2002 Hyundai Sonata 4dsd on 2040-cars

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Automakers drop support for Trump effort against California emissions

WASHINGTON — Toyota, Fiat Chrysler (now known as Stellantis following its merger with Peugeot) and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump's effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru, said in a joint statement they were withdrawing from an ongoing legal challenge to California's emission-setting powers, "in a gesture of good faith and to find a constructive path forward" with President Joe Biden. The automakers, along with the National Automobile Dealers Association, said they were aligned "with the Biden administrationÂ’s goals to achieve year-over-year improvements in fuel economy standards." Nissan in December withdrew from the challenge after GM's decision in November shocked the industry and won praise from Biden. On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia to put the California emissions litigation on hold to "ensure due respect for the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior administration." Biden has directed agencies to quickly reconsider TrumpÂ’s 2019 decision to revoke CaliforniaÂ’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles, as well as Trump's national fuel economy rollback. Asked to respond to the automakers' action, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said in a statement that "after four years of putting us in reverse, it is time to restart and build a sustainable future, grow domestic manufacturing, and deliver clean cars for America." California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the automakers on Twitter for "dropping your climate-denying, air-polluting, Trump-era lawsuit against CA" and urged them to join the voluntary framework. TALKS WITH BIDEN Separately, an industry trade group on Tuesday proposed to start talks with Biden on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded.

Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept shows the future of brand's design

At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai revealed a concept called the Le Fil Rouge, which in English means "the common thread." Though the car has an unusual name, it's important for the Hyundai brand because this car represents the future of the company's design. Elements found on this concept will be applied to all future Hyundais, be they sedans, hatchbacks or crossovers, which also partly explains the car's name. Hyundai says the name also comes from how the car builds on Hyundai's past design and is a "reinterpretation" of its 1974 Coupe Concept. We're not so sure about that last part, but we think the Le Fil Rouge is a mighty handsome sedan, and its future production cars should look pretty good. Aside from a "common thread" of design, Hyundai says the car's theme is "sensuous sportiness." That seems to translate into a low-slung, curvy, coupe-like sedan form. At the front, the nose is very low, and it's dominated by a massive version of Hyundai's corporate "cascade" grille. It's actually a bit reminiscent of the recent Lagonda sedan. It appears that the grille contains lighting elements all throughout. It should be easy to translate this design into conventional radiator grilles, huge lights, or simple, blocked off styling motifs for electric vehicles. This low, wide grille leads into a long hood and front fenders with classic rear drive proportions. The hood has two large creases in the middle that lend some aggression to the swoopy shape, and there are two bright metal accent lines that run up the sides and loop up and around the windows back toward the hood. Along the side, we find a bold character line that lines up with the end of the headlight. It trails back along the car and merges with the rear panel that would likely contain the taillights. The roof also has a bit of a fastback look, ending at the trunk lid. It also contains a rear window with a double-bubble shape. It's an elegant, organic car that does some cool things with lines and curves. It will be interesting to see how it translates to production cars. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai Le Fil Rouge Concept: Geneva 2018 View 9 Photos Related Gallery Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept View 13 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2018 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Design/Style Geneva Motor Show Hyundai Concept Cars Sedan 2018 Geneva Motor Show

Hyundai hires actor Paul Rudd as pitchman [w/video]

The Dude abides, but his deep voice is going to be coming from your TV a little less. After seven years of his earthiness, laid back actor Jeff Bridges is no longer the voice of Hyundai in the brand's advertising. He has been replaced by comedian Paul Rudd who is already narrating the new commercial for the 2015 Hyundai Sonata.
"We were looking for a voice that could be recognizable and relatable to a new generation of car buyers," said Steve Shannon, vice president of Marketing, Hyundai Motor America, in the company's announcement of the deal. "Rudd can be serious, humorous, informative and entertaining all at the same time."
According to Hyundai spokesperson Derek Joyce speaking to Autoblog, the deal with Rudd goes for the next three years. "He's our tier one voice, and that's going to affect tone" in the company's ads," Joyce said. The first spot with Rudd is titled Co-Pilot, and it stars a backseat driver losing out to the Sonata's navigation system and safety features at every turn. Rudd isn't physically in the commercial but does the ending voiceover. The company wouldn't say when the next ad with the new pitchman might debut.