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Bisimoto tunes Hyundai Ioniq SEMA show car for efficiency, not power

Automotive tuner Bisimoto is probably best known for its wildly powerful SEMA show cars, such as its 1,029 horsepower Honda Odyssey, and last year's 1,040-horsepower, rear-drive Hyundai Santa Fe. But this year, the company tried something different, building a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid not for power, but for fuel economy. According to Hyundai and Bisimoto, the resulting HyperEconiq managed to repeatedly exceed 80 mpg, based on 83 tests by the tuning company. That's a seriously impressive gain considering the standard Ioniq hybrid is rated at 57 mpg city and 59 mpg highway. Bisimoto was able to do this by enhancing just about every aspect of the car inside and out. But the most obvious changes are on the outside. The HyperEconiq features a custom body kit with front and side splitters, and a rear spoiler. There are also some prominent wheel spats, something we haven't really seen since the first-generation Honda Insight. The car also features lightweight, one-piece carbon fiber wheels from Carbon Revolution, and they're shod in high-silica low rolling resistance tires. Aluminum brake calipers further lighten the car, and coilover suspension lowers the car for better aerodynamics. There are a few other mechanical changes under the skin, too. The engine features unique low-friction 0W20 oil from PurOl. It has also been tweaked so that more air can be pulled in during valve overlap, and the exhaust was upgraded to improve exhaust flow out of the engine. The overall look is rather attractive. The body kit makes the car look sportier and more aggressive, and the carbon wheels are a nice accent to the dark gray color. We're still undecided on the looks of the wheel spats, but if they're functional, it's hard to argue with them. It will also be interesting to see if hypermiling upgrades enter the aftermarket mainstream. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bisimoto Hyundai HyperEconiq: SEMA 2017 Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Aftermarket Green SEMA Show Hyundai Fuel Efficiency Hatchback Hybrid Sedan hyundai ioniq bisimoto

Consumer Reports criticizes small turbo engines for misleading performance, fuel economy claims [w/video]

Consumer Reports has taken aim at at small-displacement, forced-induction engines, saying the powerplants don't manage to deliver on automaker fuel economy claims. Manufacturers have long held that smaller, turbocharged engines pack all power of their larger displacement cousins with significantly better fuel economy, but the research organization says that despite scoring high EPA economy numbers, the engines are no better than conventional drivetrains in both categories. Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, says the forced induction options "are often slower and less fuel efficient than larger four and six-cylinder engines."
Specifically, CR calls out the new Ford Fusion equipped with the automaker's Ecoboost 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The institute's researchers found the engine, which is a $795 option over the base 2.5-liter four-cylinder, fails to match competitors in acceleration and served up 25 miles per gallon in testing, putting the sedan dead last among other midsize options.
The Chevrolet Cruze, Hyundai Sonata Turbo and Ford Escape 2.0T all got dinged for the same troubles, though Consumer Reports has found the turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the BMW 328i does deliver on its promises. You can check out the full press release below. You can also read the full study on the Consumer Reports site, or scroll down for a short video recap.

Hyundai Motor shares slide following U.S. probe of airbag failures

SEOUL — Shares in Hyundai Motor tumbled on Monday on a U.S. probe into why airbags failed to deploy in some of its Sonata sedans, with investors fretting about potential recall costs for the once popular cars. The probe, which follows crashes that reportedly killed four people and left six injured, will review the 2011 Sonata sedan as well as the 2012-2013 Forte made by affiliate Kia Motors, encompassing some 425,000 vehicles. It marks the second investigation by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into the South Korean duo in less than one year, exacerbating headaches for Hyundai which reported in January its worst annual earnings in seven years. Hyundai has issued a recall for more than 150,000 U.S. Sonatas after incidents of non-deployment were linked to electrical overstress in the airbag control unit, but said it did not have a final fix. "What I am concerned about is that the recall will be expanded to other markets," said Ko Tae-bong, an analyst at Hi Investment & Securities. The Sonata and Forte sedans were responsible for driving sales for Hyundai and Kia in key markets in recent years, although they are no longer as popular as they once were. Ko estimated the U.S. recall could cost as much as $575 million if airbags were replaced in 425,000 vehicles under review and the automakers were found responsible for the problem. Hyundai Motor shares tumbled 4.8 percent while Kia Motors lost 3.7 percent. Parts supplier Hyundai Mobis fell 5.4 percent while the broader market was down 0.7 percent. Hyundai declined to comment on whether the recall would be expanded. Kia said it has not confirmed problems with the airbags but added it would "act promptly to conduct a safety recall, if it determines that a recall would be appropriate." The automakers told the South Korean regulator that the Sonata and Forte models sold in the domestic market were not affected, an official at South Korea's transport ministry told Reuters. The U.S. regulator said the airbag control units were built by ZF Friedrichshafen-TRW, a German auto supplier that acquired TRW Automotive in 2015, adding that it would determine if any other manufacturers used similar airbag control units and if they posed a safety risk. The NHTSA also said that electrical overstress appeared to be the root cause in the 2016 recall by Fiat Chrysler America of 1.4 million U.S. vehicles for airbag non-deployments in significant frontal crashes.