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Hyundai and Kia will offer AI assistants in 2019 cars

Hyundai and Kia both have reputations as early adopters of in-car tech, and that's truer than ever now that voice assistants are becoming a practical reality on the road. The Korean automakers have revealed that they plan to include AI assistants in their new cars starting from 2019, with every vehicle being "connected" by 2025. As Hyundai explained, they've been working with SoundHound to create an Intelligent Personal Agent (based on Houndify) that both makes proactive suggestions (such as reminding you of a meeting) and offers remote control of both your car and your home. This sounds a whole lot like what other voice assistants do, but the car brands are counting on support for "multiple-command recognition" as the ace up their sleeve. If you tell your car to check the weather and turn on the lights at the same time, it'll do both instead of scratching its head like so many other AI helpers. You won't have to wait until 2019 to see the technology in action. Hyundai will unveil Intelligent Personal Agent at CES 2018, and it'll test a "simplified" take on the Agent in hydrogen fuel cell cars slated to drive on South Korean roads throughout the year. It's hard to say if IPA will have an advantage over companies borrowing "off-the-shelf" AI like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, but it's more the ubiquity that will be important -- you won't have to buy a premium-priced model to treat your car like a smart home hub.Reporting by Jon Fingas for Engadget.Related Video: Image Credit: Hyundai Auto News CES Hyundai Kia Technology Emerging Technologies CES 2018

Hyundai, Kia warn of $2.9B earnings hit over engine issues

SEOUL — Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors warned of another $2.9 billion of provisions related to engine issues, bringing their total hit from the years-long quality problem that has tarnished their credibility to nearly $5 billion. Hyundai Motor Group said on Monday their third-quarter earnings would reflect quality-related costs of a combined 3.36 trillion won ($2.94 billion), of which Hyundai accounted for 2.1 trillion won and Kia for 1.26 trillion. Hyundai and Kia, together the worldÂ’s No.5 automaker, recalled nearly 1.7 million vehicles in 2015 and 2017 in one of their biggest recalls in the United States, citing an engine failure that raises the risk of crashes. In 2017, U.S. safety regulators began to investigate if the recalls had covered enough vehicles and were done in a timely fashion. That followed concerns reported by a South Korean whistleblower, a former quality official at Hyundai, to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Hyundai was being investigated by U.S. prosecutors over whether vehicle recalls were conducted properly, Reuters reported in 2018. From 2017 to 2019, the two firms have earmarked a series of provisions mostly to address engine-related issues, which amounted to about 2.04 trillion won, according to Reuters' calculation. The latest provisions reflect higher-than-expected replacement rates for Theta II GDi engines of old vehicles subject to recalls, as well as growing consumer complaints over the same engine and other engines not subject to recalls, Hyundai said. The engine is in a wide variety of vehicles. "Hyundai has repeatedly said it does not see any more costs related to the Theta II engine issues, and the latest recall would deal a fatal blow to Hyundai's credibility," Sean Kim, an analyst at Dongbu Securities said. "I am worried." He expected Hyundai and Kia to swing to losses for the quarter from July to September, hit by the provisions. Hyundai Motor closed down 2.3% and Kia Motors ended down 1%. ($1=1,141.42 won)   Earnings/Financials Recalls Hyundai Kia

Join Autoblog editors for a full video tour of the 2019 Detroit Auto Show

The 2019 North American International Auto Show might have been a little more quiet than past years, but there were still some pretty major reveals, including the Toyota Supra, new Ford Explorer, Shelby GT500, Subaru WRX STI S209 and Kia Telluride. We also saw some lovely concepts like the Nissan IMs and Lexus LC Convertible. Senior Editor Alex Kierstein, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Senior Green Editor John Beltz Snyder join me, Associate Editor Reese Counts — with Social Media Manager Michael Dylan Ferrara behind the camera — on a long walk through the show. We discuss cars, poke around the stands, dress a bloody wound and answer your questions in the Facebook comments. For more Detroit coverage, you can check out Autoblog's picks for the best in show, listen to our podcast or look at the best images from all the reveals. Finally, don't forget to watch Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore hand over our 2019 Technology of the Year award. Related Video: Green Detroit Auto Show Acura Cadillac Chevrolet Ford GM Hyundai Infiniti Kia Lexus Nissan RAM Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Truck Convertible Coupe Crossover Hatchback Minivan/Van SUV Videos Sedan facebook 2019 detroit auto show live