2004 Hyundai Accent Base Hatchback 3-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai, Kia expanding plug-in vehicle line-up in Korea

Hyundai is shedding a bit of light on its electric vehicle plans. About time, too, since the company has spend a long period being quite vague about plugging in while touting its hydrogen plans. The Hyundai and Kia brands will both release their first plug-in hybrid vehicles next year in Korea; an all-electric version of the Kia Soul will roll out in May of this year and a mid-size electric vehicle will be launched as early as next year. Test versions of the Hyundai i10 electric vehicle have been on Korean roads since first being used at the G20 summit in Seoul in 2010. There have been hints about an electrified Hyundai coming to America, and at the Washington Auto Show last week, Michael O'Brien, vice president of corporate and product planning for Hyundai Motor America told AutoblogGreen that a new EV will be coming to the US market sometime within the next three years. A Hyundai executive told Korean national daily The Chosunilbo that the company will be significantly increasing its investment in hybrids and EVs to roll out a few eco-friendly models starting in 2015. It's hard to say which of these might come to the US market – a new LF Sonata will be coming out in both a regular gasoline and hybrid system in Korea; the US already has the Sonata Hybrid for sale. As for plug-in hybrids, Hyundai said that there will be both Sonata and Kia K5 (Optima) models coming out next year. These will also be the first-ever plug-in hybrids in the Korean market. Featured Gallery 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid View 13 Photos News Source: The Chosunilbo Green Hyundai Kia Electric Hybrid Hydrogen Cars PHEV

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

Ioniq Unlimited is Hyundai's way to get Millennials to subscribe to a car

Let's state at the outset that a lot of the questions you're going to have about the new Ioniq Unlimited vehicle subscription program from Hyundai will not be answered in this post. This isn't because we didn't ask - we did - but because Hyundai is holding on to those details until some time after the service starts, which will be some time after the first of the year. If we had to guess, we'll get the information we seek at CES in early January. But, hey, we're getting ahead of ourselves. What is Ioniq Unlimited, anyway? It's a subscription service for the all-electric version of the Ioniq. Available only in California (during the pilot program, anyway), Ioniq Unlimited is an Internet-based way to get yourself a 2017 Ionic Electric. There are no negotiations, just a single price that you pay every month. That price includes all sorts of things: registration and Doc fees, recharging fees, unlimited mileage, and scheduled maintenance. Oh, and there's no down payment. Hyundai vice president of corporate and product planning, Mike O'Brien, told AutoblogGreen that the idea here is to appeal to millennials, who like to keep their transactions simple. Sign once, pay once, be done. Hyundai is trying to, "make car ownership as easy as owning a phone," O'Brien said. Maybe that's why the subscription terms are 24 and 36 months. O'Brien would not say if people could cancel early. As for the price, all he would say is that it will be, "very competitive." Yeah, we want more information, too. Whatever they cost, the subscriptions will be good for Hyundai, too, since the cars will be treated like leased vehicles (and thus owned by Hyundai's captive leasing program) and totally counted in the company's CAFE numbers. We'll have more details, well, whenever Hyundai feels like it's time to share. For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide. Related Video: