2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line on 2040-cars

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Hyundai bets big on crossovers sporting diesel, electric, hydrogen powertrains by 2020

Hyundai announced a very aggressive crossover strategy for the next couple of years, with a total of eight vehicles launched between now and 2020. One of those is the already revealed sub-compact Hyundai Kona. The other seven crossovers range in size and fuel types, and Miles Johnson at Hyundai confirmed to us that all of them will be coming to the U.S. The first to launch is the aforementioned Kona, coming in early 2018. Also coming early that year is an unnamed hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. This hydrogen crossover will likely be sized and styled similarly to the FE Fuel Cell Concept shown at this year's Geneva show. A previous report about the production version stated that it would have a range of about 360 miles. Later that year will be two unnamed crossovers without any indication of size. They will also be joined by an electric crossover. In 2019, Hyundai has three crossovers planned for release. Early in the year will be a diesel-powered crossover. Hyundai gives no indication of what segment it would compete in, but so far we've only seen diesels in compact crossovers such as the Chevy Equinox diesel and upcoming Mazda CX-5 diesel. Mid-year will welcome a midsize crossover, and the year will be capped off with an A-segment crossover. Johnson also confirmed that this A-segment crossover will be smaller than the Kona. It could be an outright replacement for the Hyundai Accent hatchback, which did not return to the U.S. with the new sedan. Though we don't have much information regarding the unnamed and unspecified crossovers in the plan, Johnson did confirm that some of the crossovers in this rollout will include redesigned versions of existing offerings. This may include a new Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport, or whatever the Santa Fe Sport will become. The company has previously stated that the Santa Fe Sport will be resized and probably renamed, and the regular Santa Fe would be larger the next time around. These changes would also make room for another small to midsize crossover. Related Video: Image Credit: Hyundai Green Hyundai Crossover SUV Diesel Vehicles Economy Cars Electric Future Vehicles Hydrogen Cars hyundai kona

NHTSA opens probe into 3 million Kia, Hyundai vehicles for fire risks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday it would open a new safety defect investigation into three million Hyundai and Kia vehicles for fires not caused by crashes. The investigation is in response to a petition seeking a probe by the Center for Auto Safety. The auto safety agency since 2007 has been investigating some Hyundai and Kia vehicles for fire risks. The South Korean automakers have recalled more than 2.3 million vehicles since 2015 to address various engine fire risks. Hyundai did not immediately comment, while Kia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NHTSA said the decision to initiate the additional safety defect probe was based on its analysis of information received from multiple manufacturers, consumer complaints and other sources. Last month, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said a group of U.S. states is investigating Hyundai and Kia for potential unfair and deceptive acts related to reports of hundreds of vehicle fires. In November, Reuters reported that federal prosecutors had launched a criminal investigation into Hyundai and Kia to determine if vehicle recalls linked to engine defects had been conducted properly. Reuters reported in January that the companies would offer software upgrades for 3.7 million vehicles not being recalled. A South Korean whistleblower in 2016 reported concerns to NHTSA, which has been probing the timeliness of three U.S. recalls and whether they covered enough vehicles. In 2015, Hyundai recalled 470,000 U.S. Sonata sedans, saying engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash. At the time, Kia did not recall its vehicles, which share the same "Theta II" engines. In March 2017, Hyundai expanded its original U.S. recall to 572,000 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles with those Theta II engines, citing the same issue involving manufacturing debris. On the same day, Kia also recalled 618,000 Optima, Sorento and Sportage vehicles, all of which use the same engine.Reporting by David Shepardson.

Hyundai previews Brand N performance division

Hyundai has slowly created a presence for its N performance sub-brand since launching the name on the i20 WRC in late 2013, but so far the company has limited the badge to rally cars and concepts. A recent video suggests the moniker might reach the road soon. While Brand N isn't well known yet, Hyundai takes development of its performance credentials quite seriously. The company's European Technical Center at the Nurburgring is handling an increasing amount of the work, and former BMW M GmbH chief engineer Albert Biermann leads the way. He also provides narration for this clip. Beyond the camouflaged hatchback, some of Hyundai's other high-speed machines also make an appearance here. The i20 WRC plays in the dirt a little, but the big star is the wild RM15 concept. Based on the Veloster, it sports a mid-engine, 296-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder driving the rear wheels. The wide-body coupe looks great running around the 'Ring, too. Hopefully it indicates how far Brand N intends to go. Related Video: