2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring Wagon 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai i30 N, so probably Veloster N, to get dual-clutch transmission

Hyundai's N Performance division broke out of the starting gate with the i30 N in Australia, fitted exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission. Our first taste of a South Korean blue wonder will be the Veloster N launching later this year, and it also comes with that single gearbox. Hyundai executives told Australian site Car Advice an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission is on the way, but that it won't join the party until late 2019. That means we could see it in the Veloster around then or a little later, and it might portend future developments for the go-fast lineup. The in-house unit will be all-new, not a rework of the seven-speed EcoShift dual-clutch in the Veloster Turbo. It isn't clear whether the seven-speeder can handle the 279 pound-feet of torque in the top-spec N cars when on overboost. According to N Peformance boss Albert Biermann, the new eight-speed, wet-clutch, paddle-shifted gearbox has already been tested in the Kia Sorento diesel, which has 325 lb-ft of torque, and the 380-horsepower RN30 concept car. Ultimately, it will serve vehicles across Hyundai and Kia ranges. Although late introduction of a dual-clutch has been the plan all along, a Hyundai exec admitted "sales limitations" in offering a manual exclusively. Every prime rival offers dual-clutch transmissions. But Hyundai believed that it needed to appeal to the Euro hot-hatch purists first, and we can't blame it. The long delay between launch and DCT availability does raise questions and possibilities, though. Every N model unveiled so far sends all power to the front wheels because, according to Biermann, "Without a high amount of power there is no need to go to all-wheel drive." The introduction of the beefier eight-speed DCT that's ready to deal with at least 380 hp and 325 lb-ft could open up the way to even more powerful N versions and all-wheel drive, which has the potential to create real parity with segment rivals. Car Advice also reported that Hyundai Australia will cover track use in the five-year warranty on the i30 N. We'll wait to see if that line-item makes it to the U.S., but after the dual-clutch woes suffered by competitors like the Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS, such reassurance could go a long way with buyers. Eventually. Related Video:

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

Honda scores big in Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards [w/videos]

This year the Detroit Auto Show didn't just celebrate the automobile, it celebrated how we find out about the automobile, too. Partnering The One Club, this year introduced the 2014 One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Award to Cobo Hall, celebrating winners in five different categories of advertising: broadcast television, online, interactive, experiential, and print/outdoor. Winners in those categories were judged by 50 creative directors and journalists, while a Public Choice category was chosen from among nearly 20,000 online votes.
Honda walked off with three of the six awards, its Hands spot taking Broadcast honors, its Sound of Honda getting the Online category and Illusions winning Public Choice. Hyundai made the grade in Interactive with Driveway Decision Maker, Fiat captured Print/Outdoor with its "Letters" ad, and Toyota's Tundra Endeavor Campaign spot and BMW's A Window into the Near Future were co-winners for Experiential.
You can watch all of the press release and winning videos below or check out all of the finalists, announced last month, for a refresher.