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Vaccar Hyundai Tucson Sport to be shown at SEMA

Hyundai will display a custom concept version of its Tucson Sport developed by Vaccar at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, showing a more muscular-looking crossover that contains a full aero kit and significant additions to the powertrain, design, infotainment and suspension. The concept enhances the Sport, the third-highest of four trim options for 2017, by adding a Boostec turbocharger, AEM air intake system and charge pipe kit, a Mishimoto G-Line intercooler, new piping and exhaust, and other elements to the standard turbocharged 1.6-liter, inline-four engine. It also gets forged wheels, new tires, and Vaccar-Power Stop front and rear Z23 Evolution brakes. The exterior gets a blue and silver metallic two-tone paint treatment from BASF, an M&S mesh front grille and Vaccar front lip, side skirts and rear diffuser. Interior features include Katzkin ice grey leather, 9-inch headrest-mounted LCD screens, and an Android-powered 9-inch head unit with WiFi. "The Vaccar Tucson Sport Concept takes the Tucson far beyond its OEM roots without sacrificing reliability," said Aaron Vaccar, president of Vaccar. "By building upon the well-developed Tucson platform, powertrain and design, we've given enthusiasts a vision of just where this affordable crossover aspires to go." SEMA runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.Related Video: Featured Gallery Vaccar Hyundai Tucson Sport Concept: SEMA 2017 View 9 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com SEMA Show Hyundai Crossover Concept Cars hyundai tucson

Hyundai Santa Cruze pickup is a when, not an if

A production version Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept looks all but certain to arrive in showrooms to compete in the growing small truck field, and Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski claims the official announcement is now just a matter of scheduling. "Our timing is not crossing our fingers and waiting for approval, it's trying to figure out when we're going to announce it," he said to Motoring. According to Zuchowski, the people at Hyundai's headquarters in South Korea have a say when the announcement comes, but he didn't indicate exactly how soon the model's production could be official. Zuchowski suggested Hyundai intended to ship the truck to places outside the US, too. "I'm not clear on the other markets, but from our perspective it's a vehicle that will be exported to other markets," he said to Motoring. The Santa Cruz was one of the most popular concept debuts at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and Hyundai execs in the US quickly started working to get a green light for production from headquarters. As of late December 2015, the automaker reportedly had the engineering feasibility and business case complete for the truck, and the bosses just needed to give final approval. Hyundai would reportedly use the Tucson for the Santa Cruz's underpinnings, and the model might be the company's first with a diesel engine in the US. The production version would enter a booming market for smaller pickups like the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and newly unveiled second-generation Honda Ridgeline. However, Hyundai's entry would likely be the smallest among them and target young crossover customers who want a little more hauling capability. Related Video:

Dodge, Hyundai crowdsourced-funding sites deemed successes

What's not to love about crowdsourcing? This idea, after all, has given us Kickstarter as well Local Motors, but automakers are starting to use the social platform to sell more cars (or just drum up a little PR). Both Dodge and Hyundai have used "crowd-funding" recently, and while Automotive News is reporting that neither has racked up big sales with this gimmick, both automakers are pleased with the attention.
For Hyundai, it teamed up with website Motozuma.com to help customers crowdsource money for a down payment, and the automaker matched this amount up to $500. Last year, this helped Hyundai sell an extra 1,600 units, a fraction of its total 2012 sales. That figure is far larger than Dodge fared with the Dodge Dart Registry - it netted only two sales and a small number of individual options. This registry did help University of Southern California fraternity crowdsource $18,000 to buy a Dart for a local Meals on Wheels, however. Despite the low sales figures, Dodge and Hyundai are considering their crowdsourcing programs a success since it helped them connect with younger buyers.