2012 Hyundai Veloster on 2040-cars

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Hyundai and Kia announce $3.1-billion investment in US facilities

Update: A US spokesperson for Hyundai had no further information, but called the reports about the automaker's investments accurate. Hyundai and Kia announced this morning a plan to invest $3.1 billion into its US facilities over the next five years. According to Automotive News, the new investment is a 50-percent increase over what Korea's two largest automakers have brought to the US in the last five years. The automakers already have several large-scale manufacturing bases in the US, but the new investment could bring another plant into the fold. There is the possibility of producing a Genesis product in the US or building a new plant for a US-specific crossover. The announcement is the latest US investment plan as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office Friday. Trump has singled out automakers for not building cars in the United States, and Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler all announced plans to invest in the US since the beginning of January. Skeptics say these moves would have to be years in the making, though Trump has been quick to take credit for them. Not all of the new money will go toward building new plants. Hyundai and Kia could simply expand the already busy plants in Montgomery, AL, and West Point, GA. Beyond that. The automakers could further their research into electric and autonomous vehicles. Like many other automakers, the two Korean giants have backed down from planned expansions into Mexican manufacturing. Although many automakers currently build or were planning to build new vehicles in Mexico, threats of importation fees appear to be causing caused automakers to refocus some of their efforts toward US production. With all this new investment in the US, Kia and Hyundai said there will be no jobs moved to Mexico. Meanwhile, this morning GM announced plans to bring truck axle manufacturing back from Mexico. As with all of the recent announcements, Hyundai and Kia stated that Trump's upcoming presidency played no part in the decision to reinvest in the US. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Plants/Manufacturing Genesis Hyundai Kia Mexico Trump jobs investment

2018 Hyundai Kona Drivers' Notes Review | Trying to stand out in a crowd

The 2018 Hyundai Kona is the Korean automaker's smallest crossover, slotting below both the Tucson and Santa Fe. We've driven the Kona a few times now, both in turbocharged and naturally-aspirated forms. You can check out the video review below with Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. We may come off mixed on the styling, but, from the engine to the infotainment system, everyone on staff seems to have found something they like. Our test car this week is a top-shelf Kona Ultimate with all-wheel drive. The car we drove was a 2018 model, though things have changed slightly for 2019. The Ultimate comes with LED lighting, keyless entry with push-button start, heated front seats, a heads-up display, wireless charging, an upgraded stereo and more. Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder — I found the Kona in the parking lot, hopped in, synced my phone, and headed out in a bit of a daze. I immediately started to relax driving the Kona, though. It was easy to drive and easy to use, if a bit more of an appliance than a thing of fancy. The lane-keep assist worked surprisingly well, and did so without being intrusive. I popped up the little mechanical head-up display and, even though my mirrors and windows offered a good sense of what was around me, I liked being able to keep my eyes forward and know when a car was in either of my blind spots. It wasn't until I got home and my large son (an absolute unit, that lad) pulled me outside to show him the Kona. He was taken by it, and, eventually, so was I. It looks great in this sort of electric blue, and the exterior accents make it look somewhat sporty (even if Sport mode does little to actually make it feel that way). The rear view is better than the face, though, I'll admit. I'm glad I didn't have to give the little man a ride, though. That rear seat is tiny, and my boy's big car seat and long legs wouldn't have been a great fit. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale — I'm quite a fan of the Hyundai Kona. I love its funky aggressive styling, even after it's been on the market for a while. And I quite like the way it drives, with either engine. A big part of this is that it's a sprightly little handler. The steering is quick, well-weighted and precise, and the car turns in quickly and confidently. It also doesn't feel as top-heavy as the Ford EcoSport. The handling doesn't come at the cost of ride quality, either.

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo: Introduction

The Hyundai Veloster is indeed an automotive oddball, and that's part of the reason why we're so drawn to it. Even in base form, the Veloster is a cleverly packaged little wonder that's bursting with personality, and with the added grunt and visual aggression of the Turbo model, there's a lot to talk about.
Despite not really fitting into any one specific vehicle segment (unless you dump it into the all-too-vague "compact" class), the Veloster Turbo looks really good on paper, to say nothing of how it looks on the street. It's certainly a head-turner, and we're intrigued by the overall package of an oddly shaped three-door (or four-door?) with some forced induction motivation.
We've had a lot to say about the weird little Hyundai in the past, and we don't see the conversations about this car ending anytime soon. Thus, we've welcomed a matte gray example into the Autoblog long-term garage for one year of testing. This should definitely be interesting.