2006 Hyundai Sonata Lx Sedan 4-door 3.3l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai and Gurnade build a mildly wild Veloster Turbo

Update: We received some work-in-progress photos from Gurnade, Inc. of the Veloster Turbo, which can be seen in the gallery above. Hyundai revealed the third custom machine that will grace its display at the SEMA Show this year. It's a Veloster Turbo that Hyundai describes as "race-ready," and was built in collaboration with Gurnade, Inc., a design company that does graphic and website design and automotive renders. As far as making it race-ready, Hyundai and Gurnade gave this Veloster a new intercooler, downpipe, cold-air intake and ECU tune courtesy of 845 Motorsports. It also received a new catback exhaust and blow-off valve. The chassis has been reinforced with a variety of braces from Pierce Motorsports, and NEO Motorsports contributed the coilover suspension and bigger brakes with six-piston calipers. SEMA cars need show as well as go, so the companies added 19-inch Rotiform wheels, massive fender flares, a custom grille, a carbon-fiber hood and hatch and, of course, spoilers. All of which are covered in a PPG paint called "Magic Magenta." Inside, the Veloster Turbo features racing seats and a roll cage. The interior also received some less-than-race-ready modifications including an upgraded audio system complete with subwoofer and amplifier. While this is by no means an unimpressive car, this Veloster Turbo will unfortunately have to share the stage with some truly wild creations. These include a beefed-up, off-road Santa Fe, and the absolutely insane 1,040-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive Santa Fe built by Bisimoto. However, the Veloster Turbo gives a more realistic look at what people can create with a new Hyundai, thanks to its off-the-shelf parts. Related Video: Featured Gallery Gurnade Hyundai Veloster Turbo: SEMA 2016 Related Gallery Hyundai Gurnade Veloster Turbo Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Aftermarket SEMA Show Hyundai Hatchback Performance hyundai veloster turbo veloster turbo

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:

Why BMWs are cheaper than Hyundais in Korea

Bloomberg reports shifting tariff regulations have upended the traditional automotive pecking order in Korea. Thanks to cheaper import taxes, foreign brands have seen market share jump from 28 percent to 41 percent over the last two years. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have all capitalized on the shift, with domestics like Hyundai and Kia suffering at the hands of their German rivals.
Taxes on European imports have fallen from 8 percent in 2011 to just 3.2 percent today. Over the next few years, tariffs will all but be eliminated for most imports, and taxes on US-made vehicles are expected to fall to just 4 percent in 2014. By 2016, that number will be zero. Needless to say, Hyundai and Kia are concerned about the shift.
Hyundai has seen profit fall by 15 percent last quarter, and the company says it is on pace to see the slowest sales growth since 2007. The company's shares have fallen by 12 percent. In order to stem the losses, Hyundai has discounted its midsize sedans and started working on diesel engine options.