2014 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0t on 2040-cars

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Porsche, Hyundai and GM impress in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, Fiat and Jeep don't

Consumers continue to struggle with the advanced user interfaces and technologies being fitted to new cars, according to the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study. Overall, the industry average for problems per 100 vehicles climbed three percent, to 116 issues reported in the first 90 days of ownership.
Vehicles from the General Motors' family were dominant, with Buick, Chevrolet and GMC capturing more individual IQS segment awards than any other manufacturer. Despite its well-publicized issues, six GM vehicles (Buick Encore, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevy Silverado HD, Chevy Suburban, GMC Terrain and GMC Yukon) were given IQS awards for their respective segments.
Hyundai was ranked the best overall mass-market brand, with just 94 issues in every 100 vehicles reported in the first 90 days. Parent Hyundai Motor Company, meanwhile, trailed GM with five vehicles winning their segments, including the Hyundai Accent, Elantra and Genesis, as well as the Kia Cadenza and Sportage.

Porsche, Hyundai invest in WayRay augmented reality for road and track

A number of incipient future technologies such as solid state batteries, Level 5 autonomy, and augmented reality simply await the breakthrough moments that will enable mass-market scalability. The last one of those took another step closer to its breakthrough with news of Porsche leading an $80 million Series C investment round for six-year-old Switzerland-based AR startup WayRay. The German carmaker was joined in the augmented reality play by Hyundai, JVCKENWOOD, China Merchants Capital, a group of sovereign wealth funds, and Alibaba Group, a previous investor. Porsche tied up with WayRay earlier this year on an AR project during Startup Autobahn, a European initiative devoted to automotive innovation. Sounds like the cooperation proved fruitful, with Porsche saying, "Their innovative ideas and products have great potential. We are convinced that on this basis we'll be able to offer our clients customized Porsche solutions," and putting its money where its windshield is. Blue chips have apparently backed the company because its AR solution is better than others out there, being smaller than competitor units, adaptable to any make and model, and usable over a much wider field of view, easing the strain on a driver's eyes. Hyundai said it wants to use the technology in its cars, and for applications beyond vehicles like an entire AR ecosystem incorporating smart buildings and smart cities. On the mundane safety side, the AR system could highlight crosswalks, warning signs, parking spots, construction zones, and provide more precise navigation directions all within the driver's natural line-of-sight. Porsche, unsurprisingly, is thinking about the performance aspects and widening the suite of digital services it can offer to customers. A short video and a series of graphics showed how a potential WayRay system could enhance the driving experience, especially on track. The Porsche driver not only gets an image of the ideal driving line laid down ahead of him, he could get prompts for braking and turning, a "ghost" car acting as rabbit to show him where he gains and loses time, lap times, track position, and more. As much as this kind of feature makes sense for the Porsche brand and the new Cayman GT4 owner working to hook up his personal best at his local track, WayRay's possibilities seem like an even better boon for hypercar buyers.

2019 Hyundai Ioniq gets new safety, infotainment tech

The Hyundai Ioniq lineup of electrified vehicles is being updated for 2019 with new safety technologies, more voice-recognition features and standard remote charge management for electric and plug-in hybrid models. Models equipped with navigation capabilities will get an enhanced, natural-language, server-based voice-recognition with a new point-of-interest search database that can suss out locations of charging stations. Driver attention alert and high-beam assist are new available features, along with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, which is standard for the SEL trim along with lane-keep assist and adaptive cruise control. Hyundai says it's working with ChargePoint, which operates more than 32,000 electric-vehicle charging stations, to provide Ioniq owners with access cards and the ability to locate charging stations through the MyHyundai/Blue Link mobile app. Ioniq Electric and PHEV models come with Blue Link-, Google- or Alexa-enabled capability to manage and monitor charging schedules remotely to help take advantage of lower electricity prices during off-peak hours. Hyundai sells the Ioniq in Hybrid, Electric and Plug-In Hybrid variants. The Hybrid boasts an estimated 58 mpg rating from its 1.6-liter direct-injected engine, 32-kilowatt electric motor and 1.56 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. The Electric boasts a 136 MPGe rating and 124-mile driving range from its 28.0 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery, while the Plug-In Hybrid uses a 1.6-liter direct-injected Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, a 44.5 kW electric motor and 8.9 kWh battery to offer 29 miles in electric-only driving range. Hyundai sold 11,197 Ioniq models in 2017, though it didn't start selling the sedans until late in the first quarter. The 2019 models arrive in dealerships this summer, though pricing hasn't yet been announced. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Hyundai Ioniq Image Credit: Hyundai Green Hyundai Infotainment Hatchback Electric Hybrid PHEV safety features hyundai ioniq hyundai ioniq electric hyundai ioniq plug-in