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Hyundai/Kia's Prius rival to arrive by 2017

The Toyota Prius is the undisputed king of the hybrid market, but Hyundai and Kia are hoping to challenge its reign in the coming years with their own dedicated model. However, in all likelihood this is the same technology being shared between them. "We will take the lead in the future by raising the competitiveness of our environment-friendly cars like hybrid-only cars, plug-in hybrid cars and fuel cell hydrogen cars," Hyundai Motor CEO Kim Choong-ho said to Reuters, during the launch of another vehicle in South Korea.
While Kim didn't say when the model would be ready, Autocar in Europe spoke to people at Kia, who said that the company's own hybrid was two years away and codenamed the DE. The initial vehicle is reportedly a five-door hatchback that's about 169-inches long, with more conventional styling than the Prius. Its powertrain is reportedly based around a 1.6-liter engine with electric assist. A plug-in version might follow later, and other bodystyles on the platform are possible. A recently spotted test mule might show the current state of development on the project (pictured above).
According to Reuters, the decision for the new vehicle comes in order to meet tighter emissions in some markets. However, it seems like a challenging move for the US market. Hyundai already sells its Tucson fuel cell in limited quantities and the Sonata hybrid, and Kia has the Optima hybrid and Soul EV. Industry analysts are also predicting that hybrids might have a hard time versus internal combustion engines in the coming years. In addition, Toyota is rumored to get fuel economy close to 60 miles per gallon for some versions of the next Prius. All of these factors make selling the models here a potentially difficult undertaking.

The 2017 Hyundai Ioniq fuel economy numbers are official, and impressive

Thanks to the EPA's handy fuel economy reference site, fueleconomy.gov, we now know exactly how the three versions of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq did in fuel economy testing. The EPA tested all three versions: the hybrid Ioniq, the plug-in hybrid Ioniq Blue, and the self-explanatory Ioniq Electric. For reference, the 2017 Toyota Prius is no slouch, getting 50 mpg highway, 54 in the city, and 52 combined according to EPA testing. Now let's compare to the Ioniq, which in regular form gets 54 highway, 55 city, and 55 combined. It bests the traditional hybrid Prius most significantly on the highway. The plug-in Blue achieved 59 highway, 57 city, for a combined 58 mpg rating. As we mentioned in our earlier deep dive on the Ioniq range, the plug-in will also do 31 miles on electricity alone. As suspected, the range of the Ioniq Electric is going to be an issue for the company. The EPA confirmed the range to be 124 miles in total, returning an MPGe rating of 122 highway, 150 city, and 136 combined. We know that Hyundai is self-conscious of the range of the initial model, which looks unimpressive compared to the crop of 200-plus-mile range EVs coming to market soon, like the Bolt. Hyundai recently told Automotive News that a 200-mile range version will be coming quickly, by 2018, so the Electric won't be hobbled for too long. As long as we're comparing it to the Bolt, it should be noted that the MPGe numbers are better, even if the total range isn't. The Bolt is only good for 110 highway, 128 city, and 119 combined MPGe – to put it another way, the Ioniq Electric consumes 25 kWh per 100 miles, while the Bolt consumes 28. A small difference, to be sure, but worth noting. Don't forget that there's a fourth Ioniq out there, which we rode in recently, although it's notably mainly for its autonomous tech rather than its drivetrain. Related Video: Tip: Ramsy Shuffield Green Hyundai Fuel Efficiency Hatchback Electric Hybrid

2021 Hyundai Elantra vs. compact sedans | How they compare on paper

Despite the rising popularity of crossovers, the sedan market remains packed and fiercely competitive. It looks like it will stay that way with the introduction of the strikingly redesigned 2021 Hyundai Elantra. And since Hyundai was kind enough to provide plenty of specifications on the new car, we figured we ought to see how it stacks up to some of the latest and greatest small sedans on the market. For this comparison we picked the two best-sellers, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, one of the other recently redesigned sedans, the Nissan Sentra, and a perennial enthusiast favorite, the Mazda3. Below you'll find a chart with all the raw numbers for your perusal. Following that will be our usual break down and analysis of the numbers and any other noteworthy features not included in the chart. Performance and Fuel Economy While the design and chassis are all-new on the Elantra, the base powertrain isn't. It uses a version of the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder shared throughout the Hyundai and Kia line-ups, and it's again paired with a CVT. With 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, it's the second least powerful entry for conventionally-powered sedans, only ahead of the sluggish 1.8-liter base engine in the Toyota Corolla. For those looking for a peppy small sedan, the Mazda3's naturally aspirated 2.5-liter has the most power and torque, even ahead of the turbocharged Honda Civic's 174 ponies. On the other hand, the Elantra, which Hyundai says will have better fuel economy than the outgoing model, should get at least 36 mpg combined, and probably better, making it the most efficient non-hybrid of this group. For the best blend of power and efficiency, the Civic is likely the way to go, as its turbo engine can return 36 mpg combined in lower trims. If you want a manual transmission in this body shape, only the Civic and Corolla offer it. A manual transmission is available on the Mazda3 hatchback, and the turbo Civic can also be had with a manual in hatchback or Si forms. A new powertrain for the Elantra is the hybrid. It's unique compared to other hybrids in that it's coupled to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, rather than an electronically controlled CVT (which is not the same thing as a CVT) or something too complicated to describe in this sentence (the Honda Insight).