2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Premium Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Heads up: Hyundai mostly reveals the Kona crossover

Hyundai is set to reveal its new Kona crossover to take on other funky compacts like the Kia Soul, Nissan Juke, and Toyota C-HR. But before it fully reveals the car, the company has mostly revealed the car in the form of new images and a teaser trailer. The photos show us both three-quarter shots from the front and the back, and the car is surprisingly well-lit. These photos give us our best look yet at the mean-looking split headlights of the Kona, as well as its iteration of Hyundai's corporate grille and upper scoop. The aggressive front end is matched by bulging fenders, thick black fender flares, and a deep, sculpted character line running down the side of the car. It looks like the Kona will also have a trendy contrasting roof, too. The aggressive front and sides come to a somewhat underwhelming conclusion at the back. The rear hatch looks like fairly generic Hyundai. But it does appear to be bolstered by some chunky-looking rear reflectors that house the reverse lamps. Those reflectors also appear to be surrounded by the same black material the fender flares are made of. The rear bumper, which is one of the few things that isn't visible, will likely also look fairly tough and rugged. The teaser trailer shown below doesn't reveal quite as much of the Kona, but it does highlight a feature of which Hyundai is rather proud: the heads-up display. It's the first heads-up display used on a Hyundai product, and it uses a pop-up panel onto which information is displayed. It works pretty much like the displays used by Mazda and Mini. So it isn't anything particularly remarkable, but the availability of a heads-up display is always nice, and the color projection does look attractive. Look for more details and the full reveal of the Kona later this summer.

Hyundai and Kia introduce new predictive transmission tech

Hyundai and Kia have announced that the two have developed a new transmission control system that optimizes shift logic to both improve efficiency and reduce "gear hunting." The system utilizes real-time traffic data, built-in 3D navigation and the same sensors that feed the cars' advanced safety and driver assist tech to proactively choose the right gear — even neutral in some cases — to reduce both fuel consumption and wear-and-tear. The Korean sister brands call it the "Information Communication Technology Connected Shift System," or "ICT" for short, and Hyundai says it delivers not just improved frugality, but a better all-around driving experience. ICT programming allows the transmission control unit to collect and interpret traffic, camera, sensor, navigation route, elevation and topographical data.  "Using all of these inputs, the TCU predicts the optimal shift scenario for real-time driving situations through an artificial intelligence algorithm and shifts the gears accordingly," the announcement said. "For example, when a relatively long slow down is expected and radar detects no speed irregularities with the car ahead, the transmission clutch temporarily switches to neutral mode to improve fuel efficiency." While this sounds like a primarily green play, there are quality-of-life improvements too. For example, ICT can also optimize gear selection and shift points for safer highway merges, effectively implementing the equivalent of a "Sport Mode" driving profile when a little extra punch is called for.  Hyundai says the resulting decrease in shifts was significant; in some test scenarios, such as roads with lots of curves, the number of shifts executed by the transmission was reduced by almost half. As an added bonus, these vehicles also utilized their brakes less often (11%), which would reduce wear (and accompanying maintenance costs) over time.  ICT is somewhat future-proof, too, as it was developed to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) data should such networks improve down the line.  The announcement did not say when the new tech would reach customers, committing only to introducing the technology "on future vehicles." If we're betting, the smart money says it will probably on a new Genesis model and trickle down from there. Related Video:

VW ID.4, the new Buick Envision and crossing Hyundai's N Line | Autoblog Podcast #668

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd. It's a review-packed episode this week, but it kicks off with a discussion of Volvo's plans to electrify by 2030 and move their EV sales online. From there, they get into Greg's time with VW's game-changing new ID.4 electric crossover. Byron then talks about his time with two very different new vehicles: the 2021 Buick Envision luxury crossover and the 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line, which may or may not be a sport sedan. Finally, they tackle a fascinatingly complex twitter question: What is the best 'economy' muscle car? Autoblog Podcast #668 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News Volvo introduces 2022 C40 Recharge crossover, announces all EV sales will be online-only What we're driving 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 2021 Buick Envision  2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line Reader question What is the best 'economy' muscle car?  Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video: Auto News Green Podcasts Buick Hyundai Volkswagen Volvo Green Automakers Electric Future Vehicles Sedan