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Guess which brand's not on a top 10 list of best EVs (hint: it's Tesla)

Few surprises lurk in Autotrader’s list of its 10 best electric vehicles of 2023, but there is one that stands out: no Teslas. There's Hyundais and Kias, Porsches and Fords, a BMW and a Nissan. But Â… no Teslas. Although many of us admit to being over-Musked and tired of reading about him, the lack of a Tesla model on a selection of the 10 most desirable current EVs is conspicuous by its absence. Asked about this particular omission, we received this rather vague response from Autotrader spokesperson Brenna Buehler at Cox Automotive: “Tesla models were included in consideration but didnÂ’t get sufficiently high scores by the Editorial team to qualify for the top 10.” At least some Tesla offerings appeared to meet all the requirements set by the website. The manufacturers must offer 2023 model year vehicles, and they have to be sold in at least 15 states. Check. Only pure EVs were allowed on the list; there are no hybrids, plug-in hybrids or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Check. The base manufacturer's suggested retail price must be less than $100,000. Check. Let the debates begin. Moving on, it should be noted that two Genesis models, a G80 sedan and GV 60 SUV, are listed, along with a Lucid Air midsize sedan, the Rivian R1T pickup, and the Porsche Taycan. Here is the full list, with the remarks and comments from Autotrader's raters. (And we've included links to Autoblog's own reviews for a deeper dive). The EVs are listed in alphabetical order by brand, so don't read anything into the order of presentation: 2023 BMW i4 BMW reboots its EV approach and comes up with a winner: Whatever you thought of BMW's first run at EV, the i3, it was missing a certain something – it didn't look or perform like a BMW. The 2023 BMW i4 corrects course with a Gran Coupe that our editors agree looks and drives like a BMW. 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Ford's electric pickup gathers steam in its second year: The F-150 Lightning somehow synthesized decades of pickup truck knowledge with the latest and greatest EV technology and infused thoughtful details and user-friendly features. 2023 Genesis Electrified G80South Korea's luxury brand shows how to elevate the executive EV sedan without breaking the bank: Genesis, Hyundai's luxury offshoot, rethought the gasoline-powered luxury sedan, the G80, and developed the 2023 Genesis Electrified G80. Precisely as the name hints, the Electrified G80 replaces the G80's engine with an all-wheel-drive EV powertrain.

First Hyundai N car coming to US in 2018, and we think we know what it is

SEOUL, South Korea - At the worldwide debut for the all-new Hyundai Kona compact crossover in South Korea, a group of journalists was given a sneak peek at Hyundai's new N performance car division. The group, led by Albert Biermann, has been tasked with giving Hyundai a performance image beyond the occasional car like the Genesis coupe or Veloster Turbo. Its first project, the i30 N, is nearly complete. Unfortunately, it's not coming to the US, though we will be getting our very own N car sometime next year. Now, Biermann and Hyundai will not say what that car is, but all signs point to the Veloster. Hyundai won't comment on future products, but we saw at least three distinct versions of the Veloster testing at Namyang during our visit. There was a standard model with center-mounted trapezoidal exhaust tips. There was a turbo-badged model with two round center-mounted exhaust tips. Finally, we saw what is surely the N model. This had a hidden N badge in the grille (in the same place as the i30 Ns that we saw) and exhaust tips that were pushed to the corners of the bumper. We weren't allowed to take photos of anything, but the new Veloster has the same basic asymmetric shape as before, as seen in some spy photos. The interior looks to be similar to the i30, with a floating infotainment display and a clean and simple layout. Unfortunately, most of the exterior was still covered in camouflage. Despite the parade of cars, there was nothing on the exterior that we haven't seen in spy photos. Other details are scarce, but look for the turbo model to retain the 1.6-liter turbocharged inline four, good for at least 200 horsepower. That should give the N model plenty of breathing room. We believe it will get the same engine as the i30 N, meaning a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making at least 250 horsepower, possibly more. While we didn't get a chance to drive the i30 N, the cars made all the right noises when blasting about. According to Biermann, it was the sound of tuned Hondas and Kias blasting about Hyundai's R&D facility that really kicked things off with N. Engineers were buying other cars since there wasn't much on offer. Hyundai wanted to give people cars they could track and tune and be just as fast as the competition. We have high hopes for both the Veloster N and the N division as a whole. Biermann was formerly the vice president of engineering for BMW's M division and was in charge of the development of the M3, M4, and M6.

EPA says it will more closely monitor fuel economy claims from automakers

The unintended acceleration brouhaha at Toyota led to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration tightening the vise on recall procedures. Likewise, the fuel economy kerfuffle that blew up with Hyundai and Kia's admission of overstated fuel mileage claims could lead to the Environmental Protection Agency policing automaker assertions by performing more audits.
At least, that's what a senior engineer with the government agency said while in Michigan giving a talk, according to a report in Automotive News. What that actually means, however, is still in question. Just ten to 15 percent of new vehicles - something like 150 to 200 cars per year - are rested by the EPA to verify automaker numbers. The EPA's own tests include a "fudge factor" to adjust lab mileage for real-world mileage, and the agency still relies on automakers to submit data for tests that it doesn't have the facilities to perform. How much more auditing can the EPA really expect to do, or perhaps a more relevant question would be how much more accurate could the EPA's audits become?
The price of gasoline, the psychological importance of 40 miles per gallon to a frugal car buyer, an automaker wanting to further justify the price premium of a hybrid, all of these things contribute to fuel economy numbers that insist on creeping upward. Perhaps the senior engineer encapsulated the whole situation best when he said, "Everybody wants a label that tells you exactly what you're going to get, but obviously that's not possible. A good general rule of thumb is that real-world fuel economy is about 20 percent lower than the lab numbers." If the lesson isn't exactly 'buyer beware,' it's at least 'buyer be wary.'