2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo on 2040-cars

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Hyundai spotted testing Prius-style hybrid

The Toyota Prius has become an automotive icon – maybe less so among actual automotive enthusiasts than with the public at large – to the extent that most anyone on the street would recognize its five-door hatchback form and immediately identify it as a hybrid. Little wonder that Honda tried to emulate it with the second-gen Insight, but while that didn't work out so well for Honda, it looks like Hyundai is preparing to go down the same road with a dedicated hybrid of its own. Our paparazzi on the ground in the Arctic Circle have spotted this protoytpe and tell us what we're looking at is a new Prius-fighter from the Korean automaker. Snapped up high on a transporter truck, you can see the orange high-voltage cables underneath and a label with the letters AE HEV – the latter standing, of course, for Hybrid Electric Vehicle. We wouldn't be surprised if the AE stood for Advanced Experimental or Alternative Energy or something of the sort. Tipped to be based on the same platform as the next-generation Elantra, the new Hyundai hybrid is said to pack a 1.6-liter inline-four working in parallel with an electric motor juiced by a lithium-ion battery pack. It's expected to begin production in the second half of 2016, with a plug-in and possibly other variants to follow a year to a year and a half after its initial launch.

Autoblog Podcast #391

Episode #391 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Mike Harley and Brandon Turkus talk about the appointment of Kumar Galhotra to run Lincoln, changes coming for Scion, the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and which cars won't live into 2015. We also take a quick detour to talk about the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge prototype, which Mike Harley just came back from driving. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #391: Topics: 2015 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Prototype New boss at Lincoln Scion xB, iQ ending soon Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Cars that won't live to 2015 In the Autoblog Garage: McLaren 650S Hyundai Genesis Hosts: Dan Roth, Michael Harley, Brandon Turkus Runtime: 01:42:06 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge - 30:05 Kumar Galhotra to Lincoln - 34:32 Scion Changes - 43:58 Dodge Charger Hellcat - 54:25 Discontinued Cars - 01:06:24 Q&A - 01:22:59 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Podcasts Dodge Hyundai Infiniti Lincoln McLaren Scion Supercars mclaren 650s

2016 Hyundai Tucson starts at $23,595, rated up to 33 mpg

The latest generation of the Hyundai Tucson had its all-new hexagonal face revealed at the 2015 Geneva Motor show earlier this year. But we're finally getting a much better idea of what the North America version of the crossover offers. The 2016 model arrives at Hyundai dealers in July with a base price of $23,595, after the $895 charge for all trims. That's a jump from the current post-destination MSRP of $22,525, but customers get more modern styling and a new powertrain option with the update. In addition to its handsome new styling, the 2016 Tucson grows slightly in length and width for greater cargo space inside. The base SE trim carries over the previous 2.0-liter four-cylinder, six-speed automatic, and front-wheel drive combo with 164 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy jumps slightly to 23 miles per gallon city, 31 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined – up from the 2015's 23/29/25. However, the real gains start showing up with the Eco, Sport and Limited trims. Those models share a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox to replace the previous 2.4-liter four and six-speed auto. The boosted engine is rated at 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque, which is 7 less ponies but 18 lb-ft more torque than the outgoing mill. In the Eco trim starting at $25,045, the powertrain is rated at 26/33/29 with front-wheel drive. Sport goes for $27,045 and Limited for $30,795, but the turbo engine is rated at 25/30/27 in those latter two guises. All-wheel drive adds $1,400 to any version and knocks one or two mpg from the combined fuel economy figures. Beyond the powertrain improvement, Tucsons are available with an alphabet soup of safety systems to let drivers feel more secure. Inside, a five-inch touchscreen infotainment display is standard and comes with a rearview camera. An optional eight-inch system with navigation is also optional. ALL-NEW 2016 HYUNDAI TUCSON STARTS AT $22,700 Well-Equipped Tucson Features Sporty Styling, Outstanding Efficiency and Leading Safety Technologies FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., July 14, 2015 – Hyundai's all-new 2016 Tucson compact crossover offers an unmatched combination of a modern design, enhanced driving dynamics, increased utility and the latest in safety and entertainment technologies, all with a starting price of $22,700.