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Hyundai boosted production in March, so now its cars sit in U.S. ports

SEOUL — As Detroit's automakers shut production in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea's Hyundai cranked up its factories back home to ship cars to the United States, a move that is proving costly for the world's fifth-largest auto group. Hyundai ramped up domestic production to as much as 98% of capacity by late March, not only as the Korean market was recovering from a bad February but also because it bet on demand for Tucson SUVs and other models from U.S. customers, its biggest overseas market outside of China. While Hyundai is one of few global automakers whose production has recovered at home, its exports optimism has been dampened by the severity of the U.S. outbreak, weak consumer sentiment and as rivals have quickly moved to guard their turf. Consignments of cars shipped from South Korea are now sitting in U.S. ports, with dealers slow to take deliveries because of slumping sales and rising inventory, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The company idled a Tucson production line at home last week for five days, while sister firm Kia is looking to suspend three Korean plants for a week. And analysts now expect a sharp drop in first-quarter operating profit when it reports results on Thursday and some even forecast a second-quarter loss. "I hope that the situation will recover by the middle of next month. If not, we might have to lay off some people," said Brad Cannon, general manager of an exclusive Hyundai dealership in California, whose sales are down more than 50% from when the pandemic started. Hyundai runs a factory in Alabama — which is closed until May 1 — but imports are key to meet U.S. demand. Only about half of its vehicles sold in the United States are made in North America compared to between 68% and 85% for Japanese rivals Toyota, Nissan and Honda, who have also suspended production there till May. The South Korean company makes about 61% of its cars overseas, up from 48% a decade ago. That leaves it vulnerable to overseas factory shutdowns and shrinking demand outside of its home market. Hyundai's South Korean factory operation, which had recovered from a component shortage from China to nearly 100% capacity by March, could fall to as much as 70% in April, the company recently told analysts. "We will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate action promptly," Hyundai said in an emailed statement. Minimizing the impact For its part, Hyundai has taken measures to minimize the impact.

2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo First Drive Review | Can't spell funky without fun

The 2019 Hyundai Veloster is a revitalized version of a type of car many mainstream automakers are slowly giving up on entirely: the affordable sports car. Rivals like the Honda Civic Si and Volkswagen GTI spring to mind, but, generally speaking, car companies crank out more and more SUVs and crossovers while this once thriving segment dwindles in numbers. That's too bad, because it takes only a few minutes behind the wheel to realize the crossover and SUV crowd are missing out on a lot of driving fun. Styling is subjective, though we'd say Hyundai's design team did an excellent job transferring the Veloster's unique three-door design into a revitalized new shape. The 2019 Veloster is 0.8-inches longer and 0.4-inches wider than before, though the most noticeable changes include the large cascading front grille, along with a cleaner and more aggressive look at the rear. The new version looks like a cross between a sport coupe and, say, a high-end sneaker. It stands out, and that's a good thing in a world ruled by crossovers. Once again, the two doors on the passenger side add a degree of practicality compared to a traditional coupe, eliminating the need to climb over a folded front seat to gain access to the rear seats. The hidden door handle helps the third door blend neatly into the bodywork. Hyundai says rear headroom has increased by 0.6 inches, though it gets snug back there for anyone close to 6 feet in height. Skip the optional sunroof, since it takes up a few precious millimeters that could be better used for the craniums of rear occupants. Cargo space measures in at 19.9 cubic feet with the folding 60/40-split rear seatback in place. Like the exterior, the cabin gets a thorough redo for the 2019 model year. The overall control layout is logical and getting accustomed to the touchscreen infotainment is quick and painless. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are standard, a major plus point for tech-savvy car buyers in this segment. Some cabin plastics are hard and look cheap, especially the panels on the upper half of the doors, exactly where you'd rest an arm with the windows down during a sunny summer drive. But it's the dynamic bits that make the biggest contribution. Rather than removing sport-tuned (i.e. more expensive parts) from the car to keep the price low, the Veloster receives mechanical upgrades that help sharpen the handling and provide a more connected feel to the road.

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo: April 2013

Learning To Love Understand You
I will admit, I haven't had the nicest things to say about our long-term 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo since its arrival in our fleet earlier this year. I can't exactly say that I've bonded with our turbocharged Hyundai, despite the fact that I've driven it quite a bit since its arrival in the Autoblog Garage. Several of my friends will no doubt recall me saying things like, "I love everything about this car - except driving it," which is a shame, since the driving aspect is what's supposed to make this car so special. I'm a big fan of the base Veloster, and this one has the extra power bump that the naturally aspirated could really benefit from. So what gives?
Recently, I took a trip to the south of France, where I drove the brand-new Ford Fiesta ST along the lovely roads of the Alps. I adored that car - it's everything a hot hatch should be, and it's priced right, too. But when I came home and picked up the Veloster Turbo at the airport, I found myself disappointed. The Ford I drove in Europe was similar to the Hyundai in terms of size, function, equipment and price, but it was far better to drive. To be fair, that car wasn't even out to benchmark when the Veloster Turbo debuted, but my already sour feelings only got worse at that moment.