2015 Hyundai Sonata Sport on 2040-cars

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2017 Hyundai Equus spied testing in the Arctic Circle

The camouflaged next-generation Hyundai Equus has been picked off everywhere from South Korea to Colorado to Sweden, and our spy shooters caught it again in the Arctic Circle. The second generation, unveiled in 2010, continued to raise the luxury tide for the brand and it looks like the third generation will do the same again. Outside we predict another evolution of the brand's Fluidic Sculpture design under the eye of head designer Peter Schreyer, but this version will go in a direction that looks like it will be known only by its details; the side window opening, at least, has gone totally conservative, but we're told the are some very slick headlights up front and a "chrome-rich front fascia." Underneath, it will lose weight by being built on a lightweight derivation of the current BH platform that includes more high-strength steel and aluminum. The 5.0-liter V8 will get more power and better fuel economy, and rumors are that the 3.3-liter V6 could eventually play a role here with some forced induction assistance. An eight-speed transmission might come with its launch next year, but a ten-speed transmission is on the way, working in RWD and AWD guises. Related Video:

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo caught uncovered at video shoot

Here's the fully revealed Hyundai Veloster Turbo, and it appears to be moving pretty quickly based on the blur in the photos. That's understandable because our spy photographer got these shots during a video shoot of the Hyundai's latest hatchback in which it was probably being driven aggressively for good footage. Despite the blur, we can tell quite a bit from the images. First off, we know it's a Turbo model because of its large, round, center exhaust tips. We can also see that the Veloster is hopping on the contrast roof bandwagon, but at least to this editor's eye, the design seems well-suited to the paint scheme. The roof line itself also looks as though it drops down more drastically than the previous model. The rear window is notably wider than the old model, and the slimmer, wider taillights are flush with the glass. We're focusing more on the tail since we already got a good look at the front of the Veloster when Hyundai released official images of the car in snazzy multi-colored camouflage. The car's frown does look more pronounced in a single color, though. It seems the Turbo version also gets a small additional intake inlet in the bottom of the front bumper compared with the normal version. We expect to see the fully uncovered car in person at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. It will likely appear alongside the less-powerful version. There's also an N version in the works, but it's possible Hyundai won't reveal that until later in the year. Related Video:

We get our hands on Android Auto [w/video]

After a week with version one of Android Auto in a 2015 Hyundai Sonata, my opinion is that it fulfills the promise of the technology. I couldn't even exploit it fully because I'm not married to the Android ecosystem. At my desk right now there's a PC in front of me, an iPad on my left, and an Android phone on my right. My Android phone is, in fact, so old that it's not compatible with Android Auto. So in addition to a Sonata, Hyundai let me borrow a Nexus 5 smartphone and a Motorola Moto360 watch. Yet even with all that gear, which, in practical terms is someone else's borrowed digital life, Android Auto still showed itself to be tech worth having. When you start the Sonata you get the standard Hyundai infotainment screen. Plug your phone in, and you'll get an option to click over to Android Auto. At that point, you lose the ability to use your phone, which is the purpose of the system, to keep you from using the handset. Since the contents of your phone are ported to the head unit, there is hardly any reason to reach for the portable device anyway. The Google Now screen comes up first, populated with a series of notifications resulting from Google having learned your life and kept track of where you've been going, who you've been calling, and what you've been searching for. After only two days, Google Now understood that I probably lived in Venice, CA, and not in Orange County, where the phone had previously resided. No matter the make of car, the interface is the same. The icons along the bottom of the screen indicate Navigation, Phone, Home (Google Now), Audio, and Return – to go back to the car's native interface. The first four options represent much of what we use our phones for (we'll get to texting in a second), and that's what buyers want: for cars to work seamlessly with their phones. Oh, and to have voice recognition actually be useful. Android Auto works with the Hyundai system, so if music is playing when you turn the car on, it will continue to play even though you're in Android Auto, and you can control it through that interface. Switching to media or apps on your phone is as easy as saying, "Play music," which defaults to Google Play, or pressing the audio button and choosing an app like JoyRide or NPR One. You do have to figure out how to speak to the system. I couldn't find any list of Android Auto-specific voice commands, so sometimes it would take a few tries to figure out how Google liked to be ordered around.