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Hyundai sets land speed record with fuel-cell Tuscon

The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell certainly isn't a hydrogen-powered speed demon like the Buckeye Bullet, but the South Korean company's H2-fueled crossover is fast enough to hold its own land speed record. How many SUVs can claim that? Not too many, but that's because there simply aren't many hydrogen-powered vehicles around, let alone SUVs. Hyundai recently took a 2016 Tucson Fuel Cell to the Soggy Dry Lake Bed in California, and the efficient model claimed a new land speed record for a production hydrogen-powered SUV. Set to the always stirring Ride of the Valkyries, the automaker's video shows the Tucson whispering through the desert while leaving only a cloud of dust and drips of water behind. Rather than spoiling it, you need to watch the clip to find out just how fast the fuel cell-powered Tuscon can go. The Tucson uses its fuel cell stack to power to spin the front wheels with an electric motor that makes 134 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. They are currently available to lease in Southern California, and the company delivered about 70 of them in the first year.

Hyundai teases updated Equus before Big Apple debut

The digital ink has yet to dry on some of our Geneva Motor Show coverage, and we're already shifting gears getting ready for the New York Auto Show. To help get us in the New York state of mind, Hyundai has released this shadowy image hinting at the refreshed 2014 Equus that it will be unveiling at the end of the month at NYC's Javits Center.
While we can't make out any major changes in this single image, Hyundai promises at least 30 updates to its flagship sedan including improvements to styling, cabin materials and ride and handling as well as advancements in advanced safety features and "driver technology displays." If we had to guess, the latter sounds like it might be something along the lines of a digital, reconfigurable gauge cluster. The only major difference we can actually see in this image are the new multi-spoke wheels, but we're sure Hyundai will be dropping some more hints before the official introduction on March 27.

Why Kia doesn't need a premium brand

Hyundai's creation of the Genesis luxury brand means it and fellow Korean brand Kia have finally hit the mainstream in the U.S. – as far as products are concerned – after nearly three decades of trying. Which is about as long as it took Toyota and Nissan to roll out Lexus and Infiniti, respectively. It's history repeating itself. Genesis is supposed to be the way Hyundai's premium models get the respect they deserve, without carrying the baggage of a name associated with frugality. Hyundai has, in fact, built up a reputation over the last decade or so for cars that compete head-on with class leaders, rather than aim to be 90 percent as good for 75 percent of the price. And because Kia shares a number of components with Hyundai, its vehicles have also steadily become not only better mainstream vehicles, but have continued to aim higher than their price points. Does Kia need to follow now in its parent's steps with a prestige brand to market its most expensive models? I'm aware of the Kia K900, the company's deepest foray into luxury territory notably occupied by Lexus. Kia, however, has consistently been pushing this $60,000 full-size luxury sedan along with $0 down, low monthly payment lease deals. Turns out there really aren't many people looking for a full-size Kia luxury sedan. Or maybe they're just waiting to get it for $20,000 in a couple of years. Consider the K900 and Genesis when I convince you Kia already makes upscale cars to rival those with premium badges. They just don't happen to be its most expensive model. Shortly after Hyundai's announcement it would spin its luxury models off into the Genesis brand, I spent a few days with a 2016 Kia Sorento SXL. And I'm willing to call it a more convincing attempt to get people out of luxury cars than the K900. Driving the Sorento is not an emotional experience. You feel parental driving it, thinking you might've forgotten to pick your kids up until you remember you don't actually have kids. But after settling into the nicely stitched and perforated leather seats, you respect its comfort, quiet and amenities. The headliner is soft, the stitching on the dash top is convincingly real and everyone is impressed by the sharp graphics on the touchscreen and the slick powered shade that reveals an expansive glass roof. A Kia Sorento costing more than $46,000 sounds absurd until you wonder how much better an Acura MDX or Lexus RX350 is when those cost as much as $10,000 more.