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New Genesis G80 costs $2,650 more than its predecessor

If you're in the market for a Hyundai Genesis, you'd best act fast. The Korean company's new luxury sub-brand, Genesis, just announced pricing for the rebadged G80, kicking the starting figure up across the board while adding a suite of desirable safety and tech features. The base model, with a 3.8-liter V6 and rear-wheel drive, starts at $41,400. All-wheel drive adds $2,500 to that figure, while both V6 models add $2,650 to the price of a Hyundai-badged Genesis sedan. Hyundai justifies the increase with a slew of now-standard equipment from the current car's discontinued Tech Package, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, high-beam assist, and adaptive cruise control. Considering the Tech Package tallied $3,500, this is a net win. You can improve your six-cylinder G80 with a pair of packages. A $4,750 Premium Package adds fog lights, a panoramic sunroof, a 14-speaker Lexicon stereo, a seven-inch color instrument display, vented front seats, and a power sunscreen for the rear window. Genesis essentially carried over the current $3,500 Ultimate Package, which now costs $4,200. It includes matte wood, full-color HUD, 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment, a 17-speaker Lexicon stereo, and a power trunk lid, along with an upgraded power driver's seat, which used to be part of the Tech Pack. If you're hankering for the V8 model – no longer listed on the Hyundai USA consumer page – you're looking at a $650 bump, from $53,850 to $54,550. There are no option packs for the V8, so all you need to do is pick a color and drive away. Not surprisingly, the G80 undercuts its rivals by a few dollars. BMW will happily sell you a base 5 Series for $51,195. Mercedes offers an E-Class, the E300, at $53,075. Audi and Lexus are slightly more down to earth – an Audi A6 is $47,125 while a base GS is $46,595. So, going with the V6 G80 against its all-four-cylinder-turbo competition will save you, on average, around $8,100. That makes the $8,950 in option packs look awfully attractive. The difference between the G80 V8 and its rivals is smaller, but still significantly stacked in Genesis' favor, mainly because only BMW still offers a V8 in this segment – it's $67,295 ($12,745 more than a base G80 V8). Pricing on the US market 2017 E-Class is only available for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged E300, while neither Lexus nor Audi sell a V8 outside their respective high-performance brands.

Recharge Wrap-up: Hydrogen Hyundais and Tesla tax breaks

The 70 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cells owned by customers in southern California have driven a cumulative 475,000 miles. "Over the past year, Hyundai's Tucson Fuel Cell owners are showing the world today that this technology represents the next generation of zero-emissions transportation," says Hyundai's Mike O'Brien. "Building momentum for fuel cell vehicles and their real-world applications, these customers are sharing their experiences of how the Tucson fits seamlessly into their daily lives." A new video from Hyundai shares the story of a year of ownership for one such customer. Dave Uselton took delivery of his Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell in June of 2014. Other drivers' experiences have been shared in video on a dedicated website. See the video above, and read more in the press release below. The first of 200 fast charging stations as part of France's Corri-Door project are now operational. The Corri-Door project aims to have all 200 charging points installed by December 2015. The universal chargers can quick charge an electric vehicle to 80 percent in just 30 minutes. The first two are now online at the Bosgouet Nord (A13) and Tardenois Nord (A4) service stations. The chargers will be installed along major motorways throughout France at intervals of about 50 miles. Read more in the press release from Renault. California may give Tesla $15 million in tax cuts in exchange for jobs. After losing out on having the state be home to the Gigafactory, Governor Jerry Brown's GO-Biz agency is proposing the tax cuts in order for Tesla to buy equipment and property and create 4,400 jobs in California. In all, GO-Biz is proposing $49.5 million in tax relief to California companies in return for 11,000 new jobs. Last year, California lost out on the Gigafactory when Nevada offered $1.3 billion in tax breaks — an amount Governor Brown said would be unfair to taxpayers. Read more from CBS Sacramento.

Hyundai RM16 N mid-engine hatchback might be real

So, remember the Hyundai RM16 Concept? The South Korean automaker showed the mid-engine concept at the Busan Motor Show earlier this year, giving the world a glimpse of the menacing and mean future of the N performance brand. While we liked the look, we also lamented that "it doesn't seem any closer to reaching production." Looking at our latest round of photos from the Nurburgring, we might have been a smidge wrong. This car looks exactly like the RM16. Same huge flared fenders, same deep front intake, same rear bumper, and same side scoops for feeding the mid-mounted, 300-horsepower, turbocharged engine. Yes, we said "mid-mounted." While it's easy to see a mid-engine concept and figure, "Meh, it's just an auto show car, the real one will be front-engine, front-drive," it certainly doesn't seem to be the case here, judging by the swollen rear aches, camouflaged rear windows, and enormous side scoops. Really, the similarities between the car shown above and Busan's RM16 is staggering. If we're seeing the production RM16, it's a huge deal. First, because mid-engine, rear-drive hatchbacks are one of the craziest and rarest automotive species - see the Renault 5 Turbo, Renault Clio V6 Renault Sport, and Lancia Delta S4 for examples. Second, and obviously, a mid-engine Hyundai would mark a dramatic departure from today's crop of all-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks, like the Volkswagen Golf R and Ford Focus RS. We're guessing Hyundai's car would enjoy both better handling and lighter weight, while asking drivers to sacrifice most of hatchback practicality. We also don't really know what to make of Hyundai's testing regime. According to our spies in Germany, Hyundai did a single lap of the Ring before heading out. Wet conditions could have called for a shortened day, but it seems odd to come out of the garage for a single lap, weather be damned. At this point, it's genuinely difficult to predict what Hyundai's up to. This car looks relatively finalized, right down to the tongue sticking out of the grille that could be a radar unit. We can't begin to predict when or where this car will debut, if at all. The Geneva Motor Show is a good bet, but that's a total shot in the dark on our part. All we know is that we would love it if this is Hyundai's first N Performance car.