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Hyundai partners with tech startup Smartcar to expand mobility apps

A new technology partnership between Hyundai and a Silicon Valley startup will expand the automaker's connected-car service offerings on its 2018 model-year vehicles, making it possible for owners to do everything from getting their car washed and detailed to fueling up, all without having to actually be there for it. Hyundai announced the partnership with technology startup Smartcar (not to be confused with the automaker) at the L.A. Auto Show to launch its Blue Link All-Access program. The platform aims to give Hyundai owners access to a broad array of new third-party connected-car applications, similar to how users download apps for mobile devices, by giving Smartcar access to its API. That means the automaker can offer new services more quickly, since it won't have to do a separate new integration for every new connected-car service, said Manish Mehrotra, Hyundai Motor America's director of digital business planning and connected operations. "We will develop Blue Link not as standalone system, but as an open platform that can seamlessly integrate the best ideas from inside and outside the company," Mehrotra said. App developers will work with Smartcar, based in Mountain View, Calif., as the single point of integration. Hyundai's Blue Link platform already had allowed owners to do things like sync addresses from their phones to their in-vehicle navigation systems via voice command, start and warm up the car remotely, and locate the vehicle when the driver forgets where he parked it. The new service will be offered on every 2018 model-year Hyundai free of charge for the first three years of ownership. Hyundai also announced a new pilot program in Southern California with an Orange County startup called Washos, which offers mobile car washing and detailing. Other time-saving existing or future applications include being able to get your dry cleaning or groceries delivered to your car while at work. Because the future is going to be BUSY. As further evidence of what he called "our deepening relationships with the technology community," Mehrotra also discussed the recent launch of Cradle, Hyundai's new venture-capital arm.

Hyundai Ioniq model lineup shown ahead of Geneva debut

Hyundai released information on all three versions of the Ioniq ahead of their debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week. We've already taken a close look at the Toyota Prius-fighting hybrid model but now we have new information on the electric and plug-in hybrid variants. While the two hybrid models are nearly identical, the battery-electric Ioniq has an enclosed nose for better aerodynamics. The plug-in comes with an upgraded electric motor making 60 hp, compared to 43 in the hybrid. It uses the same 1.6-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder, but Hyundai has to yet to divulge if the total system power in the plug-in is higher than the 139 horsepower figure for the hybrid. Using an 8.9 kWh battery, the plug-in is said to offer 31 miles of electric range. The larger, heavier Ford Fusion Energi plug-in uses as 7.6 kWh battery and is rated at 20 miles of electric range. On a loose estimate we'd guess the Ioniq plug-in will be rated around 25 miles of electric driving. As for the electric Ioniq, Hyundai is only giving us the numbers: 28 kWh battery, 118 horsepower, 103-mph top speed. Range is a quoted 155 miles, but again we're not sure what cycle that's on. The 110-hp, 30 kWh Nissan leaf manages 107 miles on the EPA sticker, so we expect similar (possibly lower) numbers from the Hyundai. We still don't know when any version of the Ioniq will go on sale in the United States, but with confirmation that the related Kia Niro is still 11 months away we don't expect the Hyundai to be in showrooms before the end of the year. View 7 Photos Green Geneva Motor Show Hyundai Electric Hybrid hyundai ioniq

Hyundai's zombie obsession is just good business

In case you somehow missed it, Hyundai has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with The Walking Dead, the critically acclaimed zombie apocalypse show that entertains the masses while they're waiting for the next season of Game of Thrones. Fans of the show will recognize Rick, Michonne, Carol, Maggie and Glenn's mint green Hyundai Tucson, a staple vehicle for the crew of survivors, but the relationship between manufacturer and show goes far beyond that. There's a whole line of Zombie Survival Machines, as well as a special-edition production model (shown above). Heck, even Hyundai's post-LA Auto Show party featured actors staggering about as startlingly realistic walkers (TWD's name for zombies).
So what is it about the dead that quickens the pulse of Hyundai's marketing department? Ward's Auto has a great interview with Steve Shannon, the brand's US vice president of marketing. In it, Shannon describes the sudden nature of the tie-in between the show and the automaker, while describing how the company's corporate overlords in South Korea saw the results of the deal. It's an interesting insight into automotive product placement, as well as Hyundai's marketing philosophy and plans for the future (spoiler alert: the Tucson, which has had a role in the show for several seasons, was seemingly abandoned at the end of season four).
Head over to Ward's and have a look.