2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited on 2040-cars

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Less stressful than a taxi: We ride in Hyundai's Autonomous Ioniq Electric

The day after California told Uber to halt the testing of its driverless cars, Hyundai gave us a brief ride in an autonomous Ioniq Electric. The trip was mostly uneventful — our driver/engineer didn't hit anyone, and, unlike Uber's, Hyundai's car didn't run any red lights. You may think that's faint praise, but at the speed of advancement we take nothing for granted. More than once during our ride around a pre-mapped, all-right-turn route in Las Vegas, the Ioniq had to sort things out for itself, and the longer you ride the more you realize the scope of data we humans process without noticing. This Ioniq was identified only by its Korea-spec origins — dual charging ports for fast and regular recharge and no side marker lights — and Nevada's autonomous vehicle license plate. Tourists were completely unaware that it was driving itself. The autonomous Ioniq uses one 140-degree and two 110-degree Ibeo LiDAR units in the front fascia, plus a camera array inside the cabin at the top of the windshield. A single camera is used for traffic-light detection, with stereo units for the driving assistants. According to Hyundai, the autonomous gear detects objects knee-high but also will not drive into a low-hanging tree branch. We're also told the system works in rain and snow, citing the all-conditions approval certificate from Nevada, though that center front sensor looks prime for snow packing in heavy stuff. Essentially, one processor collects all the input data and combines it to a singular view, and a second processor tells the car what to do about it. Hyundai notes that minimal system power consumption was a primary target. The cabin sports the prototype-standard large red kill switch, an extra display atop the center of the dash, and two real-time monitors hanging behind the rear seats. The dash display is there so human drivers know the car is aware of its surroundings — it shows traffic lights as red or green (yellow is not detected but it will not panic stop if it loses a green light), speed limit, vehicle speed, route, a steering wheel to denote autonomous operation, and pedestrians detected. One rear monitor shows what the traffic-light camera sees, the other what the LiDAR units are picking up, from road curbs to people, vehicles and buildings. The ride experience is drama-free if a bit on the cautious side. Braking is often moderate to heavy, more on/off than the modulation range of many human drivers, but we felt no panic braking or ABS intervention.

Hyundai refreshes the Sonata for South Korea, and later the US

Thanks to its debut in South Korea, we have an early look at the revised Hyundai Sonata that will eventually reach the US with minor adjustments. And that's not just speculation. We reached out to Jim Trainor at Hyundai, who told us, "Much of what you have seen from Korea will be seen here, but there will be differences both on the exterior and the interior along with some mechanical and option differences." That said, we don't expect major changes to this Korean model. So without further ado, let's take a look. Up front is a thoroughly revised fascia. The most noticeable change is the grille, which descends much lower in the front bumper, much like those on the Elantra sedan and Elantra GT hatchback. The top edge of the grille appears lower, and that brings the whole nose of the car lower. The hood also has a few more creases running longitudinally. The exterior varies a bit between models, with the standard model getting a grille with slats and the 2.0T getting a mesh grille. The 2.0T also gets black headlight bezels and dark chrome all around. Though Hyundai didn't provide photos of the interior, the company says it has been changed, and some of the buttons will have a more premium feel. The 2.0T also gets a few exclusive interior bits to complement its unique exterior. The seats have more bolstering, and the standard steering wheel is replaced with a flat-bottomed piece. There are some functional updates to the new Sonata as well. Most notable is the introduction of an 8-speed automatic on the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder model. In the US, the turbo Sonata is only available with a 6-speed automatic. Hyundai also touts the introduction of wireless phone charging and lane-keep assist. The big differences between this and the US version likely involve visual tweaks and the packaging of some options. There's also the question of whether the 8-speed automatic will be available, but it would be odd if it weren't offered. The Korean model goes on sale later this year, and Trainor told us the North American debut is coming soon. Related Video:

Hyundai and Kia introduce new predictive transmission tech

Hyundai and Kia have announced that the two have developed a new transmission control system that optimizes shift logic to both improve efficiency and reduce "gear hunting." The system utilizes real-time traffic data, built-in 3D navigation and the same sensors that feed the cars' advanced safety and driver assist tech to proactively choose the right gear — even neutral in some cases — to reduce both fuel consumption and wear-and-tear. The Korean sister brands call it the "Information Communication Technology Connected Shift System," or "ICT" for short, and Hyundai says it delivers not just improved frugality, but a better all-around driving experience. ICT programming allows the transmission control unit to collect and interpret traffic, camera, sensor, navigation route, elevation and topographical data.  "Using all of these inputs, the TCU predicts the optimal shift scenario for real-time driving situations through an artificial intelligence algorithm and shifts the gears accordingly," the announcement said. "For example, when a relatively long slow down is expected and radar detects no speed irregularities with the car ahead, the transmission clutch temporarily switches to neutral mode to improve fuel efficiency." While this sounds like a primarily green play, there are quality-of-life improvements too. For example, ICT can also optimize gear selection and shift points for safer highway merges, effectively implementing the equivalent of a "Sport Mode" driving profile when a little extra punch is called for.  Hyundai says the resulting decrease in shifts was significant; in some test scenarios, such as roads with lots of curves, the number of shifts executed by the transmission was reduced by almost half. As an added bonus, these vehicles also utilized their brakes less often (11%), which would reduce wear (and accompanying maintenance costs) over time.  ICT is somewhat future-proof, too, as it was developed to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) data should such networks improve down the line.  The announcement did not say when the new tech would reach customers, committing only to introducing the technology "on future vehicles." If we're betting, the smart money says it will probably on a new Genesis model and trickle down from there. Related Video: