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Hyundai planning EV for US market

California's stringent automotive emissions mandates, which require that all automakers include some form of Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) in the lineup, may be forcing the hand of Hyundai, suggests The Detroit Bureau after a recent tweet from John Krafcik, HMA Chief Executive. Up until now, the Korean automaker has been attempting to meet future regulations with fuel-cell vehicles like the modified ix35/Tuscon models (the technology uses hydrogen to generate electricity), but consumers have been slow to warm to hydrogen citing an immature and undeveloped refueling infrastructure.
While battery-powered EVs are far from perfect, they appeal to consumers who have short commutes and owners who find it convenient to recharge at home. If Hyundai were to get into the EV game in short order, one solution could be the BlueOn battery car (shown above) that is sold in the automaker's domestic market. In its current state, the BlueOn offers a 16.4-kWh lithium polymer battery, which provides a range of just over 85 miles and a lethargic 0-60 time of 13.1 seconds.
To be competitive, Hyundai would have to boost performance or seek another more expensive solution. We'll have to wait for official word, or another tweet from Krafcik, to see which way the company is heading.

Genesis designer Luc Donckerwolke talks new sedan, 'post-SUV' phase

Luc Donckerwolke's office at the Hyundai Research and Design center outside of Seoul looks like an Apple store, all polished concrete, metal and glass and a Miesian lack of ornamentation. This makes sense in an environment in which Donckerwolke, as head of design for the Hyundai and Genesis brands, is attempting to privilege transparency: enhancing communication and accessibility. "We have to break this kind of castle syndrome that the designers are in," Donckerwolke says. "It's all about opening up." This undermining of Korea's traditional orchestrated, hierarchical and executory structure is part of what has allowed Donckerwolke to create widely admired concepts such as the GV80 SUV and Essentia electric GT in just more than two years since he arrived from the VW Group leading design at Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi. And also to design the all-new G70 sport sedan that will be introduced to the U.S. market later this summer. We drove the G70 just before arriving for an exclusive one-on-one at Donckerwolke's R&D office, the first American journalists to visit. Although our time behind the wheel was brief, and we drove only the top-of-the-line, 365-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V6 version, we were impressed with the acceleration, the balance and the material quality. We also noted that the G70 is very good looking, with a distinctive, muscular and aggressive mien that feels true to the company's mission to be at once "Audacious, Progressive and Distinctly Korean." Like much of what we saw and experienced in contemporary Seoul, the car hosts a unique blend of influences from America, Europe and Asia while offering a harmony of line and a grounded sense of self that seems endemic to the peninsula. This global-but-flavored template is intentional. "We are not going to do Korean cartoons on wheels," Donckerwolke says. "We're not going to become a patriotic Korean movement. It's only about the essence of the Korean culture that we are using as an inspiration." One thing we could not help but notice is that the G70 is a sedan, joining a pair of older, Hyundai-based sedans, the G80 and G90, to complete the Genesis lineup. This feels somewhat inauspicious in the moment, especially for the American market where two-thirds of new-vehicle purchases are trucks and SUVs. "As you probably have seen when you've been driving around, sedans are extremely demanded here in Korea. And, you know, we have a huge market penetration here.

Hyundai Grandmaster concept could preview new flagship full-sized SUV

Hyundai just debuted the HDC-2 Grandmaster SUV concept at the Busan Motor Show, a follow-up to the Le Fil Rouge concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show this year. The Grandmaster provides a second take on the "Sensuous Sportiness" design language embodied by the Le Fil Rouge, and previews the direction we'll see Hyundai's products take. Industry observers expect the Grandmaster to become an eight-seater SUV at the top of the carmaker's range, perhaps to be called Palisade. The Grandmaster, whose name refers to a champion chess player, represents the nexus of a host of Hyundai initiatives. There's the name itself, a metaphorical reference to the brand's car and SUV overhaul. In a press release, the company wrote, "The concept vehicle is named to indicate that just as the sum of all chess pieces completes the game of chess, all forthcoming Hyundai vehicles will come to form a harmonious vehicle line-up demonstrating the Hyundai Look while each maintains distinctive character and role." On top of that, Hyundai design director Luc Donckerwolke recently called the Le Fil Rouge concept the "Queen," and said that the following concept would be the "Bishop." There's the new design direction, which takes over from Fluidic Sculpture, which Hyundai hopes will create a more emotional bond with buyers. Sensuous Sportiness combines "proportion, architecture, styling, and technology," and design chief SangYup Lee wants it to move the carmaker "from being a brand that provides a great value, we will aspire to also become a brand that is widely beloved by our customers." There's the fact that Hyundai has been revamping its SUV game for the U.S. by introducing the Kona, changing the name of the Santa Fe Sport to the Santa Fe, and rolling out the long-wheelbase seven-seater Santa Fe XL. Dividends might have started paying out last month, with the carmaker posting its first year-on-year monthly sales gain of 2018 thanks to the Kona. A production Grandmaster — which seems an eventuality based on winter spy shots of an unknown Hyundai earlier this year — would be a three-row, eight-seater replacing the Santa Fe XL and re-establishing Hyundai in the full-size segment. The predicted Palisade name comes from a Hyundai trademark application filed earlier this year. As a sibling to the Kia Telluride, or perhaps riding on a revised Genesis G90/Kia K900 architecture, the Grandmaster/Palisade could end up on dealer lots as soon as next year, as a 2020 model.