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Hyundai plant one of 100 factories shutting down in wake of Beijing pollution scare

Many factories and chemical plants have suspended production in Beijing in an attempt to curb dangerous pollution, according to the South China Morning Post. The air pollution is some of the worst the city has seen in years, with harmful PM2.5 particle rates hovering between 200 and 400 micrograms per cubic meter. That number is down from as high as 886 on Sunday. For contrast, the US Environmental Protection Agency regulations say PM2.5 concentration at any location be no higher than 65 micrograms per cubic meter, with average maximums not to exceed 15 micrograms per cubic meter.
China blames the pollution on vehicle emissions, industrial production and an increase in domestic coal use to heat homes during cold weather. A total of 48 work sites, including construction zones, metal refineries and chemical plants have suspended production, and 41 factories have cut back production as well. That includes Hyundai Motor Beijing, which suspended production on Sunday.
Even so, the area's children's hospitals are receiving up to 10,000 patients per day with respiratory ailments. The city's government says it is in the midst of an eight-year plan to curb pollution and that levels have dropped between 30 and 70 percent over the past 14 years thanks to its actions.

2016 Hyundai Tucson First Drive [w/video]

For most of us, September 2009 doesn't seem like that long ago. We had the same president, carried Apple iPhones, and were even paying roughly the same amount for a gallon of gas. For Hyundai, though, this particular month was when everything began to change, thanks to the introduction of "fluidic sculpture" and the second-generation Tucson. The swoopy, handsome styling introduced on the Tucson infiltrated the rest of the brand's offerings, starting with the Sonata sedan and filtering through. In the process, Hyundai raised its flag not as a manufacturer of ultra-affordable utilitarian transport, but as a company that builds fashionable, well-equipped, and high-quality cars. While it's no secret Hyundai is in a better place than it was nearly six years ago, the importance of the Tucson has grown substantially. Much as the second-gen model helped to signal Hyundai's arrival as a global player, the company hopes the third generation will mark its entry as one of the industry's premier crossover builders. Based on a day of driving around some of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, we think that's an attainable goal. According to Hyundai's research, the Tucson is viewed as "sporty, stylish, and modern." Targeting that first notion is the new 1.6-liter, turbocharged Gamma four-cylinder, which sits under the hood of Eco, Sport, and Limited models. The single-scroll turbo allows the tiny four to deliver 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. There's also a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder for the base SE, with 164 hp and 151 lb-ft of torque, although we weren't able to score any time behind the wheel. Look for more on the base Tucson in the near future. The turbo, though, is shockingly quiet at idle, and isn't too bad as it climbs the tachometer. North of 6,000 rpm, though, it's loud, buzzy, and unpleasant. Even with the turbo's peak twist available from 1,500 to 4,500 rpm, there's little hiding the maximum curb weight of 3,710. After a smidge of lag, initial torque comes on strong, although the weight of this compact crossover soon overwhelms what power is available. That'd be a problem were it not for the new seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. Paired exclusively with the 1.6-liter turbo (the 2.0-liter gets a traditional six-speed auto), the dry-clutch gearbox is able to deliver smooth but quick changes, particularly at engine speeds below 5,000 rpm.

Hyundai shows off six custom creations in Vegas

Hyundai rolled in to SEMA this year with an array of six customized vehicles. And while it previewed several members of that lineup in the run up to the tuner expo, it has now brought them all together under one roof – namely that of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The fleet consists of three custom creations based on the Tucson crossover, two on the Genesis Coupe, and one on the Veloster. The Tucson lineup includes one by Bisimoto, another by John Pangilinan, and a third by Rockstar Performance Garage. In typical style, Bisimoto cranked the crossover up past 700 horsepower, thanks to a high-boost turbocharger running on flex fuel. Pangilinan crafted his JP Edition Tuscon for off-road adventure with a pop-up tent on the roof, brush guards, and a lifted suspension. And Rockstar went with a Baja-style off-road competition approach with a massive 6-inch lift kit and 32-inch tires. The Genesis Coupes include one by ARK Performance and another by TJIN. The former is dubbed the Solus edition, adopting a dual focus on performance and luxury with a wide body kit, carbon-fiber trim and a supercharged V6 stroked out to 4.0 liters to produce over 500 horsepower. The TJIN edition also ups the output past 500 horses with a supercharger from Bisimoto, plus a free-flowing exhaust, intercooler, and blow-off valve. KW coilover suspension, custom body kit, and green paint job finish it off. Finally, there's the Veloster Turbo R-Spec done up by Blood Type Racing with a black paint job, red racing stripe, carbon-fiber wide-body kit, and a 1.6-liter turbo four boosted up to – you guessed it – over 500 hp. Check out five of them together (sans the Bisimoto) in the slideshow above, or each of the six in the individual galleries at bottom for a closer look - along with the details in the press release below. Related Video: HYUNDAI'S 2015 SEMA LINEUP FEATURES SIX VEHICLES BUILT BY THE INDUSTRY'S BEST TUNERS Concepts Based on 2016 Tucson, 2015 Genesis Coupe and 2015 Veloster Turbo R-Spec FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Nov. 3, 2015 – Once again, Hyundai has teamed up with some of the best vehicle tuners in the automotive community to deliver six concept vehicles for SEMA 2015. This year's builds feature three of Hyundai's all-new 2016 Tucson crossovers, two high-powered Genesis Coupes, and a Veloster Turbo R-Spec. Hyundai will be showcasing these creations at its SEMA display in Center Hall (booth #24387) at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nov. 3-6, 2015.