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Hyundai Sonata Hybrid starting price is $500 cheaper for 2018

Hyundai revealed its updated 2018 Sonata Hybrid and PHEV at the Chicago Auto Show this year. They feature freshened styling inside and out, and some mechanical updates that we expect will make the cars better to drive. Now we've learned that Hyundai has improved a couple of other things about the conventional Sonata Hybrid, one of which is the price. The starting price for the 2018 Sonata Hybrid in base SE trim is $500 less than the 2017 model. That means the SE starts at $26,385. In addition to the lower base price, the entry-level Sonata Hybrid also picks up standard blind-spot warning, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob. The Sonata Hybrid Limited is a bit more expensive now. Its new base price of $31,385 is $400 more than the 2017 model. But to make up for it, Hyundai has made the panoramic sunroof a standard feature. The Limited's optional Ultimate Package is now $550 cheaper, too, and includes additional safety features not previously offered, specifically automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assist. Two more convenience features new to the Ultimate Package are a wireless phone charger and a heated steering wheel. If these updates sound like enough to get you into a new Sonata Hybrid, the good news is you won't have to wait to pick one up. They're available now at a Hyundai dealer near you. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and PHEV View 22 Photos Image Credit: Hyundai Green Hyundai Hybrid Sedan hyundai sonata hybrid

Hyundai Genesis V8 HTRAC may come with performance orientation

When the second-generation Hyundai Genesis arrives in dealers, customers looking for the new all-wheel-drive variant will need to settle for the 3.8-liter V6. This is no bad thing, as the V6 is a sound engine, but what if you want that brawny, 429-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8? For now, you're stuck spinning the rear wheels.
A report from AutoGuide, though, claims that the new HTRAC all-wheel-drive system could be mated up to the Genny Sedan's optional V8 engine at a later date, as part of a new performance version. According to spokesman Miles Johnson, a performance-minded Genesis, perhaps in the same vein as the first-generation R-Spec, is being looked at by the powers that be at Hyundai and that there "may be a market demand for such a model."
Whether it'd add on to the V8's 429 ponies, or simply shore up other parts of the car while adding the AWD system remains to be seen. Of course, if we hear any more on an AWD, V8-powered, performance version of the new Genesis Sedan, we'll be sure to let you know.

Hyundai pulls motorsports in US, parts ways with Rhys Millen Racing

Automakers don't necessarily undertake racing programs in proportion to their size. A company like Ferrari or McLaren, for example, may be small, but their racing programs are huge. The inverse could be said of a company like Hyundai, which has grown to rank among the largest automakers in the world, but has traditionally maintained a relatively short reach when it comes to racing. And now it's getting even smaller as the company is shutting down its entire motorsport program in the United States. Not that the program was that big to begin with in the first place. Although Hyundai recently launched a factory effort in the World Rally Championship, in North America its competition activities revolved essentially around Rhys Millen Racing, the California-based outfit with which the Korean automaker has tackled Pikes Peak, Formula Drift and the Global RallyCross Series – the latter of which Millen describes as "arguably the fastest most exciting form of racing to hit the US in years." But now Millen has announced that Hyundai has withdrawn from their partnership that has stood for six years. Without support from the automaker, Rhys Millen is putting up his Hyundais for sale or rental to any privateer team interested in getting in on the RallyCross action, while the team looks for a new partner with which to move forward. As for Hyundai, it seems the automaker may have stretched its motorsport budget a little thin with the WRC effort, on which it will now apparently rely to establish its racing cred. We reached out to Hyundai for clarification on its future motorsport plans in America, but representatives weren't immediately available for comment. We will update this story when and if we hear back.