2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

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2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid gets bigger, better battery pack, lower MSRP

Just yesterday, we told you how Hyundai's 2013 Sonata Hybrid was late out of the gate (along with its mechanical twin, the Kia Optima Hybrid), with growing speculation suggesting that the company was revisiting its gas-electric sedan with an eye toward improving its efficiency.
Well, today Hyundai has released official details, and that's exactly what's happened. Sporting a larger starter generator, a higher output electric motor and a more potent 47 kW lithium polymer battery, the 2013 Sonata hybrid is more efficient than before. The revised hardware helps the sedan jump two miles per gallon combined over its 2012 predecessor. That pushes the 2013 Sonata Hybrid to 36 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined. Engineers also tweaked the machine's software, with revised driving pattern detection and engine on/off logic.

Recharge Wrap-Up: LAPD gets Zero MMX, Chevy's new inverter, Hyundai Tucson's new powertrains

Some police in Los Angeles will be riding Zero MMX electric motorcycles on duty. The LAPD is adding the fully electric police/military all-terrain bikes to its patrol fleet. According to Officer Steve Carbajal of the department's off-road unit, "It costs less than 50 cents to charge compared to using gallons of gas, maintenance is simple, and the community appreciates how quiet they are." The electric bikes, with their lack of noise and a headlight the rider can turn off, also have the benefit of stealth, giving the officers what Carbajal calls "an added tactical advantage." The MMX also has swappable batteries, is designed for quick ignition and has power reserve capabilities so the rider won't be caught with a dead battery while chasing down a perp. Read more at Ride Apart. Remember when it seemed like we'd never run out of oil, and giving your buddy five bucks for gas was actually a worthwhile gesture? Drivers of classic cars in Detroit were able to fill up their tanks at gas prices corresponding to their model year, thanks to a promotion by Hagerty Insurance for National Collector Car Appreciation Day on July 11. That meant prices from 21 to 90 cents a gallon, as the cars that showed up ranged from the years 1929 to 1989. That's about as affordable as charging your EV. Head over to Autoweek for more details and some photos from the event. The next-generation Chevrolet Volt will likely benefit from a new inverter being developed by General Motors. GM is about two-thirds of the way through the development of the new inverter, which should be ready in January 2016. The inverter, which has a peak output of 55 kilowatts a continuous output of 33 kilowatts, will be adaptable for use in other GM vehicles. Chevrolet is working to reduce the Volt's production costs by $10,000 per vehicle, which should make it more affordable, and the new inverter could help reach that goal should it make its way into the car. Read more at Green Car Reports. Hyundai is likely planning some interesting powertrain changes for the 2016 Tucson, says Green Car Reports. Plug-in hybrid? Maybe. Diesel? Probably not. "We are covering the waterfront on all alternative fuel strategies, from standard hybrid, to plug-in, battery-electric, and fuel cell," says Hyundai's US Chief Dave Zuchowski.

Genesis designer Luc Donckerwolke talks new sedan, 'post-SUV' phase

Luc Donckerwolke's office at the Hyundai Research and Design center outside of Seoul looks like an Apple store, all polished concrete, metal and glass and a Miesian lack of ornamentation. This makes sense in an environment in which Donckerwolke, as head of design for the Hyundai and Genesis brands, is attempting to privilege transparency: enhancing communication and accessibility. "We have to break this kind of castle syndrome that the designers are in," Donckerwolke says. "It's all about opening up." This undermining of Korea's traditional orchestrated, hierarchical and executory structure is part of what has allowed Donckerwolke to create widely admired concepts such as the GV80 SUV and Essentia electric GT in just more than two years since he arrived from the VW Group leading design at Bentley, Lamborghini and Audi. And also to design the all-new G70 sport sedan that will be introduced to the U.S. market later this summer. We drove the G70 just before arriving for an exclusive one-on-one at Donckerwolke's R&D office, the first American journalists to visit. Although our time behind the wheel was brief, and we drove only the top-of-the-line, 365-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V6 version, we were impressed with the acceleration, the balance and the material quality. We also noted that the G70 is very good looking, with a distinctive, muscular and aggressive mien that feels true to the company's mission to be at once "Audacious, Progressive and Distinctly Korean." Like much of what we saw and experienced in contemporary Seoul, the car hosts a unique blend of influences from America, Europe and Asia while offering a harmony of line and a grounded sense of self that seems endemic to the peninsula. This global-but-flavored template is intentional. "We are not going to do Korean cartoons on wheels," Donckerwolke says. "We're not going to become a patriotic Korean movement. It's only about the essence of the Korean culture that we are using as an inspiration." One thing we could not help but notice is that the G70 is a sedan, joining a pair of older, Hyundai-based sedans, the G80 and G90, to complete the Genesis lineup. This feels somewhat inauspicious in the moment, especially for the American market where two-thirds of new-vehicle purchases are trucks and SUVs. "As you probably have seen when you've been driving around, sedans are extremely demanded here in Korea. And, you know, we have a huge market penetration here.