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Kia U.K. builds a 420-horsepower Stinger GT track car

The Kia Stinger GT is an admirable sports sedan, er, hatchback, with 365 horsepower. But Kia's U.K. branch wanted more, leading to the 420-horsepower Singer GT420 you see here. As Kia explains, the car used to create this one-off track car is actually the first Stinger GT pre-production test car in the U.K. It was used for final testing, photography, and was even featured on Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Once its testing and publicity duties were over, though, it was slated to be crushed. But some delaying and the idea of building a track car saved it. To get it to its final output ratings of 420 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, Kia (with help from Hyundai Motor Group's technical team in Germany) added a high-flow air filter, aftermarket exhaust without catalytic converters, an upgraded transmission cooler, and an engine tune. The car also benefits from weight reduction: The whole car was gutted, taking out everything unnecessary for speed such as the sound system, rear seats, carpeting, bumper supports and more. Even with the addition of a roll cage and extra chassis braces, the car is just over 330 pounds lighter than stock. Handling and stopping capabilities were also enhanced with stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bars, along with six-piston brake calipers and brake cooling ducts up front. The car also gets visual changes in the form of a front splitter and rear spoiler and diffuser, plus the bold vinyl wrap. Naturally, this isn't a production car, especially with the gutted interior and emissions non-compliant exhaust. But looking at the list of modifications, it wouldn't be hard to replicate the Stinger GT420 on your own. In fact, someone could probably exceed the car's performance, since there are some areas ripe for upgrading Kia skipped over, such as upgrading the turbochargers. Your move, tuners.

Driving the Kia K5 and Mini Cooper JCW GP, plus an interview with Jimmy Chin | Autoblog Podcast #637

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They veer off right away into talking about their dream project garages. Next up is news, including some info on the next Nissan Z car, the Honda Fit being discontinued in the U.S., new Mercedes-Benz EQS details, and some talk about the new, electric GMC Hummer being adapted for the military. Then they talk about driving the new Kia K5 sedan and the Mini Cooper JCW GP, before they opine about the 1966 Pontiac GTO. Autoblog Senior Producer Chris McGraw interviews Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin about his collaboration with Ford for the Bronco reveal, and more. Finally, our editors help a listener in the U.K. pick a used vehicle in the "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #637 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Some thoughts on project cars News Nissan suggests the next-generation Z won't be electrified at launch Fit Is Gone! Honda drops subcompact hatch in U.S. Mercedes-Benz announces the electric EQS will offer over 435 miles of range GMC's electric Hummer could someday serve alongside the Humvee in the U.S. Army Driving the 2021 Kia K5 Driving the 2020 Mini Cooper JCW GP 1966 Pontiac GTO: Love it or hate it? We talk Ford Bronco and other adventures with Oscar-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Hyundai and Kia introduce new predictive transmission tech

Hyundai and Kia have announced that the two have developed a new transmission control system that optimizes shift logic to both improve efficiency and reduce "gear hunting." The system utilizes real-time traffic data, built-in 3D navigation and the same sensors that feed the cars' advanced safety and driver assist tech to proactively choose the right gear — even neutral in some cases — to reduce both fuel consumption and wear-and-tear. The Korean sister brands call it the "Information Communication Technology Connected Shift System," or "ICT" for short, and Hyundai says it delivers not just improved frugality, but a better all-around driving experience. ICT programming allows the transmission control unit to collect and interpret traffic, camera, sensor, navigation route, elevation and topographical data.  "Using all of these inputs, the TCU predicts the optimal shift scenario for real-time driving situations through an artificial intelligence algorithm and shifts the gears accordingly," the announcement said. "For example, when a relatively long slow down is expected and radar detects no speed irregularities with the car ahead, the transmission clutch temporarily switches to neutral mode to improve fuel efficiency." While this sounds like a primarily green play, there are quality-of-life improvements too. For example, ICT can also optimize gear selection and shift points for safer highway merges, effectively implementing the equivalent of a "Sport Mode" driving profile when a little extra punch is called for.  Hyundai says the resulting decrease in shifts was significant; in some test scenarios, such as roads with lots of curves, the number of shifts executed by the transmission was reduced by almost half. As an added bonus, these vehicles also utilized their brakes less often (11%), which would reduce wear (and accompanying maintenance costs) over time.  ICT is somewhat future-proof, too, as it was developed to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) data should such networks improve down the line.  The announcement did not say when the new tech would reach customers, committing only to introducing the technology "on future vehicles." If we're betting, the smart money says it will probably on a new Genesis model and trickle down from there. Related Video: