2013 Hyundai Elantra Gls on 2040-cars

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Hyundai missing Q1 earnings targets blamed on slow US sales

Slow US growth is hampering profits at Hyundai. In its first quarter financial statement, the Korean automaker reported a profit of 1.93 trillion won ($1.86 billion). According to Reuters, this is less than analysts' expectations and nearly the same as last year.
According to the report, US sales fell by 3 percent in Q1 2014. To make matters worse, the high value of the South Korean currency caused lower profits on models exported from there. On the bright side, Hyundai's Chinese sales rose by 9 percent, according to Reuters. It's also working on building a fourth factory there.
The company has had a rough time in the US throughout the quarter. John Krafcik, the CEO of Hyundai of America, stepped down on January 1, and the company was already predicting slow growth in sales for 2014. Falling quality scores for the Sonata and Elantra aren't helping matters either. However, there may be hope on the way. The second-generation Genesis Sedan was introduced to the US in Detroit, and the redesigned Sonata was recently shown in New York. Successful launches of these important models could prove crucial.

Hyundai may be working on Theta III power for a mid-engine car

Hyundai's been showing off mid-engine concepts and flogging mid-engine prototypes for at least four years. The fanciful 2014 Passo Corto gave way to a Veloster Midship concept just a few months later, the following years bringing the RM15 N and RM16 N. The "RM" stands for Racing Midship, and spy photographers caught the RM16 N painting a new racing line at the Nurburgring. Korean outlet Motorgraph reports that Hyundai is currently developing its Theta III engine for release late this year or in 2019 in the next-generation Genesis G80, but the four-cylinder will be engineered to suit front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and mid-engine applications. In the interests of more power, displacement in the Theta III will increase to 2.5 liters from the 2.0- and 2.4-liter displacements of the Theta II. Naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions are in development, both maintaining Hyundai's GDi direct injection. Front-wheel drive, turbocharged applications are predicted to output 280 horsepower, rear-wheel-drive turbo vehicles would get 300 horsepower. The turbocharged 2.0-liter Theta II in the current Sonata tops out at 245 hp, the same engine previously offered in the Santa Fe took that up to 264 hp. The mid-engine turbo Theta III would shrink to 2.3 liters, but rock a max output of 350 horsepower. That would put a mid-engine Veloster at the award-winning end of the competitive set, alongside the 350-hp Ford Focus RS and well in front of the 292-hp Volkswagen Golf R. Admittedly, it's early days for such talk, but with a motor in the middle and ex- BMW M boss Albert Biermann helming the chassis department, Hyundai might even aim for dynamic comparisons to the 350-hp Porsche 718 Cayman S. A potential super sporty offering from the N division needn't be a Veloster, either; that hatch might merely be an engine testbed. The Korean carmaker didn't poach two ex- Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini designers so that it could think small. Related Video:

2020 Virtual Geneva Motor Show Editors' Picks

There may not have been an actual Geneva Motor Show this year, but there were still loads of car reveals that happened the week that the show would have happened. So we still wanted to highlight what our favorites of the would-be show. Our list of cars seemed to match the theme of the reveals, too, highlighting over-the-top supercars and forward thinking electric vehicles. Scroll down to see our favorites. Fifth Place: Aston Martin V12 Speedster - 21 points Managing Editor, Greg Rasa: Astons are works of art, and this one's ready for the Louvre. The design nods to Aston history are nifty. It looks like a jet fighter, except those have canopies. Not sure what 186 mph would be like in this, but don't try it in summer when there are bugs. Contributing Editor, Joe Lorio: Admittedly, this one is a little silly. A $950,000 sports car with no roof? A 700-hp two-seater with no windshield? But the offerings at the Geneva auto show have always tilted toward absurdity, and Aston’s V12 Speedster is endearingly outrageous as a fighter plane for the street. Third Place (Tie): Volkswagen ID.4 - 26 points Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: I don't have much to say about this other than I am a huge fan of more EVs coming to the market, which is why two-thirds of my picks are electric, including the ID.4. Producer, Alex Malberg: Any new fully-electric crossover is a vote for me. The fact it doesn't look terrible and VW will be including AWD later are bonuses.  Third Place (Tie): Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio GTA - 26 points Road Test Editor, Zac Palmer: Hard to argue with the logic of this one. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is already the best driver in this class of hot sedans, so why not extend the lead with a special model. That wing is Type R levels of high, and I completely approve. Associate Editor, Byron Hurd: Love this car. Love it, love it, love it. It's beautiful, aggressive and fast. I'd take it over an M3 or C63 any day. As cool as the GTAm is, though, I'd rather stick to the four-seat GTA. Something about a four-door car with two seats just doesn't really work for me. I haven't alienated ALL of my friends quite yet. Second Place: Hyundai Prophecy - 35 points Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder: I get whiffs of the Genesis Coupe from this sleek concept. I like the focus on form, with interesting details to discover if you look for them. West Coast Editor, James Riswick: Does it look like a Porsche? Sure, but Porsches look neat.