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Hyundai, Kia looking to cut costs

Hyundai and Kia are off to roaring starts in the United States this year, underscored by Kia's best sales month ever in May. But globally the situation for the South Korean siblings hasn't been nearly so positive. Recently, they reported their fourth consecutive quarter of decreasing operating profits worldwide, and now they're "making efforts to cut costs," according to a statement in a joint email obtained by Bloomberg. However, the companies aren't detailing where they would make the cuts or how much they want to save. The amount could be significant, though. An unnamed Hyundai senior executive reportedly told a South Korean newspaper that the business might be aiming for up to 30 percent in reductions. According to Bloomberg, Hyundai and Kia are facing falling total sales worldwide. Making the situation worse is that the strong Korean won versus the weaker Japanese yen gives competitors an advantage. The automakers also angered investors enough last year to prompt a stock buyback after paying $10 billion for the land for a future headquarters. The prognosis doesn't look utterly dire, though, and new products are on the way. For example, the Hyundai Santa Fe is being refreshed in South Korea, and the next-gen Elantra debuts at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show. There's also the Creta on the way for foreign markets. Additionally, several models are still awaiting the green light, including a Hyundai Genesis-based luxury crossover, a compact CUV, and the Santa Cruz unibody pickup. Meanwhile, the Kia GT is reportedly close to production, too. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell logs moon-worthy mileage, Kolle makes Renault Kangoo ZE pickup

A French company called Kolle has made a pickup truck version of the Renault Kangoo ZE. The converted version of the electric van retains the same battery and drivetrain, offering a range of 106 miles, plus a bit more utility without the restraints of a roof over the cargo area. The tailgate is separated into two hinged doors, which swing open to the side for loading and unloading. Payload is about 1,433 pounds. The price is about $16,400, which includes incentives, but not the price of the battery. Read more at Inside EVs, and get more details at the Kolle website. Drivers in southern California have put enough cumulative miles on the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell to reach the moon. The hydrogen-powered crossover recently surpassed a combined 238,900 miles, which is the average distance from Earth to the moon. Mileage and other helpful information is gathered from participating owners periodically. "Surpassing this fundamental stellar threshold gives us a glimpse into the unlimited zero-emissions potential for Hyundai fuel cells," says Hyundai's Mike O'Brien. "If a small fleet of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles can accumulate this kind of mileage in just a few short months, one can only imagine the potential for a zero-emissions hydrogen vehicle future." Read more in the press release below. A cross-country trip in a pickup running on chicken fat is scheduled for March 8. Cliff Ricketts, an agribusiness and agriscience professor at Tennessee State University, originally began the trip in November, running on biodiesel made from chicken fat. The 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit pickup's transmission broke near Kansas City, cutting short the trip between Key West, Florida and Seattle, Washington. With the truck repaired, he hopes to make the 3,550-mile trip next month. During his earlier attempt, though, Ricketts logged fuel economy ranging from 36 to more than 45 miles per gallon. Read more at Domestic Fuel. HYUNDAI TUCSON FUEL CELL DRIVERS FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACCUMULATE SUFFICIENT MILEAGE TO REACH THE MOON EMISSIONS-FREE Cumulative Zero-emissions Mileage by Fuel Cell Drivers Surpasses 238,900 Miles FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., February 25, 2015 – Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell drivers have surpassed an impressive threshold, recently accumulating more than 238,900 miles on the roads of Southern California, all while emitting only clean water vapor.

New autonomous testing ground in Michigan will help battle bad weather

If one of the big weaknesses of autonomous vehicles is their ability to navigate in the snow, consider this a trial by fire. The American Center for Mobility says it has opened its $110 million driverless car testing facility on the site of a former General Motors assembly plant in Michigan, with Toyota and auto supplier Visteon the first to begin testing this week. The ACM proving ground is a 500-acre site at historic Willow Run in Ypsilanti Township, near Ann Arbor. It's one of 10 sites designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as pilot proving ground sites to test AV technologies. It features a variety of simulated environments to test driverless cars, including a 2.5-mile highway loop, two double overpasses, intersections, roundabouts and a 700-foot curved tunnel. It also opens just as the region experiences a series of snowstorms and the first frigid temperatures of the season. That ability to test autonomous vehicles in a wide variety of weather conditions is important, as autonomous vehicle sensors have struggled to handle cold, wet and snowy conditions. Google parent Alphabet in October said its Waymo division was expanding its winter testing operations to Michigan, making it the sixth state where it's testing its driverless car systems. In a Medium blog post, Waymo CEO John Krafcik wrote that "This type of testing will give us the opportunity to assess the way our sensors perform in wet, cold conditions. And it will also build on the advanced driving skills we've developed over the last eight years by teaching our cars how to handle things like skidding on icy, unplowed roads." Waymo also opened a development center in suburban Detroit in 2016, working with Fiat Chrysler to integrate its autonomous technology into Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans. Visteon began testing and validating its DriveCore autonomous driving platform to evaluate algorithms, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology and other systems. Toyota used the facility Wednesday to begin orientation and driver training. ACM has so far secured $110 million to construct the first two phases from founders Ford, Hyundai America Technical Center, Toyota and Visteon, and says it expects to announce more investment soon.