2020 Hyundai Santa Fe Sel on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy teases Bolt driving range, China pursues EV subsidy cheaters

Chevy is teasing the Bolt's driving range, which it is set to reveal on Tuesday. It will certainly be able to travel more than 200 miles between charges, but the second and third digits in that value, as it stands today, are still question marks. On its Facebook page, Chevrolet is asking fans to try to guess the official range. Of course, Tesla fans have already started posting their own snide remarks in the comments. Chevy fans are certainly hoping to see the Bolt's range eclipse that of Tesla's upcoming Model 3, which the California-based automaker puts at 215 miles. See Chevy's post on Facebook to make your own guess, or check back there (or here at AutoblogGreen) for the official number once it is unveiled. Fuel cell company PowerCell Sweden says it has signed an agreement with a Chinese company to make range extenders for commercial trucks. The unnamed Chinese customer has placed an order and signed a memorandum of understanding with PowerCell Sweden, and the partners will develop methanol reformer fuel cell range extenders for electric distribution trucks. "Our unique expertise in fuel cells and reformer technology is receiving an increasing attention worldwide and we are truly pleased to get another Chinese order," says PowerCell Sweden Sales Director Andreas Boden. Read more at Green Car Congress, or from PowerCell. China is accusing major automakers of violating EV subsidy rules. After the country's Ministry of Finance penalized five companies with fines and, in one case, revocation of production license for subsidy cheats, China has since named 20 more potential violators, including Nissan, Hyundai, JAC, and a subsidiary of BYD. Of the first five companies to be punished under the investigation, Suzhou Gemsea Coach Manufacturing is having its production license revoked, while four others, including a subsidiary of Chery, are being fined for about half of the subsidies received. The scandal is bad new for China's subsidy program, which has helped spur sales of plug-in vehicles. Read more from Fortune, or at Hybrid Cars.

2019 Hyundai Santa Fe gets $550 price bump, more tech

Hyundai's all-new 2019 Santa Fe will start at $25,500 and include more safety and other technology when it goes on sale later this year. Hyundai also confirms that the three-row version of the crossover will be renamed the Santa Fe XL for 2019, while it's developing an as-yet unnamed three-row, eight-passenger SUV, filling a hole in the Korean automaker's lineup. The Santa Fe's new starting price is $550 higher than the 2018 Santa Fe Sport, which is going away as a separate nameplate. (To keep the moves straight: The former Santa Fe Sport becomes just plain Santa Fe. The former Santa Fe becomes Santa Fe XL.) The 2019 Santa Fe's price doesn't include the $980 destination fee, which nudges the starting price up to $26,480 for the front-wheel-drive SE model. It's offered in seven trim models, topping out at the all-wheel-drive Ultimate 2.0T, which starts at $39,780. The 2019 Santa Fe borrows some of the Hyundai SmartSense safety technology from the Santa Fe Sport, including forward-collision avoidance, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot collision assist. Other standard technology includes idle stop-start and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Hyundai has also updated the looks on its fourth-generation crossover, with more chiseled hard lines in the body, a rising beltline, improved visibility and a reorganized interior with more storage space. Powering the ute is the base-level 2.4-liter inline-four engine, which makes 185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, or a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder putting out 235 hp and 260 lb-ft. An eight-speed automatic transmission routes power to the front or all four wheels. Fuel economy ratings top out at 22 miles per gallon in the city, 29 on the highway and 25 combined for the 2.4-liter engine in front-wheel drive, a slight improvement over its predecessor.

2015 Hyundai Sonata cheaper than last year, starts at $21,150*

Prices for the 2015 Sonata range from $21,150 for the 2.4-liter SE to $33,525 for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged Sport 2.0T.
The arrival of a new generation of a successful car is usually accompanied by a small surge in its price, ranging from a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Hyundai, though, is eschewing that practice, delivering its heavily redesigned Sonata for less than its predecessor. It's only a $300 difference over last year's base model, the Sonata GLS, but we don't think the savings will be lost on consumers. The move is part of a larger reshuffling of the Sonata line. The outgoing GLS trim has been replaced by the SE as the base car, while the 2.4-liter engine can now be ordered with the Sport trim. Meanwhile the 2.0T Sport is both the sole turbocharged offering, and tops off the Sonata pricing hierarchy.