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Albert Biermann, the man behind some of Hyundai's sportiest cars, retires

Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Kia and Genesis, made big news by announcing at the end of 2014 that it was bringing on Albert Biermann to its research and development division. He had spent just over 30 years at BMW and was in charge of the M division before he left. His time at Hyundai led to some of the company's best driving cars, which meet or beat the global competition. But now, the company has announced Biermann is retiring. At 65 years old, it's not entirely surprising that Biermann would be looking at retirement, and he seems to be leaving on good terms. "Korea will remain as my second home, and all of my colleagues at Hyundai Motor Group will always be considered part of my family. I would like to recognize that our success has always been based on the strong collective spirit of the many talented people at Hyundai, and I will value our unique achievements wherever I live," he said in a release from Hyundai. Fortunately, Biermann will still be an Executive Technical Advisor for the company. Specifically, he'll be advising on electrified performance cars. We say fortunately, because Biermann has been so involved in some of the company's best cars. He helped make the company's rear-drive-based cars such as the Kia Stinger and Genesis models so fun to drive. He also helped setup Hyundai's N sub-brand, and the N models are among the best sport compacts in the world. Assuming Hyundai has taken to heart many things from Biermann, and with his continued advising, the company should still be in a good position. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Hyundai Kona N Short Cut

2015 Kia K900 proves Korea's other brand has arrived

Kia entered the US market in 1993 with the Sephia, a compact economy car you probably don't (want to) remember, and two decades later it has stepped on stage at the LA Auto Show to unveil a rear-wheel-drive, fullsize luxury sedan called the K900. The achievement here isn't the car itself, its handsome styling or the incredible value it might be (pricing has yet to be announced), but rather that no one thinks it's strange for this company that once sold us the Sephia to compete head-to-head with the best luxury brands in the world. It's a testament to what 20 years of hard work can do.
No one thinks it's strange for this company that once sold us the Sephia to compete head-to-head with the best luxury brands in the world.
As for the car itself, it does indeed have handsome styling. Kia's design language wears nicely on the K900's larger frame. The large, 19-inch, multi-spoke wheels keep that big body from looking disproportionate, and the all-LED headlights give the front end a suitably high-tech appearance that's required in this class of overachievers.

Autoblog Subcompact Crossover Comparison | Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Jeep Renegade, Kia Soul

LAKE LEELANAU, Mich. — Consumers, and consequently automakers, are increasingly moving away from sedans and into crossovers as drivers seek more space and utility on roads heavily populated by larger and taller vehicles. While the various crossover segments are dominated by bigger, more expensive, family-oriented vehicles, those at the very bottom of the size and price ladder are a little different. The diverse selection of subcompact crossovers are targeting an equally diverse selection of buyers who need something sized to fit into their urban and suburban driving lives — not to mention their budgets. Some sort of active, outdoorsy lifestyle is almost always intended. Enough of these small crossovers have popped up that we thought it high time to pick some popular competitors — the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Jeep Renegade and Kia Soul — and pit them against one another in a four-way comparison test. We tried to spec them out as closely as we could in terms of price, with the Jeep standing out as the sole outlier with a price over $30,000. Following in the footsteps of our midsize pickup comparison test, we drove up to Michigan's pinky, where weÂ’d eat, sleep, and breathe these four crossovers to figure out which came out on top based on our 100-point ranking of objective and subjective metrics. Autoblog Subcompact Crossover Comparison View 36 Photos Certainly, there are more choices available than this four (a Subaru Crosstrek in particular was not available at the time of our test), but we think the HR-V, Kona, Renegade and Soul are a representatively diverse collection of popular choices. Without further ado, here are the results of our test, starting with fourth place. Related: Autoblog's Midsize Pickup Truck Comparison Test Fourth place: 2019 Honda HR-V AWD Touring – 72.2 points The Honda HR-V is the second oldest vehicle in this comparative set behind the Jeep Renegade. We first tested it in April 2015. More so than its Jeep counterpart, the Honda feels its age. ItÂ’s dated inside and out, the infotainment tech is in dire need of an update (yes, even though it was actually recently updated), and the CVT feels at least a generation behind most others currently available. And that powertrain is the biggest issue that held the HR-V back from a better score in our comparison. Of the four vehicles, it has the least power, which makes the CVT even more of a nuisance.