2002 Hyundai Elantra 4dr Sdn Gls At on 2040-cars

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2019 Hyundai Kona Electric gets 250-mile range rating in the U.S.

Let's get the most salient details out of the way: The Hyundai Kona Electric will show up in California in the fourth quarter of 2018, and other "ZEV-focused states" will soon follow. We'd expect to see the Kona EV in dealerships along the East and West Coasts and in New England in early 2019. It'll have an estimated range of 250 miles from its 64 kWh lithium ion battery pack. Its electric motor sends 201 horsepower and 291 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. Other markets get a lower-cost, entry-level model with less power and range, but the U.S. will only get this lone range-topping version. View 15 Photos Those specs put the U.S. Kona EV squarely into the thick of the burgeoning electric vehicle market, where it will compete with cars like the Chevy Bolt EV (238-mile range) and Tesla Model 3 (up to 220-mile range). The Nissan Leaf has a much lower 151-mile range. The Kona EV can be fully charged at Level 2 in in a little less than 10 hours. DC fast charging capability is standard on the Kona, and it can go from zero to an 80 percent charge in less than an hour. Cargo capacity stands at 19.2 cubic-feet, which is identical to the gas-powered Kona. The EV also benefits from a standard multi-link rear suspension setup in place of the standard gas-powered, front-wheel-drive model's low-tech torsion beam system. Normal, Eco, and Sport drive modes alter the steering feel and powertrain programming to either emphasize acceleration and performance or maximize range. Hyundai didn't make sweeping changes to the look of the standard Kona in its conversion into an electric vehicle. The helmet-shaped grille of the standard car gives way to a more aerodynamically efficient design with lightly debossed slashes and dashes. The door covering the charging port is also housed in the grille. Split lighting units remain front and rear, and thick plastic cladding lends a utilitarian look to the lifted hatchback profile. It doesn't scream 'electric vehicle' like the Toyota Prius or Hyundai's own Ionic, but differs sufficiently from the gas-powered Kona to make it easy to spot on the road. The rest of the Kona EV package is well-sorted for daily driving duties. A full suite of active and passive safety systems come standard as part of the Hyundai Smart Sense package, including forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, blind-spot warning, and lane-keeping assist.

Honda readying Veloster-rivaling concept for Beijing?

Maybe the rumors of the CR-Z's death have been exaggerated. Honda has just released the first teaser of a new concept that it plans to debut at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April. It shows off a sporty looking coupe that looks like the child of a CR-Z and Hyundai Veloster. However, the concept looks to be for the Chinese market, as it's a joint proposal with one of its domestic partners there, Guangqi Honda Automobile.
Unfortunately, we don't have any other details about the concept yet - not even a name. The teaser also doesn't give a very good indication of the car's size. It appears to be roughly the size of a small coupe, and if Honda hadn't already tried the idea with the CR-Z, you could almost see it as a modern CRX, but it could be a little bit larger, too.
In addition to the coupe concept at the Beijing show, Dongfeng Honda will premiere the concept for the next Spirior, which is the foreign version of the Accord. Guangqi Honda will also bring a mid-size SUV and the third-generation Fit. Acura will also be there and will have both the NSX Concept and a model of its powertrain. Scroll down for the full release about everything Honda will show in China.

Hyundai analyzes 12 trends that will shape the world of 2030

Hyundai announced this year the start of Project Ioniq, its attempt at figuring out what the world of 2030 will be like. Of course the project would also use that information to determine how that world will affect the transportation industry. And it happens to share its name with the company's newest eco-friendly model. The first part of Project Ioniq is under way with the Ioniq Lab. This lab will be run by Dr. Soon Jong Lee, a professor at Seoul National University. Lee is also in charge of the Korea Future Design and Research Institute, and ten researchers and ten consultant experts will assist him on the project. Phase one has now yielded what Hyundai sees as 12 "megatrends" that will affect how the world changes and develops in 2030. This will in turn affect what people are looking for as far as transportation and mobility, and may inform what technologies and segments Hyundai invests in the future. The 12 megatrends are as follows: Hyper-connected Society Hyper-aging Society Eco-ism Multi-Layered Mash-up Context-awareness-based Individualization High Concept Society Decentralization of Power Anxiety and Chaos Sharing Society Co-evolution Mega-urbanization Neo-frontierism The team has detailed descriptions of each megatrend, and they are interesting, but we'll try to sum up all twelve of them for you here. If you want to check out all the details, be sure to check out the press release at this link. Overall, we're looking at a world where there are many more old people, and a large majority of the population will live in urban areas. Not everyone will live in urban areas, and some people may have new living opportunities because of advancements in aerospace and aquatic engineering. It will be a much more diverse world as well that we will be even more connected with, sharing information more and more. This will make understanding what people share and how they do so vital. Society will also start sharing everything much more, something akin to Uber and ZipCar today, but expanded. Companies will be looking to combine technologies and collaborate more to be involved in a wider array of businesses. The environment as well as cyber crimes and terrorism will remain ever-present issues. We will also see the development of significantly more capable robots and artificial intelligence.