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88,000 interested in Hyundai Tucson fuel cell, first units due in 60 days

Hyundai thinks it has a hit on its hands with the Tucson Fuel Cell CUV, an Internet hit at the very least. At the Washington Auto Show this week, Michael O'Brien, the vice president of corporate and product planning for Hyundai Motor America, announced that 88,000 people have visited the car's microsite. Since the company isn't yet taking orders for the vehicle, we'll have to take this as a sign that people are interested in a hydrogen-powered CUV. "The response surprised even us," O'Brien said. "The response surprised even us" Hyundai expects to deliver the first Tucson Fuel Cell to a "small group" of customers in the US within 60 days, O'Brien said. As we learned last year, Hyundai will lease the CUV for $499 a month (and $2,999 down) for 36 months. That price includes as much hydrogen refueling as you like, plus Hyundai's Valet Maintenance. The Tucson Fuel Cell is already in production and available in other markets (as the ix35 Fuel Cell), following 16 years of development and what O'Brien said were "hundreds of millions of dollars" spent on R&D. Hyundai has tested its fuel cell cars for over 2.4 million miles, including extreme heat, cold and altitude tests (but it hasn't shot a bullet into the tank a la Toyota). Hydrogen cars are "as clean and by some measures cleaner than today's EVs" but are more practical, with longer range and shorter refueling times, O'Brien said in DC. There's more in the press release below. Hyundai Receives Strong Consumer Interest With 88,000 Visitors To Its Dedicated Fuel Cell Microsite In Just Two Months $499 per month to drive the World's First Mass-Produced Fuel Cell Vehicle, Including Unlimited Free Hydrogen Refueling and At Your Service Valet Maintenance WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai is witnessing exceptionally strong consumer interest in its next-generation Tucson Fuel Cell CUV, with more than 88,000 unique visitors to its Hyundai.com fuel cell microsite since the program's November introduction. Consumers selected for the program can drive the Tucson Fuel Cell for just $499 per month, which includes unlimited free hydrogen refueling and "At Your Service" valet maintenance at no extra cost. For the first time, retail consumers will be able to put a federally-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in their driveways, with availability beginning in late Spring 2014 at select Southern California Hyundai dealers.

Hyundai i30 N: This is the 271-horsepower hot hatch we won't get

Hyundai has finally taken the wraps off of its very first N-badged car, the i30 N, along with many of the car's features and specs. Visually, the car has subtle changes including larger grilles in the front bumper, a front spoiler with red trim, black headlight housings, new side skirts, a larger rear wing, and a more sculpted rear bumper. The car can also be fitted with either 18- or 19-inch wheels. Inside you'll find heavily bolstered seats, blue buttons on the steering wheel for driving modes, blue stitching on the seats and trim, and aluminum pedals. Performance-wise, the i30 N should be pretty potent with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 271 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That's nearly 20 more horsepower than the Focus ST, and about 50 horsepower more than the GTI Sport. The Focus ST does have 10 more pound-feet of torque, and the GTI Sport roughly matches the twist output. The i30 N channels its power through a six-speed manual transmission and electronic limited-slip differential to the front wheels only. View 6 Photos To make the most of all this power, Hyundai bestowed an array of electronic aids. The sportier suspension features electronically adjustable shocks to improve ride or handling depending on preferences. An automatic rev matching system is included for flawless, smooth, quick downshifts. The i30 N also has a variable exhaust system for quiet cruising or loud hustling. All of the above features along with steering feel and stability control sensitivity can be adjusted by selecting one of the car's five driving modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, N, and N Custom. There's even a launch control function. Unfortunately, we won't be getting Hyundai's hot hatch here in America, despite the fact that we already have a version of the regular i30 in the form of the Elantra GT. But we know that Hyundai is working on an N version of the Veloster, and we expect that N car to make the trip Stateside. It will probably have the same engine found in the i30 N, just in a funkier body. And if it has the same engine, we wouldn't be surprised if it comes with most of the i30 N's handling upgrades and gizmos. Related Video: Hyundai Hatchback Economy Cars Performance hyundai elantra gt hyundai i30 Hyundai N

Why Toyota's fuel cell play is one big green gamble

Imagine going to the ballet on Saturday evening for an 8 pm performance. The orchestra begins warming up shortly before the show, but it turns out the star performer isn't ready at the appointed time. The orchestra keeps playing, doing its best to keep the audience engaged and, most importantly, in the building. It keeps this up until the star finally shows and is ready to dance ... which turns out to be ten years later. That's a Samuel Beckett play. It's also how many observers, analysts, alt-fuel fans and alt-fuel intenders feel about the arrival of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) – the few of them who are still in the building, that is. Toyota's hydrogen development timeline rivals that of the US space program. In fact, within the halls of Toyota alone, research on FCVs has been going on for nearly 22 years, meaning that one company's development timeline for FCVs rivals that of the US space program – it was 1945 when Werner von Braun's team began re-assembling Germany's World War II V2 rockets and figuring out how to launch them into space and it wasn't until 1969 when a man set landing gear down on that sunlit lunar quarry. The development of the atom bomb only took half as long, and that's if we go all the way back to when Leo Szilard patented the mere idea of it, in 1934. Carmakers didn't give up on hydrogen in spite of the public having given up on carmakers ever making something of it, so there was a good chance that hydrogen criers announcing the mass-market adoption of periodic chart element number two one would eventually be right. Now is that time. And Toyota, not alone in researching FCVs but arguably having done the most to keep FCVs in the news, isn't even going to be first to market. That honor will go to Hyundai, surprising just about everyone at the LA Auto Show with news of a hydrogen fuel cell Tucson going on sale in the spring. The other bit of thunder stolen: while Toyota's talking about trying to get the price of its offering down to something between $50,000 and $100,000, Hyundai is pitching its date with the future at a lease price of $499 per month ($250 more than the lease price of a conventional Tucson), free hydrogen and maintenance, and availability at Enterprise Rent-A-Car if you just want to try it out. We've seen and driven Toyota's offering and we all know its success doesn't depend on cross-shopping, showroom dealing and lease sweeteners.