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Hyundai Group and LG Chem launch EV & Battery Challenge

The chairmen of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Chem sat down recently to explore ideas for collaboration that include a joint venture in Indonesia to produce electric vehicle batteries. One early result of their efforts is the EV & Battery Challenge, a global competition seeking startups with working technologies that will add value to battery development and production, and enhance customer's total EV ownership experience. Broken into two categories of innovation, the contest is looking for battery tech in the areas of management and maintenance, materials, reuse and recycling, and manufacturing and quality control. For electric vehicles, startups with innovations in the EV business model, charging, components, fleet management, and customer service are encouraged to apply. LG held a similar event last year open to new inventions specifically for batteries. Nearly 130 applicants applied from 27 countries. After a Battery Challenge Pitch Day at the LG Magok Science Park in South Korea, the company chose five finalists who received up to $2 million in funding through formal partnership with the conglomerate. LG said it didn't walk away from the 124 candidates not chosen, "continuing to work closely [with them] and offer support in terms of technological evaluation and future investment."    The EV & Battery Challenge dangles the same prizes — financial support and the chance to work in Hyundai and LG facilities with their tools, engineers, and knowledge.  Applicants need to have a non-commercialized working prototype clearly different from what's currently on the market, "strong expertise in the battery and mobility sector," and "a business model based on credible commercial and economic assumptions." The challenge is open from now until August 28. Hyundai and LG will review applications in September, then hold video interviews with a winnowed group in October and November. In November, finalists will be invited to a two-day workshop at Hyundai's CRADLE hub in Silicon Valley, where the automaker bases its innovation initiatives in the U.S.  New Energy Nexus, "an international non-profit that supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators, and networks," is overseeing the EV & Battery Challenge. The potential reward for LG is finding a mythical piece of battery tech to counter the million-mile packs supposedly on the verge of release from China's CATL or U.S.

BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.

Kia teases Geneva concept, is a Nissan Juke rival in the cards?

These four photos tell us most about the pomegranate-red concept Kia will be bringing to this year's 2013 Geneva Motor Show. An accompanying 66-word press release gives away nothing, so we're left to wonder if this is some kind of Nissan Juke rival that the South Korean company is toying with.
Even with the exaggerated dimensions of concept cars, this unnamed "urban concept car" looks somewhat larger than the average subcompact hatch, and there are some seriously Juke-ish lines around the rear three-quarter. This concept, however, appears to be a two-door model, unlike the Juke with its hidden rear handles, but that doesn't mean a production model couldn't add a couple of entry points.
We'll know for sure in March. You'll have to make the four high-res photos and those 66 words in the release below last until then.