11 Hyundai Genesis Rwd Bluetooth Leather Heated Seats Push Start Satellite Radio on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai CEO touts new EV platform with mention of a pickup

A couple of years ago, one of the prominent concerns about a saturated EV auto-scape was how carmakers would accentuate brand differences among vehicles converging on a frightening sameness. The cars wouldn't make any noise, they would all emphasize aerodynamics, and they would all basically ride on a battery pancake. So far, the fears have been avoided; a Volvo XC40 Recharge won't be confused for a Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, and the Ford won't be confused for a Tesla Model Y. Not only that, but automakers are developing platform strategies that heighten the sameness among vehicle architectures because the architecture is where the expenditure and the profit are greatest. Hyundai's the latest to outline its plans for investors. And part of Hyundai's plan could include adding a full-size electric pickup to the range. The mid- to long-term roadmap is called the Hyundai Motor Way, recently revised with higher targets thanks to the swift uptick in EV sales globally. Business Korea wrote Hyundai Motor Group (HMG includes Kia and Genesis) sold 510,000 battery-electric vehicles in 2022. The conglomerate says it now plans to sell two million EVs annually by 2030, up from a previous estimate of 1.87 million.      The platform that will help make this possible is called eM, an evolution of the current Electric Global Modular Platform (e-GMP) platform under HMG's current EVs. The eM architecture's been rumored to launch under a Kia sedan that might be a spiritual successor to the Stinger. So far, eM is planned for 13 models across the HMG portfolio, using the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) that can plug-and-play with more than 80 common modules serving different vehicle segments and sizes. HMG president and CEO Jaehoon Chang said, "In the second-generation platform, the scope of vehicle development extends beyond the mid-sized SUVs covered by the current E-GMP system. It encompasses nearly all vehicle classes, ranging from small and large SUVs to pickup trucks, along with the flagship models of the Genesis brand." Sure, Chang could have been merely noting the eM's potential use cases when he mentioned "pickup trucks." That's not how observers are reading the line. At Kia's investor day last year, the brand said it planned two electric pickups. There have already been reports that Kia's working on a body-on-frame pickup for the Australian market, perhaps called Tasman, utilizing gas and electric powertrains.

2017 Hyundai Elantra First Drive [w/video]

Here's the thing: It's tough to get excited about a mainstream compact car. We tried. Hyundai's latest Elantra is better than the last Elantra, a car that got few people excited. Not a ton has changed, but there's fresh sheetmetal, improved efficiency, and more options than before, all on top of a revised chassis. That's kind of the trend in new cars these days. The last one was fine, this one is more fine. The Elantra engineers at least resisted the urge to make the car larger. Its interior and cargo volume figures are within tenths of last year's figures, which means they once again put the Elantra into the EPA's midsize bracket. With that comes a midsize feature set, including a few items no other "compact" car offers. For now, Hyundai is offering the 2017 Elantra in base SE and top-of-the-line Limited trims. Both come with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder (more on that below). The SE offers a Popular Equipment Package that most people will want and many will choose (hence the name). It includes a seven-inch touchscreen head unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, as well as a rearview camera, automatic headlamps, audio controls on the steering wheel, Bluetooth, cruise control, heated side mirrors, 16-inch wheels, and a hood insulator to keep some engine noise from making it to your ears. An SE tech package adds things like blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. For now, Hyundai is offering the 2017 Elantra in base SE and top-of-the-line Limited trims. Step up to a Limited, and you get leather, a power driver's seat, 17s, and a bunch of other stuff. The Limited also unlocks option packages: one that revolves around an eight-inch nav touchscreen and another that adds safety items like radar cruise control and auto braking with pedestrian detection. That last one is a segment exclusive, if you're keeping score at home. To get all of the stuff you can't in any other car in this class, you'd be shopping in the next segment's price range anyway. And speaking of segment firsts, cars with the proximity key (SE with Tech Package and above) come with a hands-free trunk release. It lets you pop the trunk lid by just standing near it with the key, but it only releases it and doesn't fully open wide like on some cars with power trunk open and close. So it sort of solves a problem. The engine and available transmissions are nothing groundbreaking. In contrast to the features, the engine and available transmissions are nothing groundbreaking.

Less stressful than a taxi: We ride in Hyundai's Autonomous Ioniq Electric

The day after California told Uber to halt the testing of its driverless cars, Hyundai gave us a brief ride in an autonomous Ioniq Electric. The trip was mostly uneventful — our driver/engineer didn't hit anyone, and, unlike Uber's, Hyundai's car didn't run any red lights. You may think that's faint praise, but at the speed of advancement we take nothing for granted. More than once during our ride around a pre-mapped, all-right-turn route in Las Vegas, the Ioniq had to sort things out for itself, and the longer you ride the more you realize the scope of data we humans process without noticing. This Ioniq was identified only by its Korea-spec origins — dual charging ports for fast and regular recharge and no side marker lights — and Nevada's autonomous vehicle license plate. Tourists were completely unaware that it was driving itself. The autonomous Ioniq uses one 140-degree and two 110-degree Ibeo LiDAR units in the front fascia, plus a camera array inside the cabin at the top of the windshield. A single camera is used for traffic-light detection, with stereo units for the driving assistants. According to Hyundai, the autonomous gear detects objects knee-high but also will not drive into a low-hanging tree branch. We're also told the system works in rain and snow, citing the all-conditions approval certificate from Nevada, though that center front sensor looks prime for snow packing in heavy stuff. Essentially, one processor collects all the input data and combines it to a singular view, and a second processor tells the car what to do about it. Hyundai notes that minimal system power consumption was a primary target. The cabin sports the prototype-standard large red kill switch, an extra display atop the center of the dash, and two real-time monitors hanging behind the rear seats. The dash display is there so human drivers know the car is aware of its surroundings — it shows traffic lights as red or green (yellow is not detected but it will not panic stop if it loses a green light), speed limit, vehicle speed, route, a steering wheel to denote autonomous operation, and pedestrians detected. One rear monitor shows what the traffic-light camera sees, the other what the LiDAR units are picking up, from road curbs to people, vehicles and buildings. The ride experience is drama-free if a bit on the cautious side. Braking is often moderate to heavy, more on/off than the modulation range of many human drivers, but we felt no panic braking or ABS intervention.