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Hyundai may be working on Theta III power for a mid-engine car

Hyundai's been showing off mid-engine concepts and flogging mid-engine prototypes for at least four years. The fanciful 2014 Passo Corto gave way to a Veloster Midship concept just a few months later, the following years bringing the RM15 N and RM16 N. The "RM" stands for Racing Midship, and spy photographers caught the RM16 N painting a new racing line at the Nurburgring. Korean outlet Motorgraph reports that Hyundai is currently developing its Theta III engine for release late this year or in 2019 in the next-generation Genesis G80, but the four-cylinder will be engineered to suit front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and mid-engine applications. In the interests of more power, displacement in the Theta III will increase to 2.5 liters from the 2.0- and 2.4-liter displacements of the Theta II. Naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions are in development, both maintaining Hyundai's GDi direct injection. Front-wheel drive, turbocharged applications are predicted to output 280 horsepower, rear-wheel-drive turbo vehicles would get 300 horsepower. The turbocharged 2.0-liter Theta II in the current Sonata tops out at 245 hp, the same engine previously offered in the Santa Fe took that up to 264 hp. The mid-engine turbo Theta III would shrink to 2.3 liters, but rock a max output of 350 horsepower. That would put a mid-engine Veloster at the award-winning end of the competitive set, alongside the 350-hp Ford Focus RS and well in front of the 292-hp Volkswagen Golf R. Admittedly, it's early days for such talk, but with a motor in the middle and ex- BMW M boss Albert Biermann helming the chassis department, Hyundai might even aim for dynamic comparisons to the 350-hp Porsche 718 Cayman S. A potential super sporty offering from the N division needn't be a Veloster, either; that hatch might merely be an engine testbed. The Korean carmaker didn't poach two ex- Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini designers so that it could think small. Related Video:

Hyundai, union reach tentative labor deal

According to Reuters, South Korea's labor unions may have reached a tentative deal with Hyundai following a compromise between the two sides on wages. Workers have staged a number of stoppages since August 20, which have cost the South Korean giant 1.02 trillion won - around $1.1B US. It also represents just over 50,000 units of production. That vehicle total sounds like a lot, but it's a small enough figure that Hyundai can apparently catch up with weekend and overtime shifts. We'd wager that this is why US inventories haven't been hit quite so hard aside from the battering already taking place. The proposal will now go before the union's rank and file.
If ratified, the new agreement will see workers getting a 5.14-percent raise in base salaries, along with 8.5-million-won (roughly $7,800) bonuses. Those concessions are a far cry compared to what the union was initially demanding, though. Early proposals included a 56.25-gram gold medal for each employee (worth about $2,400) and a 10-million won bonus (about $9,100) for employees whose children chose not to attend college. The union also sought a bonus worth two months' salary for workers that have been with the company for over 40 years, but this was negotiated down to a flat rate of six-million won ($5,464).
Based on Reuters' report, the work stoppages must have taken a real toll on Hyundai - its domestic sales dropped 20 percent last month, while exports were down nine percent. Those startling figures must have put some fire under the Hyundai bargaining team.

Hyundai Motor's two R&D vice chairmen reportedly resigning

SEOUL — Hyundai Motor Group's two vice chairmen in charge of research and development have offered to resign, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. R&D president Albert Biermann is likely to be named the new head of the division, two of the sources added, declining to be named as they are not authorized to speak to media. Hyundai is battling a plunge in sales, profits and its share price, and the reshuffle would be the latest since Hyundai promoted Euisun Chung in September to executive vice chairman, moving him closer to succeeding his octogenarian father as head of South Korea's second-largest group. The group has appointed new product strategy, design chiefs and replaced senior executives at its overseas operations, including China and the United States. The latest shake-up at the group, which includes Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors, could be announced on Wednesday, one of the sources said. It is "part of a generational change Chung is pushing for," another person said. A Hyundai Motor spokesman declined to comment. The group's vice chairmen, Yang Woong-chul and Kwon Moon-sik, both aged 64, told senior officials on Tuesday that they would leave the company, the sources said, declining to say why they had offered to resign. Biermann, a former BMW performance vehicle development official, adds to a flurry of foreign executives that Chung, 48, has brought in to the company typically dominated by Koreans. In October, Thomas Schemera, also a former BMW executive, was appointed to lead product planning for autonomous cars, connected and electrified vehicles, while Luc Donckerwolke, a former Bentley design chief, was appointed to oversee design at Hyundai and Kia. Hyundai Motor's third-quarter net profit plunged by two-thirds, hit by U.S. recall costs that added to its problems. The automaker was already suffering with weak sales in its key U.S. and Chinese markets. Hyundai's share price is down more than 10 percent this quarter, despite a recent rebound driven by a share buyback plan announced on Nov. 30. Reporting by Hyunjoo JinRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.