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2019 Hyundai Kona Electric First Drive Review | No compromises

The results of last week's United Nations climate study reveal that Earth's climate situation is much more dire than previously thought. Unless we do something drastic to stop pumping carbon emissions into our atmosphere, we'll do irreversible damage by 2030. It seems almost prophetic, then, that Hyundai is launching two vehicles — the hydrogen-powered Nexo FCV and an all-electric variant of the recently launched Kona crossover. The more compelling of the two is the Hyundai Kona Electric. It joins other purely battery-powered machines such as the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Bolt and the Tesla Model 3, but the Korean automaker one-ups the competition by arriving in the form of a crossover. Americans can't get enough of them, and no other pure electric on the market offers it unless you're talking about the $83,000 Tesla Model X. The Kona EV's next closest competitor is the boxy electric Soul, and in case you didn't know, Kia's affiliate company is none other than Hyundai. In truth, the crossover moniker isn't entirely accurate. Like its internal-combustion-engined counterpart, the Kona EV doesn't really sit above regular car height. Rather than call it a compact crossover, it'd be more appropriate to label it a hatchback with some rugged-looking body cladding. The Kona Electric does, however, top nearly all of its EV rivals for cargo space, with 19.2 cubic feet. Only the Leaf tops it at 23.6 cubic feet, but the Kona's footprint is almost a foot shorter than the Nissan's. Visually, the Kona Electric is distinguished from its petrol-powered sibling by a grille-less face, replaced by an LCD readout grid pattern with the charging port neatly hidden beneath a panel on the left side. A new light bar spans the prow, connecting the upper driving lights in a digital wave pattern repeated in the lower front, side and rear skirts. It's meant to evoke the pathways in a circuit board, according to senior chief designer Chris Chapman. Inside, more differences serve to remind you that you're sitting not just at the helm of a crossover, but a shuttle to the future. An array of PRND buttons and an electronic parking brake await your instructions. Neither seemed necessary nor an improvement over the Kona classic's tried-and-true gear selector and handbrake, but there they were. The e-e-brake perhaps does permit the double-decker center console, though, the lower level meant for gadget recharging, whether via USB or Qi wireless.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #313 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #313 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
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GM to trim Russian output, raise prices amid currency woes

General Motors is shutting down its factory in Russia's second largest city, St. Petersburg, from the middle of March until the middle of May as the country's currency, the ruble, continues to give economists fits. The ruble's value has plunged due not only to western sanctions, but a precipitous fall in oil prices. We knew these factors were already impacting the auto industry there, as Ford reported in its 2014 earnings statement, and now they're forcing GM to cut production at the factory, shown above, that is responsible for production of the Chevrolet Cruze and Opel Astra. Meanwhile, Automotive News is citing Russian outlet Kommersant as saying that GM has hiked its prices in the country by an average of 20 percent over the past two months. While a GM spokesman confirmed the St. Petersburg plant would be shut down for the two-month span reported by Kommersant and AN, he would not confirm the price increase. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Alexander Nikolayev / AFP / Getty Images Earnings/Financials Plants/Manufacturing Chevrolet GM Opel opel astra