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Volvo leads and Mini fails in JD Power's Tech Experience Index

New cars are basically rolling computers. Everything from the engine to the infotainment runs on a series of ones and zeros, and a lot of that technology requires input from the driver. So it's no surprise that JD Power has a study designed specifically to discern which bits of tech drivers love and which bits they loathe. "New technology continues to be a primary factor in the vehicle purchase decision," says JD Power's Kristin Kolodge, executive director of driver interaction & human machine interface research. "However, it’s critical for automakers to offer features that owners find intuitive and reliable. The user experience plays a major role in whether an owner will use the technology on a regular basis or abandon it and feel like they wasted their money." The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study found that Volvo owners are happiest with the technology packed inside their vehicles, followed by BMW and Cadillac, all brands that JD Power classifies as premium. The highest-rated mainstream brand is Hyundai, followed by Subaru and Kia. As was the case with the organization's Initial Quality and APEAL studies, Tesla's numbers aren't officially included because they are the only automaker that has not granted JD Power approval to contact its owners in states that require it. Tesla's projected score of 593 would have put it in second place, right behind Volvo's score of 617. The lowest-ranked brand in the TXI Study is Mini, with Porsche right behind. Diving a little bit deeper, JD Power's findings suggest that the technologies new car buyers care most about are related to helping them see their surroundings better. Camera systems, including rear-view mirror cameras and ground-view cameras, scored highest in five of the six satisfaction attributes measured in the study. The technology that owners could really do without? Gesture controls. Owners who answered JD Power's survey say they don't use gesture controls much at all after initially trying them, and they don't really care if their next vehicle has them. We have to wonder if those responses might be what kept BMW out of the top spot. The TXI Study also found that owners are split on automated driving helpers, like lane-keeping assist and automatic emergency braking. JD Power suggests that owners may need more training on those systems before they learn to trust them. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Genesis bringing an EV concept and G90 to New York Auto Show

It's official, the entire Hyundai Group has plans for the New York Auto Show. During the Hyundai Sonata press launch in South Korea, design head Luc Donckerwolke told Roadshow "You'll have an electric show car for Genesis." This year will be the charm for Genesis and EVs, after showing the GV80 SUV concept and its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain in 2017, and the electric Essentia coupe concept last year. We will also see the production version of the U.S. market Genesis G90 and its mongo grille. The premium brand's debuts will join the new Sonata sedan and Venue crossover, and an as-yet-unnamed Kia show car expected to be our version of the SP Signature concept potentially called Tusker. Hyundai-Kia isn't getting its electric razzle dazzle ready for New York alone. Auto Express reports the group is working on a new electric car platform to serve the carmaker the same way Volkswagen's MEB architecture serves the German group's brands. At the moment, the only four EVs in the South Korean automaker's range are the Hyundai Kona and Ioniq, and the Kia e-Niro and Soul. They are all built on ICE platforms, the Kona and e-Niro still proving popular enough for this year's planned UK-market production to sell out already. According to a "company insider," the dedicated EV platform is around two years away and will focus on B- and C-segment cars. That's the same year that Genesis is expected to have its EV ready, but unless the luxury arm has plans to dip its grille into C-segment waters, Genesis likely has other EV platform plans. By 2025, Hyundai and Kia have said they'll have 14 EVs in the combined lineup as part of 38 electrified offerings. Whatever's on the way could prove far more radical than today's offerings. Donckerwolke told Auto Express that in order to attract the future EV buyers that aren't necessarily car people, "[You] have to ask whether you want science fiction or whether you want to conform. We can create something that doesn't appeal to someone in the traditional sense." If the head designer gets his way, 3D-printing will help whip up those attractions. Last year's Essentia concept showed off 3D-printed carbon fiber ornament, but the potential goes much further.

Hyundai could eventually get a bespoke N performance model

Hyundai's N Performance division seems to have a few tricks up its proverbial sleeve, with a performance version of the Tucson crossover reportedly under development and the sub-brand toying with a 247-horsepower version of the Kona. Now comes word that N could eventually develop its own standalone performance model. N Performance division boss Albert Biermann tells Top Gear he's enjoying far more freedom to develop hot cars than he did at his former employer, BMW. And that includes the possibility of a bespoke N model that isn't based on an existing, hotted-up nameplate. Biermann tells Top Gear, "We have been working on this. Like the Racing Midship, which we've done three versions of. We are still working on these cars, trying different things. Maybe someday we will have such a car. There is no decision yet, but it could happen." The Racing Midship is the full name of the mid-engine RM concepts Hyundai has developed as both the Veloster RM and RM15, both based on the Veloster hatchback. The latter was built around an aluminum space frame and fitted with carbon fiber panels, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder doing 296 horsepower. Biermann says a bespoke N sports car is likely a ways off, however, saying Hyundai needs to give its dealer network time to get accustomed to the idea of performance cars. His team also works on products by stablemates Kia and Genesis, so it's possible we could see performance versions make their way into those brands as well. For now, the 271-horsepower i30 N, which isn't sold here in the U.S., is the first N model, with the 275-hp Veloster N hitting dealerships late in 2018. Spy shots also captured a heavily camouflaged i30 N fastback earlier this year. Then there are the Tucson N and the Kona N mule prototype to show to Hyundai brass for possible production. So it sounds like it's going to be fun to watch this performance sub-brand unfurl its wings. Related Video: News Source: Top GearImage Credit: Drew Phillips Hyundai Hatchback Performance Hyundai N hyundai veloster n albert biermann hyundai i30 n