2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo on 2040-cars

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Hyundai N Performance division working on 'exotic' halo model like the RM16

This is the year of Hyundai N Performance. After three official launches, the division's leadership has made imprecise noises about a halo car since this summer. Brand boss Albert Biermann said, "Right now, we don't need a halo car in N. We have to get in a routine with N cars, and not just hit a peak." Around the same time, VP Thomas Schmera said, "Rest assured we are coming up with something," that something being a halo car. Reports expected either a two-seat coupe or a four-door sedan like the Kia Stinger. In a recent interview with AutoRAI, Schmera narrowed the focus, saying, "Think of the Hyundai RM16 and you have a bit of an idea of what is possible." The RM16 is the third iteration of the mid-engined Veloster RM first showed at the Busan Motor Show in 2014. In 2015 the RM15 debuted at the same motor show, followed in 2016 by the RM16. By then, the performance specs listed a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 296 horsepower, an electric compressor and electronic differential, rear-wheel drive and a six-speed manual. The bodywork, draped on an aluminum spaceframe, channeled the spirits of other outrageous mid-engined hatchbacks like the Renault 5 Turbo, Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport, and Lancia Delta S4. Four months after showing the RM16, Hyundai took a running prototype to the Nurburgring (pictured). Earlier this year we heard tale of a new Theta III engine suited for front- and rear-wheel drive, and mid-engined applications. With the ability to be tuned to 350 hp, this led to suspicion that there could be a mid-engined Hyundai sports car on the way. The evidence is circumstantial, but now we have Schmera telling us to consider a long-lived mid-engined concept as the potential template for a future N Performance halo car. The idea of Hyundai rolling out a mid-engined coupe sounds crazy. It sounds doubly crazy when Biermann has said of the i30 N, "This is a halo car that can make [the company] money, so what better halo can we get?" Hyundai knows its math better than we do, but we don't see how the carmaker makes money in a segment ruled by the Porsche 718 twins under $100K, and by a number of storied brands above that figure.

Hyundai opens up European Test Centre at N"urburgring

Anyone who's anyone among automakers tests at the Nürburgring, and the latest to join them is Hyundai. After fifteen months of construction and a €6.6-million investment - just shy of $9M USD - the Korean automaker has finally completed its new trackside testing center that was initially announced back in January.
Hyundai's new European Test Centre encompasses nearly 40,000 square feet of floor space on four levels in a glass and steel building that houses workshops, offices and hospitality areas. Acting as an extension of the company's European R&D center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the new Nürburgring test center will allow Hyundai to conduct more regular and rigorous testing around the 73 corners and 13 miles of tarmac that make up the famous racetrack - definitely a good thing for a powerhouse brand that still sometimes fumbles when it comes to the dark arts of suspension and steering tuning.

Hyundai officially names 3-row SUV the Palisade, to be revealed at LA Auto Show

The reports we've been hearing about Hyundai's new three-row SUV are right, it's going to be called the Palisade and be revealed at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show. Coming for model year 2020, it'll be Hyundai's new flagship SUV with eight-passenger capability. For those counting, that's one more than the Santa Fe XL it will be replacing. Hyundai released one teaser image for us to check out, but it doesn't tell us much of anything about the big SUV. We've been seeing plenty of spy shots of the truck over the past few months that do give us an idea of what to expect, though. Based on the Grandmaster Concept, the three-row SUV looks like it has a luxurious interior. Spy shots show split headlight modules and a large, cascading grille too. It's going to be big. Hyundai tends to name its vehicles after exotic locations, and this one is no different. Palisade refers to the Pacific Palisades, an affluent neighborhood on the coast of Southern California. You might be more likely to see Bentleys and Range Rovers roaming the streets in this area, but Hyundai is adopting it nonetheless. We'll be able to say more come LA Auto Show time, but for now, Hyundai says the Palisade will be available in the summer of 2019 for the U.S. market. When the Palisade does arrive, it will be facing a crowded market of others all elbowing for the same piece of pie. Coming out with a large SUV never seems like a bad idea these days with how the market always receives them, but we'll see how well Hyundai can teach everybody to look for the Palisade nameplate instead of the Santa Fe XL now. Related video: