2022 Kia Carnival Sx on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Hyundai and Kia rethinking diesel for US, BMW i partners with Soho House

Hyundai and Kia are once again considering bringing diesel vehicles to the US. "It's something that's a strong consideration for us at this point," says John Juriga of Hyundai/Kia America. Diesel would help the group meet future fuel economy standards. While the obstacles that previously kept the brands from bringing diesel to the US in the past still exist, Juriga says they see a "more direct path" to making diesel work for them. Hyundai and Kia are also considering introducing cylinder deactivation, plug-in hybrids and 9- and 10-speed transmissions to reach fuel economy targets. Read more at Wards Auto. BMW's i division is teaming up with Soho House as its official automotive partner. BMW will provide i3 EVs for the private club's members and guests to use. The two groups will also host events together focused on art, design and innovation, beginning with an art talk called, "The Naked Truth? Nudity, fashion, and the photographic image today." According to BMW's Steven Althaus, the two brands are a great match. "BMW i and Soho House share a common mindset: both brands strive for innovation, creativity as well as a special sense for aesthetic setting new design standards," Althaus says, "What I look forward to most about our partnership is our determination to create memorable and sophisticated experiences together." Read more in the press release below. Foodlogica aims to reduce the environmental impact of food transport in Amsterdam using solar powered electric trikes. The trikes deliver food to local businesses and restaurants, a job usually done by air-polluting diesel trucks. The electric trikes feature cargo boxes that can hold 47 cubic feet or about 660 pounds of food. The trikes are stored in a shipping container fitted with solar panels, which charges them when they're not in use. By delivering food using solar and human power, Foodlogica is helping taking pollution and traffic congestion out of the "last mile" of food transport in Amsterdam. Get hungry and read more at Treehugger. An organization called Ten9 wants to get 1 billion people using sustainable transportation by 2025. Ten9 is a coalition of organizations that are trying to get transportation to that "tipping point" through technology, policy and good ideas. Ten9 wants to get Tesla CEO Elon Musk on board, as well as other business and technology leaders and world leaders.

Kia Telluride three-row SUV pricing revealed

Kia has got a certified looker on the way in the 2020 Telluride, and now the mid-sized, three-row SUV has a price. The base, two-wheel drive LX starts at $31,690, plus $1,045 for destination, totaling $32,735. That's $5,400 more than the three-row Sorento, which is noticeably smaller. In relation to competitors, the Telluride's price is $310 more than the 2019 Toyota Highlander, $240 more than the 2019 Honda Pilot, $155 less than the Subaru Ascent. As is Kia's wont, there's a lot of standard equipment in that base spec. The LX comes with eight-row seating done up in Sofino synthetic leather, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment and USB charge ports for all three rows, smart key with pushbutton start, park distance warning in reverse, and 18-inch wheels. Standard safety features include forward and rear-cross-traffic collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring, smart cruise control with stop and go, rear occupant alert, and second-row safe exit assist. The S trim level starts at $35,035. It swaps eight-row seating for seven seats thanks to the second-row captain's chairs, and rides on 20-inch wheels. The driver gets a 10-way power seat, both front passengers get heated front seats and a power sunroof, and everyone gets "upgraded interior trims." The EX brings genuine leather, but goes back to eight-passenger seating and 18-inch wheels. The infotainment screen grows to 10.25 inches, both front seats get heating and cooling, the passenger gets eight-way adjustability, and there's a power liftgate in back. The top-model SX starts at $42,535, and hops back over to seven-passenger seating and 20-inch black wheels. Premium touches include LED headlights, dual sunroofs, a digital instrument cluster, Harman/Kardon audio, and a 360-degree outside-view camera. A $4,000 Prestige Package for the SX adds all-wheel drive, Nappa leather with premium headliner and trim, a head-up display and heated steering wheel, and climate-controlled second-row captain's chairs. Before the obligatory minor options and accessories, a loaded Telluride will cost $46,935. Every trim gets the 3.8-liter V6 with 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, shifting through an eight-speed automatic transmission. When equipped with all-wheel drive and a trailer hitch, the Telluride can pull 5,000 pounds. Since the Sorento offers all-wheel drive on the LX and EX models as well, we expect the Telluride to do the same. On the Sorento, AWD comes as a standalone option for $1,800.

Hyundai CEO touts new EV platform with mention of a pickup

A couple of years ago, one of the prominent concerns about a saturated EV auto-scape was how carmakers would accentuate brand differences among vehicles converging on a frightening sameness. The cars wouldn't make any noise, they would all emphasize aerodynamics, and they would all basically ride on a battery pancake. So far, the fears have been avoided; a Volvo XC40 Recharge won't be confused for a Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, and the Ford won't be confused for a Tesla Model Y. Not only that, but automakers are developing platform strategies that heighten the sameness among vehicle architectures because the architecture is where the expenditure and the profit are greatest. Hyundai's the latest to outline its plans for investors. And part of Hyundai's plan could include adding a full-size electric pickup to the range. The mid- to long-term roadmap is called the Hyundai Motor Way, recently revised with higher targets thanks to the swift uptick in EV sales globally. Business Korea wrote Hyundai Motor Group (HMG includes Kia and Genesis) sold 510,000 battery-electric vehicles in 2022. The conglomerate says it now plans to sell two million EVs annually by 2030, up from a previous estimate of 1.87 million.      The platform that will help make this possible is called eM, an evolution of the current Electric Global Modular Platform (e-GMP) platform under HMG's current EVs. The eM architecture's been rumored to launch under a Kia sedan that might be a spiritual successor to the Stinger. So far, eM is planned for 13 models across the HMG portfolio, using the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) that can plug-and-play with more than 80 common modules serving different vehicle segments and sizes. HMG president and CEO Jaehoon Chang said, "In the second-generation platform, the scope of vehicle development extends beyond the mid-sized SUVs covered by the current E-GMP system. It encompasses nearly all vehicle classes, ranging from small and large SUVs to pickup trucks, along with the flagship models of the Genesis brand." Sure, Chang could have been merely noting the eM's potential use cases when he mentioned "pickup trucks." That's not how observers are reading the line. At Kia's investor day last year, the brand said it planned two electric pickups. There have already been reports that Kia's working on a body-on-frame pickup for the Australian market, perhaps called Tasman, utilizing gas and electric powertrains.