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Hyundai, Kia to temporarily close U.S. plants in path of Irma

SEOUL — South Korea's Hyundai and sister car maker Kia said on Monday they planned to temporarily shut down plants in the United States to avoid potential damage from Hurricane Irma. The shut down comes at a time Hyundai's U.S. sales have fallen more than the market average, and after it recently announced plans to expand its SUV lineup and launch a pickup truck in the market in an attempt to reverse the slide. In a statement, Hyundai Motor said it would suspend operation of its Alabama plant for two days - between Monday and Wednesday — while Kia Motors will stop operation of its Georgia plant for one day - between Monday and Tuesday. The suspension is expected to result in lost production of about 3,000 vehicles for both, the Yonhap news agency earlier said on Monday, citing a Hyundai Motor group spokesman. A Hyundai spokeswoman declined to comment on the number. Hurricane Irma took aim at heavily populated areas of central Florida on Monday as it carved a path of destruction through the state with high winds and storm surges that left millions without power, ripped roofs off homes and flooded city streets. Hyundai's U.S. sales are down nearly 11 percent this year through July 31, worse than the overall 2.9 percent decline in U.S. car and light truck sales. Sales of the Sonata, once a pillar of Hyundai's U.S. franchise, have fallen 30 percent through the first seven months of 2017. In contrast, sales of Hyundai's current SUV lineup are up 11 percent for the first seven months of this year. Reporting by Joyce LeeRelated Video: Plants/Manufacturing Hyundai Kia alabama

Hyundai RM16 N mid-engine hatchback might be real

So, remember the Hyundai RM16 Concept? The South Korean automaker showed the mid-engine concept at the Busan Motor Show earlier this year, giving the world a glimpse of the menacing and mean future of the N performance brand. While we liked the look, we also lamented that "it doesn't seem any closer to reaching production." Looking at our latest round of photos from the Nurburgring, we might have been a smidge wrong. This car looks exactly like the RM16. Same huge flared fenders, same deep front intake, same rear bumper, and same side scoops for feeding the mid-mounted, 300-horsepower, turbocharged engine. Yes, we said "mid-mounted." While it's easy to see a mid-engine concept and figure, "Meh, it's just an auto show car, the real one will be front-engine, front-drive," it certainly doesn't seem to be the case here, judging by the swollen rear aches, camouflaged rear windows, and enormous side scoops. Really, the similarities between the car shown above and Busan's RM16 is staggering. If we're seeing the production RM16, it's a huge deal. First, because mid-engine, rear-drive hatchbacks are one of the craziest and rarest automotive species - see the Renault 5 Turbo, Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport, and Lancia Delta S4 for examples. Second, and obviously, a mid-engine Hyundai would mark a dramatic departure from today's crop of all-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks, like the Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS. We're guessing Hyundai's car would enjoy both better handling and lighter weight, while asking drivers to sacrifice most of hatchback practicality. We also don't really know what to make of Hyundai's testing regime. According to our spies in Germany, Hyundai did a single lap of the Ring before heading out. Wet conditions could have called for a shortened day, but it seems odd to come out of the garage for a single lap, weather be damned. At this point, it's genuinely difficult to predict what Hyundai's up to. This car looks relatively finalized, right down to the tongue sticking out of the grille that could be a radar unit. We can't begin to predict when or where this car will debut, if at all. The Geneva Motor Show is a good bet, but that's a total shot in the dark on our part. All we know is that we would love it if this is Hyundai's first N Performance car.

40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.