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Hyundai will launch 26 green models through 2020

Hyundai Motor Group, which comprises both Hyundai and Kia, believes that launching a blitz of 26 green models through 2020 could place the Korean automaker among the leaders in the segment. Only Toyota would be larger in the electrified vehicle market, if Hyundai Motor's plan works, Automotive News reports. The 26 models run the gamut of the green car field, and they include at least 12 hybrids, six PHEVs, two EVs, and two hydrogen fuel cells, according to Automotive News. If customers latch onto them, Hyundai and Kia could move as many as 300,000 electrified vehicles a year by 2020 versus about 43,000 in 2015. Kia is responsible for at least 11 of these vehicles like the upcoming Niro crossover. Meanwhile, Hyundai wants the upcoming Ioniq (above) to challenge the Toyota Prius, and the Korean company has hybrid, PHEV, and EV versions on the way. To save money on the development of so many electrified vehicles, Hyundai Motor uses shared components. "For example, all our electric motors have the same diameter," Lee Ki-Sang, Hyundai's green powertrain boss, told Automotive News. "The power output is different, but we can just adjust the width of the core winding. Or for the motor controller, we standardized to use the same printed circuit boards." Trying to go from a relatively small player to a market leader is an audacious move, but it's especially risky right now. Gas prices are the cheapest in 12 years in the US, and green car sales are down in the US and in Europe. Toyota even predicts the inexpensive fuel could cut into Prius sales, and it's far more established than Hyundai's models. The South Korean company could have an even tougher time because these efficient vehicles still lose money for now. "Our target is before 2020, we would like to make profits on these eco-friendly vehicles," Lee told Automotive News. Related Video:

Hyundai shoots down the rumor claiming it is done developing engines

Hyundai has clarified that the recent rumor claiming it had stopped developing gasoline- and diesel-burning engines to focus on various forms of electrifications is false. It said that development work remains on-going and that the internal combustion engine still has a future. "Hyundai Motor Group can confirm that it is not halting the development of its engines following recent media speculation. The Group is dedicated to providing a strong portfolio of powertrains to its global customers, which includes a combination of highly efficient engines and zero-emissions electric motors," said senior group manager Michael Stewart in an interview with Motor1. The report that emerged in late 2021 claimed that the Hyundai Group (which includes the Hyundai brand, Kia, and Genesis, among other entities) had completely stopped designing piston-powered engines to focus on electrification. It claimed that most of the engineers had been assigned new roles related to electrification, though it also noted that some were staying behind to continue refining the technology. If this sounds familiar, it's likely because Hyundai recently shot down a separate but similar rumor that said it had put the hydrogen-electric powertrain it planned to install in many of its cars (including some upmarket Genesis models) on hiatus. The carmaker explained that it has merely reshuffled the team that's developing the technology because unspecified technical hurdles have slowed down the project. Several electric Hyundai models are in the pipeline, including the production version of the Prophecy concept unveiled in 2020 and a relatively big SUV previewed by the 2021 Seven concept. But, its comments suggest that more gasoline-powered models are on the way as well, which is great news; its range of N-tuned high-performance models includes excellent cars and there's still room for it to grow. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2021 Kia Sorento spied racing around the Nurburgring

Last time our spy shooters caught the next-gen Kia Sorento, it was doing something strenuous and taxing (towing a BMW X5). This time the mid-size crossover is on the Nurburgring. Perhaps Kia has visions of being a Ring Taxi. We kid, but it’s always fun to see family SUVs pounding around the German racetrack. The previous Sorento we captured had a massive tent over the rear concealing the design. This tester has no such apparatus, so we can see exactly what Kia is working with. ThereÂ’s a bit of bodywork at the rear window line that juts outward strongly. Perhaps this is just trying to throw us off the trail. The general shape of the rear window and slant is the same as the current Sorento. This just looks far more pronounced due to the ducktail-like piece sticking out. As for the third rear window, itÂ’s shaped just like the slanting window in the current Sorento. These spy shots donÂ’t suggest a floating roof design for the time being. Of all the design changes coming to the Sorento, the front may be the most dramatic. ThereÂ’s plenty of camouflage hiding whatÂ’s underneath, but the design appears to be a bit more butch and tough than the gentle slopes and curves on the current Sorento. We donÂ’t think Kia is going full Telluride with the strong, squared-off appearance, but the SorentoÂ’s front fascia is definitely edging that way. This prototype itself is still looking rather unkempt — just look at those exposed “taillights” and the uneven/weird rear valance. ItÂ’s expected to be a 2021 model year vehicle, so weÂ’re likely to see more put-together Sorentos racing around later this year or early 2020.