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2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid costs $26,000, goes 29 miles on electricity

The Hyundai Ioniq hybrid and Ioniq Electric were two of the more pleasant surprises of 2017. Besides their lofty fuel economy and useful electric range, respectively, they boasted reasonable pricing, a useful interior and shockingly buttoned down handling. They could almost be deemed fun to drive. Yet, there was a missing member of the family for 2017. While we always knew a plug-in hybrid would be added — it was with its siblings when the Ioniq was introduced at the 2016 New York Auto Show, and we drove a prototype earlier this year — it wouldn't be until year 2 when the production car would show its face. And although that face is shared with the Ioniq Hybrid rather than the Electric, the 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid obviously has its own set of facts and figures that have now been revealed. Chief among them is a 29-mile all-electric driving range, which, when depleted, effectively turns the Ioniq Plug-in into a regular hybrid capable of 52 mpg combined. It has a 119 MPGe estimate, for whatever that's worth. To put all those numbers into perspective, there's the Toyota Prius Prime (25 miles, 54 mpg combined, 133 MPGe), the Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid (48 miles, 42 mpg combined, 110 MPGe), Chevrolet Volt (53 miles, 42 mpg combined, 106 MPGe), and the Ioniq's mechanical sibling, the Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid (26 miles, 46 mpg combined, 105 MPGe). Pricing for the Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid starts at $25,835, including destination. The Limited trim level starts at $29,185. By comparison, the regular Ioniq Hybrid starts at $22,200 for its Blue trim and goes up to $27,550 for the Limited trim. However, keep in mind that the Plug-in Hybrid is subject to a $4,500 federal tax rebate plus whatever your particular state doles out. As such, the Plug-in Hybrid is effectively cheaper. That's also the case with the Toyota Prius Prime relative to the regular Prius. However, the Prime starts at just north of $27,995 (including destination). A regular Prius' base price is also only about $1,500 lower than the Ioniq Hybrid. In other words, the Plug-in Hybrid seems like a screaming bargain ... and if its siblings are any indication, it'll be a pretty appealing car, too. Other updates for the 2018 Ioniq lineup include paddle shifters added to the Hybrid (yay?), lane keeping assist added when lane departure warning is specified, and the availability of red paint for the Hybrid.

Sketch teases next-gen Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai is giving us a good look at the next-gen Elantra in a teaser sketch, and the company is overhauling the sedan's styling for the new model. It sports a simple design that's devoid of much ornamentation, and you can just spot the corners of the hexagonal grille up front. The headlights now narrowly squint rather than rising up the fenders. The roof arches gracefully over the passenger compartment for a coupe-like shape, and a crease down the shoulders flows to the taillights, the tip of which you can barely see at the back. Hyundai already confirmed the new Elantra's debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show in November. A leak earlier this year also purported to show an actual photo of the 2016 model for the Korean market, but that vehicle had a significantly different front end than this one. That rumor also claimed the powertrain range would include a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, which makes 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque in the 2016 Tucson. Sleek All-New Elantra Reveals its Dynamic Impression - Style of All-new Elantra places Hyundai Motor compact sedan in a class of its own - Appealing active character lines and creatively designed wheel arches August 19, 2015 – Hyundai Motor is excited to provide customers a glimpse of the forthcoming All-new Elantra's modern looks and unique design ahead of the car's launch just around the corner. The new model's dynamic and sleek style received the approval of a recent consumer study, where the Elantra's striking appearance saw it ranked ahead of key rivals. Designers of the All-new Elantra identified a series of innovative design aspects that give the car an unrivalled status and unique presence. Clever use of active character lines evoke a dynamic, stylish and confident appearance, building on the global popularity of the model. Peter Schreyer, President and Chief Design Officer at Hyundai Motor Company said: "The All-new Elantra captures the car's unique design characteristics that really place this model in a class of its own. The subtle and innovative appearance enhancements reflect Hyundai Motor's vision for design. Furthermore, this car indicates a move from traditional to modern styling by communicating the new model's comfort, fashion and sporty feel." In the newly released exterior rendering, the car's innovative design points become clear.

We get our hands on Android Auto [w/video]

After a week with version one of Android Auto in a 2015 Hyundai Sonata, my opinion is that it fulfills the promise of the technology. I couldn't even exploit it fully because I'm not married to the Android ecosystem. At my desk right now there's a PC in front of me, an iPad on my left, and an Android phone on my right. My Android phone is, in fact, so old that it's not compatible with Android Auto. So in addition to a Sonata, Hyundai let me borrow a Nexus 5 smartphone and a Motorola Moto360 watch. Yet even with all that gear, which, in practical terms is someone else's borrowed digital life, Android Auto still showed itself to be tech worth having. When you start the Sonata you get the standard Hyundai infotainment screen. Plug your phone in, and you'll get an option to click over to Android Auto. At that point, you lose the ability to use your phone, which is the purpose of the system, to keep you from using the handset. Since the contents of your phone are ported to the head unit, there is hardly any reason to reach for the portable device anyway. The Google Now screen comes up first, populated with a series of notifications resulting from Google having learned your life and kept track of where you've been going, who you've been calling, and what you've been searching for. After only two days, Google Now understood that I probably lived in Venice, CA, and not in Orange County, where the phone had previously resided. No matter the make of car, the interface is the same. The icons along the bottom of the screen indicate Navigation, Phone, Home (Google Now), Audio, and Return – to go back to the car's native interface. The first four options represent much of what we use our phones for (we'll get to texting in a second), and that's what buyers want: for cars to work seamlessly with their phones. Oh, and to have voice recognition actually be useful. Android Auto works with the Hyundai system, so if music is playing when you turn the car on, it will continue to play even though you're in Android Auto, and you can control it through that interface. Switching to media or apps on your phone is as easy as saying, "Play music," which defaults to Google Play, or pressing the audio button and choosing an app like JoyRide or NPR One. You do have to figure out how to speak to the system. I couldn't find any list of Android Auto-specific voice commands, so sometimes it would take a few tries to figure out how Google liked to be ordered around.