2009 Hyundai Elantra Gls on 2040-cars

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Sunday Drive: An automotive flavor for every taste

Last week was flush with interesting new vehicle debuts, led by the new 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe. This crossover is entering straight into the heart of one of the world's most competitive automotive segments, and it's doing so with a fresh sense of style and a brace of new technologies. Our readers are clearly intrigued – the Santa Fe was the biggest news story of the last week on these online pages. It's fitting that a crossover generated a lot more interest than a traditional wagon, though we don't really have to be happy about it. Still, the completely new, fully redesigned Volvo V60 is worth taking another look at. First of all, it's pretty, in a traditionally Scandinavian way. Second, it's quick, with a 0-60 time of as little as 4.8 seconds. And finally, it's practical, with all kinds of room for cargo without the dynamic penalties of an unnecessary lift kit. Moving on from new vehicle debuts, we took another long look at the Honda Ridgeline. It's definitely a non-conformist pickup truck, based not on a body-on-frame platform but on a more carlike unibody design. That means it can't tow as much as some other trucks, but it also means the Ridgeline drives better than any of its more truckish competitors. It's the Swiss army knife of pickup trucks. Rounding out our coverage from last week are three sets of spy photos, each showing the interior of a hotly anticipated new model. One is a truck, one is a crossover, and the last is a sportscar. All of them are worth another look. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the most important news in the automotive world. 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe unveiled 2019 Volvo V60 | Sleek, swift new twist on the Swedish wagon 2018 Honda Ridgeline | Pocketknife pickup is up for anything 2019 GMC Sierra interior looks just like the Silverado's 2019 Cadillac XT4 interior has actual buttons, no more touch-sensitive panel 2020 Porsche 911 992 spy shots show interior and manual transmission Cadillac GMC Honda Hyundai Porsche Volvo Truck Crossover Wagon Luxury Performance Sedan hyundai santa fe

Hyundai working on clean-sheet, hydrogen-powered CUV

Autocar reports that Hyundai is working on its next hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and that the coming vehicle will be a clean-sheet design and likely a crossover. The South Korean company will soon have its Toyota Prius-fighting Ioniq hybrid on the market, now it is said to have placed a bullseye on the Toyota Mirai FCEV. This follows news that Kia is developing a brand new fuel-cell hybrid for launch by 2020, the theory is that platform will be shared with Hyundai, who will launch it first. The bodystyle isn't confirmed, but making it a crossover would take advantage of two important factors, one being the ongoing sales boom of compact and mid-sized SUVs. The second is that according to Sae-Hoon Kim, head of the company's fuel cell research, "all customer feedback says range and boot space are the priorities." Since bigger tanks typically mean less trunk space, a crossover would offer the best opportunity for maximizing both. A people-hauler could also make design and brand connections with the Kia Niro hybrid crossover. Hyundai is hoping to get a range of 500 miles out of the new vehicle, which would mark a 25-percent improvement over the range of the Tucson FCEV currently on sale. When it arrives it will give Hyundai a dedicated player in three alternative powertrain domains, joining the Ioniq plug-in hybrid and the pure electric vehicle it promised for launch by 2017. That could be seen as merely hedging bets, but the company does believe in hydrogen, Kim saying, "Every solution leads to hydrogen; either you use renewable energy sources to create and store hydrogen, or you use traditional fuels like coal to create hydrogen. Either way, hydrogen is the way to store energy and control supply and demand."

Former Lamborghini designer reportedly headed to Hyundai

Luc Donckerwolke (pictured above) only left his position as the Director of Design for Bentley in early June, but he might have already had a new gig lined up as he was walking out the door. Donckerwolke is reportedly teaming up with former Volkswagen Group styling bigwig Peter Schreyer at Hyundai Motor, in a position to eventually take over the look of all of the Korean brands' vehicles. At the moment, this major hire for Hyundai and Kia is still just a rumor, though, and the Korean automaker is playing it close to the vest. Company spokesperson Jim Trainor tells Autoblog, "We do not comment on speculation concerning potential appointments." However, insiders tell Automotive News that the deal is the reason for Donckerwolke walking away from his long career among VW's brands. In Korea, Donckerwolke would hold a position under Schreyer at first, and he would take over Hyundai and Kia's design duties when Schreyer retires, which is expected in about two years. Donckerwolke joined the German automotive giant in 1992 and eventually came to define the modern look of Lamborghini by penning both the Murcielago and Gallardo. In 2011, he became the Head of Advanced Design for VW Group and took over styling duties at Bentley in 2012. Schreyer left a fruitful career at VW Group, including penning the original Audi TT, to join Kia in 2006. He gained the overall design duties for the Hyundai and Kia brands in 2012. Ousted VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech once said that he was regretful of losing the talented stylist. Related Video: