2008 Hyundai Santa Fe Gls Sport Utility 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai testing more variants of top-secret commercial van

The commercial van market in the US is exploding with new products at the moment, with entries from Ford, Ram, Nissan and others. And we are seeing images (again) of Hyundai testing its own van in Europe, as well, though it's not known whether the model will make it to the US. While the company has offered work vehicles overseas in the past, this one appears to be a direct competitor to European vehicles with large bodies and tiny wheels like the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
The latest images show off not just the standard commercial van but also the pickup version, and interior for the first time. According to our spy shooters, Hyundai did not want people to see the inside of the test vehicle, reaching out specifically in an attempt to secure the pictures you see here. It's hard to say what's worth being so secretive about, but that big infotainment screen certainly looks like a nice addition. We still aren't sure whether the Korean company has opted for front- or rear-wheel drive for the model, but the gearshift suggests that it's using a six-speed manual transmission.
The pickup truck version has a cab that looks just like the standard van. Testing this variant suggests that Hyundai is addressing the need for multiple body configurations in the commercial space.

Hyundai testing in-car payment system with Xevo

Hyundai is working on a proof-of-concept in-car payment system with automotive software supplier Xevo. With four initial commercial partners in Chevron, Texaco, Applebee's and ParkWhiz, a future owner could use the Hyundai Digital Wallet to buy gas or food-to-go, or reserve and pay for a parking spot without leaving the vehicle. Perhaps even more important than those three, Hyundai has trialed payments with coffee chains, too. The service would be tied to the carmaker's Blue Link app suite and would store an owner's payment details to enable transactions. The carmaker still has big questions to answer about the service, such as whether the digital wallet will be contained within the mobile Blue Link app, or be integrated into the vehicle's infotainment software. An impending pilot program will determine the best deployment, but that means implementation in consumer vehicles remains awhile away. Hyundai's announcement moves it into a space slowly gaining more entrants. Ford's FordPay, launched two years ago, contains a digital wallet used for paying for service and parking, and even for keeping up with the car note. Last year, Jaguar partnered with Shell to provide in-car payments in three Jaguar vehicles. This year, Chevrolet did the same as part of the GM Marketplace, also with Shell. Hyundai's digital wallet comes not long after the South Korean carmaker announced another infotainment-based software partner. In April, Hyundai hooked up with Verisk, a company that manages a data exchange providing driving data to insurance companies. The partnership enables a Hyundai driver to share his driving habits and be assessed a Verisk Driving Score. The score would be taken into account for usage-based insurance programs offered by companies like Allstate and Progressive. Related Video:

The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid starts at $23,035

Good news, green-car fans: The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid starts at $23,035. That means it not only manages better fuel mileage than the segment-leading Toyota Prius, it's also around $2,000 less expensive. Or, for $30,035, an Ioniq buyer can choose to go full electric, cutting the gasoline umbilical cord entirely. The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid scores an EPA-estimated fuel mileage rating of 58 miles per gallon combined in its least-expensive Blue trim level. Stepping up to the SEL trim will add an extra layer of luxury goodies for $24,785, and the top-level Limited model will cost $28,335. Those two models earn EPA ratings of 55 mpg combined, which is still better than the 52 mpg combined estimate for the Prius. Hyundai's Ioniq Electric is the most efficient vehicle sold in America, with an EPA-rated MPGe (miles per gallon equivalency) of 136. Its range, though, is only 124 miles, which will certainly limit its usability for some potential buyers. We've heard that an updated Ioniq Electric will come by 2018 with a range of over 200 miles, which would allow it to properly compete with the Chevy Bolt and upcoming Tesla Model 3. Toyota doesn't currently off a fully electric Prius, though the $27,985 Prius Prime does get a plug for extended EV-only driving. Hyundai has yet to announce a price for the plug-in hybrid version of its Ioniq hatchback, though we do know it will travel up to 31 miles on electricity alone. Related Video: