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2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport Quick Spin Review | Returning to the revolution

The 2018 Hyundai Sonata represents a course correction of the sort that just wasn't needed with the previous-generation model. Besides a few added features here and there, that car really didn't change much during the course of its lifetime, and frankly, it didn't need to. When something works, don't screw it up. It arrived at a time when Honda and Toyota were pretty much phoning it in, and boasted a revolutionary design that quite literally changed the way midsize family sedans look to this day. Toyota designer Ian Cartabiano told me that Sonata was one of the few cars over the years that made his fellow designers wake up a bit and realize the game was changing. Then, after staging a revolution, Hyundai played it safe. The Sonata introduced three years ago was conservative to the point of anonymity outside, while not really moving the needle on the vehicle dynamics front. If there was one, clear area where that revolutionary Sonata fell short -- and indeed virtually every Hyundai -- it was in the sophistication and poise it demonstrated out on the road. Well, after the cool reception to the model redesign, Hyundai got a wake up call of its own. This 2018 Hyundai Sonata gets a rather significant facelift, adopting the curvy trapezoidal grille found on more recently introduced models, and ditching its conservative anonymity for a more organic overall appearance certainly in keeping with its "Fluidic Sculpture" predecessor. The rear was also redone with more tapered, dare I say "aggressive" taillights and the license plate relocated to the bumper. Is the end result a great-looking car? Shoulder shrug, but it's sure better than before. Compare the 2018 Hyundai Sonata to its rivals using the Autoblog Compare Cars tool. 2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport View 5 Photos However, I knew the 2018 Sonata looked different. I was quite frankly not expecting it to drive different, because when you review cars long enough, you start to know what a particular brand's cars feel like behind the wheel. There'll be subtle changes over the years, but the language remains the same. Well, the Sonata has been hitting the Rosetta Stone. The change is immediately apparent. The on-center steering feel is crisp, the turn-in more immediate and effort is consistent. It just feels "right" now whereas before turning the Sonata was one of numb indifference.

Imported pickup tax in play in Trump trade talks with South Korea

WASHINGTON/SEOUL - Talks starting Friday to amend a U.S.-South Korean trade deal must balance President Donald Trump's domestic agenda against the need to contain a nuclear armed North Korea and will have to be completed swiftly, officials from both sides told Reuters. The U.S goods trade deficit with South Korea has doubled since the 2012 signing of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). Almost 90 percent of the 2016 shortfall of $27.6 billion came from the auto sector, an issue the United States is expected to press hard in the Washington talks. A quick deal could give Trump his first trade victory at a time when NAFTA negotiations are dragging on without agreement and pressure on China to change trade practices has yielded little progress. The talks, led by Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Michael Beeman and Yoo Myung-hee, director general for FTA negotiations at South Korea's trade ministry, begin at a time of heightened tensions with Pyongyang. A trade ministry official in Seoul said South Korea was waiting for Washington's formal proposals and substantial negotiations would not take place on Friday over a deal Trump has repeatedly threatened to scrap. "The U.S. brought up lowering non-tariff barriers, especially for their auto industry. At the moment, we are not sure whether the U.S. will ask that but we will be prepared (for the U.S. demand)," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the press. A top priority for the Americans is maintaining a 25 percent tariff on Korean pickup truck imports, which was meant to have been phased out from 2019 under the current deal, according to a U.S. official and a South Korean car industry source. South Korea has two major automakers, Hyundai and Kia, both of which are heavily reliant on exports due to the small size of their domestic market. Critics charge that South Korea discriminates against imports with a range of non-tariff barriers. South Korean auto companies believe that Washington will also seek to increase the 25,000-vehicle per U.S. automaker threshold for U.S. car shipments to South Korea that can enter the country without meeting Seoul's domestic industry regulations. The official at a South Korea auto company, who was not authorized to speak to the media, also said the United States was interested in easing Seoul's vehicle emissions targets. These are viewed as discriminating against U.S. autos.

2017 will be the year the connected car becomes a reality

2016 was full of talk of autonomy, but little action beyond crazy, futuristic concept cars and announcement after announcement from automakers. If this year's CES is any indication, 2017 is going to focused on connectivity. More than that, CES showed that traditional barriers between automakers are breaking down in favor of universal and open source technology standards that will benefit both consumers and developers. CES, traditionally a showcase for the latest and greatest technology and gadgets like flat-screen refrigerators or televisions that broadcast in the fifth dimension, has become so intwined with the auto industry that we at Autoblog cover it like any other auto show. At every CES event I attended and nearly every booth I went to, there was some talk, display, or demonstration of how cars will connect to your phone and your home, and eventually each other. It seems we're heading toward the tech singularity where all devices work under one cohesive ecosystem – the Internet of Things, if you like. The difference between autonomy and connectivity is how real the latter feels because so much of the connected tech on display at CES is either here already or will be here by the end of the year. There were dozens of demos, both big and small, that allowed us to test and explore what's on the horizon. Bridging the gap between home and car, Ford is integrating the Amazon Alexa personal assistant straight into its vehicles. That means you'll be able to talk to Alexa in your car just like you would through an Echo or Dot at home. It also means you can shop on Amazon by voice while you're driving (since that wasn't convenient enough already). Samsung is developing smartwatch applications for Ford, BMW, and others. Toyota is adopting Ford's SmartDeviceLink smartphone connectivity system for its vehicles. That means developers can have one app that works across multiple infotainment systems. The Linux Foundation is developing an open-source operating system that will be free to use, making it easier for developers to connect smartphones and apps across multiple manufacturers' systems. Automotive Grade Linux, or AGL, is available for download right now. Major automakers like Toyota and Daimler (who usually are set on competing with one another) are partnering to further the development of the project. Bosch, Hyundai, and Chrysler showed connected car concepts at CES that preview the future of automobiles.