hyundai and General Motors said on Monday they are pushing ahead with developing "flying cars," with the South Korean company expressing optimism it could have an air-taxi service in operation as soon as 2025. A GM executive said it could take until 2030 for air-taxi services to overcome technical and regulatory hurdles and reach commercialization. Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) zero-emissions aircraft, which take off and land like helicopters and carry passengers and cargo, are being developed by a number of startups as well as aircraft makers and automakers, but they face a long road to profitability. Hyundai is ahead of its previously stated timetable for rolling out air-mobility vehicles, Jose Munoz, the company's global chief operating officer, said in an interview broadcast on Monday at the Reuters Events Car of the Future conference. Munoz, who is also CEO of Hyundai North America, previously said urban air taxis would be in operation at major U.S. airports by 2028 and perhaps earlier. He told Reuters on Monday it could possibly happen before 2025. Cadillac Vertile View 9 Photos "We see this market as a significant growth opportunity," Munoz said, adding he was "very confident" of the technology's development. Hyundai is developing air taxis powered by electric batteries that can transport five to six people from highly congested urban centers to airports. Other automakers developing flying cars either alone or with startups include Toyota, Daimler and China's Geely. "I think that there's a long pathway here," Pamela Fletcher, vice president of GM's Global Innovation team, said at the Reuters event. "2030 is probably a real commercial inflection point." She added: "It's a very nascent space. There's a lot of work to be done on the regulatory side, as well as the actual technology side." In January, GM unveiled a flying Cadillac concept. Morgan Stanley has estimated the total addressable market for urban air mobility could hit $1 trillion by 2040 and $9 trillion by 2050. In 2019, Hyundai, which has a dedicated Urban Air Mobility Division led by Jaiwon Shin, a former NASA engineer, pledged to invest about $1.5 billion in urban air mobility by 2025. Munoz said Hyundai sees its flying cars serving not only residential customers but also transporting commercial cargo.