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Ford Mustang Mach-E fails Sweden's moose test

The infamous moose test has claimed another casualty. This time it's the Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Long Range, which was tested in an electric four-way alongside the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Skoda Enyaq iV (an electric utility vehicle closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4 that is sold in the United States). According to the Swedish testers at Teknikens Varld, Ford's electric car not only failed to hit the speed necessary for a passing grade, it didn't perform well at slower speeds, either. To pass the outlet's moose test, a car has to complete a rapid left-right-straight S-shaped pattern marked by cones at a speed of at least 72 km/h (44.7 miles per hour). The test is designed to mimic the type of avoidance maneuver a driver would have to take in order to avoid hitting something that wandered into the road, which in Sweden may be a moose but could just as easily be a deer or some other member of the animal kingdom elsewhere in the world, or possibly a child or car backing into the motorway. Not only is the maneuver very aggressive, it's also performed with weights belted into each seat and more weight added to the cargo area to hit the vehicle's maximum allowable carrying capacity. The Mustang Mach-E only managed to complete the moose test at 68 km/h (42.3 mph), well below the passing-grade threshold. Even at much lower speeds, Teknikens Varld says the Mach-E (which boasts the highest carrying capacity and was therefore loaded with more weight than the rest of the vehicles tested in this quartet) is "too soft in the chassis" and suffers from "too slow steering." Proving that it is indeed possible to pass the test, the Hyundai and Skoda completed the maneuver at the 44.7-mph figure required for a passing grade and the Tesla did it at 46.6 mph, albeit with less weight in the cargo area. It's not clear whether other versions of the Mustang Mach-E would pass the test. It's also unknown if Ford will make any changes to its chassis tuning or electronic stability control software, as some other automakers have done after a poor performance from Teknikens Varld, to improve its performance in the moose test. Related video:

2014 Hyundai Equus priced from $61,000*

During an event in Ann Arbor, Michigan today, Hyundai officials confirmed that the updated 2014 Equus sedan, which goes on sale this week, will be priced from $61,000, *not including $920 for destination. That price is for the base-level Signature version; the upgraded Ultimate trim will carry a base MSRP of $68,000. Both prices represent a $1,750 increase over the 2013 model.
Hyundai introduced the 2014 Equus at this year's New York Auto Show, and while it hasn't been vastly reworked, there are a few thoughtful updates both inside and out. For starters, there's a restyled grille flanked with standard LED fog lamps, as well as new 19-inch alloy wheels. Inside, Hyundai has fitted a new instrument cluster and center stack, as well as more premium wood trim.
There's more technology inside the Equus, as well. The instrument cluster now benefits from either a 7.0- or 12.3-inch LCD information screen, and there's a 9.2-inch display in the center of the dash. For rear seat passengers, there are dual 9.2-inch monitors, as well as redesigned console controls.

Hyundai takes fully autonomous fuel cell vehicles on 70 mph road trip

Hyundai has announced three test vehicles based on its upcoming NEXO fuel cell vehicles, fitted with Level 4 autonomous technology, have completed a trial journey of 118 miles from Seoul to Pyeongchang across the Korean peninsula completely autonomously. It's a world first for fuel cell powered vehicles to reach Level 4 autonomous driving, which translates as "mind off" driving with no driver input needed. One of the interesting things about the NEXO fleet's trial is that it was performed in regular traffic at public highways, at speeds up to nearly 70mph. Earlier autonomous car testing in Korea has been performed on selected sections of road and at lower speeds than the highest allowed Korean highway speed reached in this trial. Hyundai says the test drive included following the traffic's flow, completing lane changes, and even handling motorway toll booths — and that the only human intervention needed was pressing "Cruise" and "Set" buttons on the three cars' steering wheels, to put them in autonomous mode. The NEXO has been designed as a hydrogen fuel cell car from the ground up, instead of the earlier, ICE-based Tucson FCEV. Hyundai claims a target range of 500 miles (NEDC) for the NEXO, for a single, five-minute hydrogen charge, and a system efficiency of 60 percent. On the run to CES from L.A. last month, Hyundai declared a real-world range of 360 miles for the tested NEXO; the 120-kW motor takes the fuel cell crossover to 60 mph in 9.9 seconds. The vehicles used in the South Korean trial use a combination of radar, lidar and cameras to monitor their surroundings, and some of these systems are already used in production Hyundai vehicles. At CES, Hyundai announced its partnership with Aurora Innovation, which is a Silicon Valley startup set up by former Alphabet Inc and Tesla engineers; the autonomous NEXOs are likely to feature Aurora's input. Hyundai sees commercialization of Level 4 vehicles taking place in 2021, though only in what it calls "pilot smart cities," or locations tailored to be connected enough to make the implementation of autonomous tech easier. "Fully" autonomous driving would be at commercial level by 2030. As for the vehicle itself, it features virtual assistant technology that is complemented with noise canceling to further turn the NEXO into a cocoon-like pod; there's also "Home Connect" tech which enables the passengers to use smart home gadgets remotely during their commute. Related Video: