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Hyundai Fined $17.35 Million For Delayed Recall

Hyundai has agreed to pay a $17.35 million fine for delayed reporting of a brake defect affecting Genesis luxury cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday. The defect involves corrosion in critical brake system components that can reduce braking effectiveness and increase the risk of a crash, NHTSA said. Hyundai was aware in 2012 that brake fluids used in the model year 2009-2012 Genesis cars did not sufficiently inhibit corrosion in key components of the vehicle's brake system, the agency said. But rather than issue a recall, Hyundai instructed dealers to change the brake fluid in affected vehicles without explaining the consequences that failure to take that action might have, NHTSA said. Hyundai also did not inform Genesis owners of the potential safety consequences, the agency said. Hyundai recalled 27,500 of the cars in October 2012 just hours before the government opened an investigation. "Hyundai failed to act to protect their customers and others that were harmed in an accident, and must change the way they deal with all safety related defects," David Friedman, head of the safety administration, said in a statement. About 70 percent of the affected Genesis cars have been repaired so far, the safety administration said. Hyundai is committed to ensuring immediate action in response to potential safety concerns, including the prompt reporting of safety defects, said Jim Trainor, a senior group manager for Hyundai Motor America. "In order to mitigate a situation like this in the future, Hyundai is instituting new organizational and process improvements, and enhancing the ability of its U.S. leadership team to readily respond to regulatory reporting requirements," he said in an email. In May, the safety administration slapped General Motors with a record $35 million fine Friday for taking more than a decade to disclose an ignition-switch defect in millions of cars that has been linked to at least 13 deaths. Earlier this year, after a four-year criminal investigation, the Justice Department made Toyota pay $1.2 billion for concealing unintended acceleration problems from NHTSA. No individuals were charged with a crime. Related Gallery Safest Crossovers For The Budget-Conscious Family View 10 Photos Recalls Genesis Hyundai NHTSA brakes

2019 Hyundai Veloster | Overdue overhaul, and this just in: N

Hard to believe the Hyundai Veloster is only now coming into its second generation after eight years on the market. Our surprise is likely due to the fact that the Veloster, like the ancient American Alligator mississippiensis, lives mostly out of the way and hasn't changed much in its time here. Hyundai planners worked up a restrained evolution for the 2019 Veloster that takes place mostly in the cabin and under the skin in the standard and middle models. The 2019 Veloster's dimensions grow by fractions: Length grows by 0.8 of an inch, width by 0.4, front overhang by 0.8. Height holds steady at 55.1 inches, but rear headroom gets a few hairs' improvement, increasing by 0.6 of an inch. The three-door wears a new face, that wider, hexagonal grille — and especially that hood shutline connecting the headlights — reminding us of the Ford Focus, a competitor. Elsewhere, details work to make the most of massaged sheetmetal, like the rear of the hood and the A-pillar squeezed rearward "to create a long hood profile," and the liftgate handle moved from the rear hatch sheetmetal to the backlight. Two engines suit up for duty, a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder in the base model, with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. That's a bonus of 15 hp and 12 lb-ft over the naturally-aspirated 1.6-liter in the current Veloster and Veloster Value Edition. The next trim rung gets the 1.6-liter turbocharged GDI engine, with no increase in output at 201 hp and 195 lb-ft. View 11 Photos The 2.0-liter comes in either standard or Premium trims. The entry-level gets a choice of either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission, the Premium only comes with the automatic. The Turbo comes in three flavors, R-Spec, Turbo, and the new Turbo Ultimate. The R-Spec gets the six-speed manual, Turbo comes with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, Turbo Ultimate buyers get their choice of manual or DCT. Moments before the reveal of the Veloster at the Detroit Auto Show, photos leaked of a Veloster N performance version. We've read rumors that the truly hot Veloster N could get anywhere from 250 hp to the same 271 hp as in the i30 N; our guess is that Hyundai wants to leave plenty of room in the middle for revolution at the top of the range. The interior benefits from an overdue overhaul sprinkling available goodies like a full-featured heads-up display, an eight-inch infotainment screen, wireless charging, and Infinity audio.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vs Big Three-Row Crossovers | Spec comparison

The three-row 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is here, entering an ever-growing segment of big crossovers that Jeep has ignored since the Commander of the late 2000s. Of course, the Dodge Durango has basically been a three-row version of the current Grand Cherokee with Dodge styling and a different interior, so it's not like The Corporate Entity Formerly Known as Chrysler has been without a contender in the segment. Jeep is a stronger brand than Dodge, however, and the three-row midsize segment is stronger than those with two rows (there's a vast sales difference between the Chevrolet Traverse and Blazer, as well as the Honda Pilot and Passport). In other words, the Grand Cherokee L could be a very big deal. It is also, quite literally, a very big deal. As you're about to see, it is now the largest three-row crossover, besting the length, wheelbase and height of even the gargantuan Traverse. There's more to the story than that, however, so we put together the below comparison chart to show you how the new Grand Cherokee L lines up on paper versus the biggest three-row crossovers. That includes the 2021 Ford Explorer, 2021 Kia Telluride, 2021 Hyundai Palisade and 2022 Chevrolet Traverse. This group also represents some of the strongest entries in the segment as well as those we feel are most likely to be considered alongside the big Jeep. To that end, we also included the 2021 Lincoln Aviator in the chart since its base price is actually less than what we anticipate the luxurious, range-topping Grand Cherokee L Overland and Summit trim levels to start.  Engines and drivetrains Note the differences in curb weight here. The Grand Cherokee L has the highest base curb weight of the group apart from the high-lux Aviator, yet its 3.6-liter V6 has the least amount of power and torque. Therefore, it'll be surprising if it's not the slowest in the group. There's of course the Hemi V8 available on the top Overland and Summit trim levels, but again, a hefty curb weight works against it. At 5,330 pounds, the lightest V8-powered JGCL weighs 600 pounds more than V6-power Explorer Platinum and ST models. On the other hand, nothing can touch the Hemi Jeep's towing capacity, and only the 400-hp Aviator betters the Jeep's base V6. Its 6,200-pound towing capacity greatly outdoes the 5,000-pound limits of not only the Telluride, Palisade and Traverse, but most others in the segment as well.