2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Is it time for the car-based trucks to return?

Back in 1957 Ford began producing the Ranchero. In 1959 the El Camino made its debut. In time, other manufacturers would execute their own version of the "Car Truck" anomaly. Dodge, Subaru, and Volkswagen would all join in the category before eventually ceasing production for the United States. Although production ran longer overseas, including Australia, where the "utes" were very well received, in the United States the last ute offering, the Subaru Baja, would cease production in 2006. The manufacturer offerings were very diverse. Powerplants ranged from 4 to 8 cylinders. The number of driving wheels were also diverse. Some were 2 wheel drive, others 4 wheel drive. Even more differentiation could be found in how the manufacturers decided to pursue the utility portion of their vehicle by providing either a unibody architecture for improved mileage, or a solid chassis for extra load bearing capacity and better towing ratings. Here's a brief (not comprehensive) production history of ute history in the United States... Chevy El Camino/ GMC Caballero: 1959-1960 then 1964-987 Dodge Rampage/ Plymouth Scamp: 1982-1984 Ford Ranchero: 1957-1979 Subaru Brat: 1978-1987 Subaru Baja: 2003-2006 Volkswagen Rabbit Sportruck: 1978-1984 That brings us to 2017. Trucks are huge sellers for manufacturers. However, miles per gallon ratings are huge concerns for those same manufacturers. So, automakers are looking to increase the efficiencies of their products to make them more palatable to the increasingly green conscience buying public. Enter a ute revival. A reborn unibody ute would meet that need as it would have the mileage numbers more closely tied to a car than a truck. It seems that I'm not the only one thinking this way. Hyundai has identified the emptiness of this car truck niche, looked at its own portfolio, and recognized the lack of pickup trucks. Fixing that emptiness is one of their concerns. So, they have viewed the active traditional pickup market, while also watching the unibody Ridgeline sales over in the Honda camp and determined that the niche needs to be filled with their own twist. They are rumored to have green lighted the 2019 Hyundai Santa Cruz for sales beginning in 2018. Hyundai's twist however, is that their vehicle would be based on a crossover chassis, possibly the Tucson. Remember, this is a rumor. So, it could change to a red light from the manufacturer or just as easily change to a Genesis chassis overnight.

Watch Hyundai's rorty i30 N blast snow around

With less than a year to go before Hyundai reveals its first N-branded car, the company has released a new video giving us a peek at the car's snowy drifting chops. Despite the fact that this i30 N is clearly front-wheel drive (with a limited-slip differential, the company says), we're sure it was easier to slide the hot Hyundai around thanks to the inclusion of a traditional, manual handbrake. The video also shows that the i30 N will be offered with a true manual transmission, and it will have quite a raucous exhaust. It's a note that a number of editors here find rather unpleasant, but the office isn't in consensus on the topic. The body looks like it may be a bit restrained, since there aren't any large wings or splitters, but there could be a very aggressive-looking grille lurking beneath the camo. Hyundai also narrowed down the release window to the second half of this year. It seems the launch will start in Europe, but we expect the car will come here early next year as well, especially considering the availability of the standard i30 here as the Elantra GT. Related Video:

2014 Hyundai Veloster Re:Flex brings the bling

Despite launching in late 2011, Hyundai has managed to keep its funky Veloster hatchback relatively fresh in our minds, with the Turbo and R-Spec, several special edition models and even a cloth-roofed concept. Here at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show, we're seeing the next iteration of Veloster creativity, the limited-edition Re:Flex.
The Veloster Re:Flex isn't a hugely different car from the standard hatchback, and the theme of this car is chrome, chrome, chrome. Hyundai has added 18-inch chrome-finished wheels, chrome door handles and chrome hood accents (yep). There's also the usual Re:Flex badging on the actual hatch itself. Inside, the Re:Flex gets full leather seating, in either black or red, and the car can be purchased in a new Ice Pearl color, in addition to Century White, Vitamin C (orange), Ultra Black and Boston Red.
Hyundai is only offering the Re:Flex edition on the base Veloster, powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine. All Re:Flex models are fitted with the company's six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (sorry, manual fans).