2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Driving the Chevy Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Carrera T | Autoblog Podcast #551

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Green Editor John Snyder and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. We talk about the wide variety of the cars we've been driving, starting with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Carrera T. Then we discuss the more powerful 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata, our long-term Honda Ridgeline and our week with the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV. Finally with Pebble Beach on our minds, we preview the Concours d'Elegance.Autoblog Podcast #551 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 2019 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera T 2019 Mazda Miata 2018 Honda Ridgeline 2018 Hyundai Ionic Plug-In Hybrid Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

China sticking to its guns on EVs for the future

Automakers are obviously free to develop whatever next-gen, zero-emissions tech that they want. However, if a company wants to get on the good side of the Chinese government, that strategy better include some plug-in vehicles. The authorities there are lending major support to plug-ins at the moment, and its forcing the auto industry to play along. According to Bloomberg, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and BMW are all launching dedicated EV brands with their joint venture partners, and as many as 40 electric models could hit the Chinese market this year alone. However, analysts don't think the vehicles are going to sell well. Instead, the launches are essentially a way for companies to play nice with the government and help get the approval to build factories in the country. Take Toyota as an example. The company is pushing the future of hydrogen hard with promotional films for the Mirai and engineers talking down fast-charging EVs. Still, the Japanese automaker is getting ready to launch two EV brands in China with its joint venture partners, according to Bloomberg. China's push for alternative fuels has been happening for a while, but it really kicked into high gear last year. The government has set a goal to improve fleet-wide economy by 40 percent by the end of the decade in order to spend less importing oil and for the population's health. The plan has shown some success so far with hybrid and EV sales growing early in 2015. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Kin Cheung / AP Photo Government/Legal Green BMW Hyundai Toyota Volkswagen Green Culture Technology Electric tax incentives chinese government

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.