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Hyundai i30 N, so probably Veloster N, to get dual-clutch transmission

Hyundai's N Performance division broke out of the starting gate with the i30 N in Australia, fitted exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. Our first taste of a South Korean blue wonder will be the Veloster N launching later this year, and it also comes with that single gearbox. Hyundai executives told Australian site Car Advice an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is on the way, but that it won't join the party until late 2019. That means we could see it in the Veloster around then or a little later, and it might portend future developments for the go-fast lineup. The in-house unit will be all-new, not a rework of the seven-speed EcoShift dual-clutch in the Veloster Turbo. It isn't clear whether the seven-speeder can handle the 279 pound-feet of torque in the top-spec N cars when on overboost. According to N Peformance boss Albert Biermann, the new eight-speed, wet-clutch, paddle-shifted gearbox has already been tested in the Kia Sorento diesel, which has 325 lb-ft of torque, and the 380-horsepower RN30 concept car. Ultimately, it will serve vehicles across Hyundai and Kia ranges. Although late introduction of a dual-clutch has been the plan all along, a Hyundai exec admitted "sales limitations" in offering a manual exclusively. Every prime rival offers dual-clutch transmissions. But Hyundai believed that it needed to appeal to the Euro hot-hatch purists first, and we can't blame it. The long delay between launch and DCT availability does raise questions and possibilities, though. Every N model unveiled so far sends all power to the front wheels because, according to Biermann, "Without a high amount of power there is no need to go to all-wheel drive." The introduction of the beefier eight-speed DCT that's ready to deal with at least 380 hp and 325 lb-ft could open up the way to even more powerful N versions and all-wheel drive, which has the potential to create real parity with segment rivals. Car Advice also reported that Hyundai Australia will cover track use in the five-year warranty on the i30 N. We'll wait to see if that line-item makes it to the U.S., but after the dual-clutch woes suffered by competitors like the Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS, such reassurance could go a long way with buyers. Eventually. Related Video:

11 Hyundai Genesis deliver a message to space

Hyundai is channeling a little of the style from 2001: A Space Odyssey in a heartwarming video about a young girl named Stephanie trying to get a very big message to her dad. Since he is an astronaut who orbits Earth in the International Space Station, her father isn't exactly an easy guy to get a hold of. Hyundai came to her aid with a cadre of 11 Genesis sedans driving in precise formation across a dry lakebed. In the end, the stunt also netted the automaker a Guinness World Record for the largest tire track image. It covered about 2.15 square miles and was visible to Stephanie's dad in orbit. Check out the video to see Stephanie's message and watch some precision driving from a group of Hyundais set to some classical music. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Guinness World Records, HyundaiWorldwide via YouTube Auto News Marketing/Advertising Weird Car News Hyundai Videos Sedan guiness book of world records guiness world record

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.