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Did a US automaker blow the whistle on Hyundai, Kia fuel economy issue?

In all of the most hotly contested mainstream segments of the motoring universe, the difference of one mile per gallon averaged on a widow sticker can mean the difference between a sale and a walk-off - to say nothing of two or three mpg. So, when Hyundai and Kia were forced to reveal that many of their 40-mpg ratings were actually 38s and 37s, well, it made for big news.
It also, conceivably, made for a competitive disadvantage immediately, when the Korean automakers' products were being shopped versus the guys down the block. And it's that disadvantage that makes a recent story from Automotive News so juicy.
AN is reporting that Margo Oge, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, got a tip in 2010 that Hyundai/Kia were "cheating" to get its impressive fuel economy numbers. The tip, said Oge (who retired from the EPA this past September), came from a senior vice president from a domestic automaker. The source was credible enough for Oge to launch an audit of the Hyundai figures, which ultimately lead to the debacle that we reported on a few months ago, and that the Korean company has been trying to bounce back from ever since.

2019 Kia K900: Here's the redesigned interior in sketch form

A little while ago, we posted teaser sketches of the new Kia K900 flagship. So far, we've learned how it looks from front to side to rear, but the interior has remained a mystery. Today, Kia released this sketch of the dashboard, which seems to be as restrainedly designed as the exterior. The general shape of the dashboard seems to mirror recent BMW offerings, as it's not pronouncedly driver-centric. There's a nearly full-width strip of light wood that extends to the doors, and the steering wheel has also received its share of the wood treatment as well as the gearshift surround, with a large infotainment jog dial next to the shifter. We also see a virtual gauge cluster, which is complemented by a wide central screen that Kia says is 12.3 inches. The HMI screen has gesture controls, but the interior's trick appears to be what Kia calls an "intelligent lighting system," which includes chromotherapy ambient mood lighting to deepen the sense of being cocooned inside the leather interior. There are several calming interior lighting modes to suit the occasion — maybe it's a way to combat frustration in traffic. Again, if the Stinger's exterior is knowingly busy and its interior is designed to invoke the feel of a GT car, the K900's cabin has traditional "executive sedan" woven into the mix, just like its exterior design. Kia has said the K900 will be out in the second quarter of 2018, so we might just see a reveal in a couple of weeks at the New York Auto Show. Related Video:

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.