2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai cranks the Tucson to 700 hp for SEMA

The annual SEMA Show doesn't kick off in Las Vegas until Nov. 3, but Hyundai is getting an early start by teasing another collaboration with the talented tuners at Bisimoto Engineering. Following up on their high-performance takes on the Sonata, Genesis Coupe, and Elantra GT of past years, the attention turns to the Tucson. Now that the crossover packs over 700 horsepower, Bisimoto prefers to describe it as a "Brute Ute." To crank that much power out of a Tucson, the tuners perform quite a long list of modifications to Hyundai's 2.4-liter Theta-II four-cylinder. Among them, the mill gets strengthened internal parts, a new cam, high-boost turbo, and updated management system. Bisimoto then routes the grunt through a six-speed manual gearbox. The tuners match the massive power with an appropriately wild look. Up front, the normal grille is gone, and now all that's visible is a massive intercooler. The blue Tucson also hunkers low over 19-inch wheels thanks to a custom air suspension, and bigger brakes should help slow things down at high speed. The interior also gets outfitted with an upgraded stereo, and there's now a roll cage in there, too. While only being shown currently in the sketch above, we expect to get all the angles at SEMA in November. Bisimoto Engineering's First CUV is the Most-Powerful Tucson Ever FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 21 2015 –Hyundai has revealed the most-powerful 2016 Tucson ever created, built by the powertrain gurus at Bisimoto Engineering for 2015 SEMA. Partnering for a fourth straight year, Bisimoto's "Brute Ute" will be revealed at Hyundai's SEMA press conference on November 3 at 11:30 a.m. PT, in Las Vegas. Utilizing Hyundai's 2.4-liter "Theta-II" power plant as the starting point for the build, similar to last year's 2015 Sonata, Bisimoto mated strengthened internals with fast-burning flex-fuel, a high-boost turbocharger and an upgraded engine management system to put down more than 700 horsepower to the wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission. This rendition of the 2016 Tucson was built with the ultimate vision of packing world-beating performance and technology into a brand-new, unexpected vehicle platform. "The 2016 Tucson was the perfect platform for this year's build, offering me the opportunity to captivate a wider audience by tapping into the growing popularity of the CUV market," said Bisi Ezerioha, owner and chief engineer, Bisimoto Engineering.

Hyundai Ioniq launches in Korea before challenging Prius in US [w/video]

Enough with the teasers already: Hyundai has officially launched its first dedicated electrified vehicle. The Korean automaker is naturally rolling out the all-new model in its domestic market before sending it our way. But when it does arrive, it will offer a choice of three powertrains with decreasing levels of reliance on fossil fuels. Hyundai isn't saying how far or how fast the Ioniq hybrid will travel, but it will travel on electric mode at up to 75 miles per hour. Deriving its name from an amalgamation of "ion" and "unique," the new Ioniq bears a shape largely dictated by aerodynamic requirements, helping the Ioniq achieve a drag coefficient of just 0.24, and lending it a similar appearance to the Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius, and Honda Insight. Unlike those vehicles, Hyundai will offer a fully electric version of the Ioniq at some point in the future. For the time being, the manufacturer has only detailed the hybrid version. The powertrain is built around a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder Kappa engine rated at 104 horsepower and 108 pound-feet of torque. It's paired to an electric motor that's good for another 43 hp, giving the system a combined output of 139 hp and as much as 195 lb-ft, transmitting power through a new six-speed dual-clutch transmission with a lithium-ion polymer battery pack, hidden under the flat-folding rear seat to maximize passenger and cargo space, supplying the electric motor. Though the focus here is clearly on efficiency, Hyundai says it has also designed the Ioniq to behave in a sportier fashion than its rivals. Hyundai isn't saying how far or how fast the Ioniq hybrid will travel, but has disclosed that it will travel on electric mode at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour. To further its range, the automaker fitted an efficient HVAC system, mounted low-rolling resistance tires, and developed a system that predicts energy requirements based on the programmed route and on traffic patterns to optimize charging and required level of gas engine assistance. It also made the vehicle as light as possible, using high-strength steel for the structure and aluminum for non-structural panels. Even the cargo cover is 25 percent lighter than a conventional one, and the construction uses a variety of renewable and recycled materials like (sugar cane and soybean oil) that are both environmentally friendly and lighter.

Hyundai and Kia to update EV brake lights; our tests show how they currently may not come on

Update: This article has been updated to reflect Kia's own service campaign announcement.  Hyundai will be launching a "field service campaign to update the EV brake light logic" on its Ioniq 5 as well as the Genesis GV60, Electrified GV70 and Electrified GV80. According to Hyundai's director of communications, Michael Stewart, the change will be make to new production vehicles and as part of free-of-charge service campaign that will launch in July for approximately 56,000 vehicles already on the road.  "Regardless of the accelerator pedal input, the brake lights will now turn on when the deceleration rate exceeds approximately 0.13 G," Stewart wrote in an e-mail to Autoblog. Since this article was originally published, Kia has announced it will be performing the same update to its EV6 and Niro EV. Kia is also part of the Hyundai Group. This change would seem to be in keeping with the behavior we have experienced in the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the firm's most recently introduced EV. We go into that behavior lower in this article.  This announcement comes in the wake of owner complaints as well as a test by Consumer Reports that found that most Hyundai, Genesis and Kia electric vehicles can come to a stop without their brake lights illuminating. This occurred when using those vehicles' most aggressive "i-Pedal" function that allows for so-called "one-pedal driving" where the driver can mostly rely upon the car's regenerative braking system (which is used to replenish the battery pack) to stop the car.  We tested this for ourselves this week as we are currently testing a Genesis Electrified GV70, and I personally own a 2023 Kia Niro EV Wave. I almost exclusively drive in i-Pedal mode. News Editor Joel Stocksdale tested the Hyundai Ioniq 6 in Michigan, and again, we will address his findings after the Genesis and Kia as they are completely different. I attached an action camera to the rear of each car and conducted the same test in both: Accelerate to 40 mph and come to a stop without touching the brake and, crucially, without lifting my foot fully off the throttle. The result as you can see below with the Niro is that the brake lights do not come on until around 3 mph when I fully lifted off the throttle and bring the car to a full stop. I could not bring the car to a full stop without fully lifting off the throttle.