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Hyundai confirms a shift to EVs, unveils fuel cell SUV

SEOUL — Hyundai confirmed on Thursday it was placing electric vehicles at the center of its product strategy — one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up to Tesla and other rivals. Like Toyota, Hyundai had initially championed fuel cell technology as the future of eco-friendly vehicles but has found itself shifting to electric as Tesla shot to prominence and battery-powered cars have gained government backing in China. Hyundai's debut of its more modestly priced Ionic hybrid and electric has been well-received. But the pure electric's per-charge driving range is much shorter than the Tesla Model 3 or Chevrolet Bolt. Toyota is now also working on longer-distance, fast-charging electric vehicles. Hyundai first started signaling this strategic shift back in May when it first discussed plans to launch an electric sedan under its high-end Genesis brand in 2021 with a range of 500 km (310 miles) per charge. It will also introduce an electric version of its Kona small crossover with a range of 390 km in the first half of next year. "We're strengthening our eco-friendly car strategy, centering on electric vehicles," Executive Vice President Lee Kwang-guk told a news conference, calling the technology mainstream and realistic. The automaker and affiliate Kia, which together rank fifth in global vehicle sales, also said they were adding three plug-in vehicles to their plans for eco-friendly cars, bringing the total to 31 models by 2020. Underscoring Hyundai's electric shift, those plans include eight battery-powered and two fuel-cell vehicles — a contrast to its 2014 announcement for 22 models, of which only two were slated to be battery-powered. Hyundai also confirmed a Reuters report that it is developing its first scaleable, dedicated electric vehicle platform, which will allow the company to produce multiple models with longer driving ranges. HYDROGEN SUV Hyundai unveiled a near production version of its new fuel cell SUV with a driving range of more than 580 km per charge, compared with the 415 km for its current Tucson fuel cell SUV. The mid-sized SUV will be launched in Korea early next year, followed by U.S. and European markets. A fuel cell electric bus is slated to be unveiled late this year, while a sedan-type fuel cell car is also planned. Even so, analysts noted that gaining traction with fuel cells was going to be a long hard slog partly due to a lack of charging infrastructure.

Genesis adding third crossover and EV for 2021

The year 2021 will be a big one for Hyundai's luxury brand, Genesis. Automotive News reports that the company will release a third, previously unheard-of crossover SUV that year. It will be a small one that will fit below the two crossovers announced earlier. Genesis will also launch its electric car that year. We knew Genesis would have an EV, we just didn't have a release window. Manfred Fitzgerald, the man in charge of Genesis, told Automotive News that these product additions are meant to improve brand awareness, but they'll undoubtedly improve sales, too. Luxury brands are realizing that crossovers are a necessity for sales success nowadays. Buick and Cadillac are clear examples. Over 85 percent of Buick's sales this past month consisted of its crossovers, and at Cadillac, the XT5 and the Escalades sold more than all of its cars combined. It only makes sense for Genesis to expand its offerings, as the crossover market shows no signs of cooling off. Offering an electric car is also a natural move, as more and more companies, particularly luxury makes, commit to electrification. Volvo announced that every new model it reveals will have some level of electrification, and Mercedes has an electric car called "EQ" in the works. Keeping up in these emerging market segments should help Genesis more quickly develop its reputation as a competitive luxury car company. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Genesis GV80 Concept: New York 2017 View 17 Photos News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green Genesis Crossover SUV Electric Future Vehicles Luxury

2018 Genesis G80 Sport First Drive | Pennies from heaven

It's just not enough to be packed with luxury car equipment or have specs and proportions that look the part. And it's certainly not enough to have a price tag that's lower than everyone else's. It's just not enough because the car formerly known as the Hyundai Genesis outsold all but the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series most years. Seriously. And yet, can you really envision anyone truly putting it on the same luxury car pedestal as even an Infiniti or Volvo? You know, the pedestal that creates satisfaction for owners and breeds desire in everyone else? It takes creating an actual luxury brand to really do that, and it's with the 2018 Genesis G80 Sport that we can see the ongoing evolution of just that. Although every G80 is updated for 2018, it's with the Sport where the best attempt is being made at establishing the sort of emotional connections and points of differentiation that can make someone want a car rather than simply buying one because it makes sense. And in the G80 Sport, it all begins with copper. Yep, the stuff of pennies, kettles and Moscow Mule mugs, and a finish you won't find on any other luxury car. There are copper details in the Sport's headlights, wheel caps, dash clock and leather stitching – they are subtle but classy and effective. Those trim pieces further pair with brass-like bright work that takes the place of traditional chrome throughout the exterior. True, it doesn't work with every paint color and in every lighting condition (such as when the Polar Ice blue car in photos met overcast coastal skies), but we think a lot of people will appreciate that this non-silver trim combo is new and different. It's hard to stand out from the crowd if you wear the same makeup as everyone else, and we wouldn't be surprised if more Genesis cars adopt it. There are differences beyond the trim, though, as the Sport's lower fascia is more aggressive than the slightly altered one found on every other 2018 G80. There are three separate intakes sculpted to strongly resemble an M Sport BMW's lower fascia. The Genesis grille also has a glossy black mesh insert rather than horizontal bars, though the look is still hampered by the conspicuous adaptive cruise control's radar emitter. At the back, there are darker taillights, enlarged housings for the quad tailpipes and the now-ubiquitous glossy black rear diffuser. If the regular G80 is handsome and well-proportioned, but a tad anonymous, the Sport does just enough to gussy it up.

Trump encouraged by talk of 'a level playing field' on trade with South Korea

South Korea is a longstanding American ally, but President Donald Trump has spoken harshly about U.S. trade imbalances and threatened to tear up the bilateral trade pact. "We will do more to remove barriers to reciprocal trade and market access," Trump said, adding that the two leaders had talked about the thorny trade areas of steel and autos. Trump said he was encouraged by South Korea's President Moon Jae-in's assurances that he would seek a level playing field for American workers and businesses, particularly automakers. A joint statement said the two sides had agreed to work together to reduce over supply of basic materials such as steel and non-tariff barriers. It also said Trump had accepted an invitation from Moon to visit South Korea this year. Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said it was unwise for Trump to air the trade issue so publicly. "Public complaints by Trump about unfair trade and inadequate defense spending provide opportunities for China and North Korea to drive a wedge between the allies," she said. The U.S. goods trade deficit with South Korea has more than doubled since the U.S.-Korea free trade pact known as KORUS took effect in 2012. The agreement was forecast to boost U.S. exports by $10 billion a year, but in 2016 they were $3 billion lower than in 2011. At the start of Friday's talks, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the largest component of the deficit was automotive trade and many non-tariff barriers to U.S. auto exports to South Korea remained. "I think the way to address it is to deal product by product with what we can do to change the export side and what we can do to reduce the bad imports side," he said. Ross said later on Friday that some progress had been made in the talks. The current pact was agreed to despite protests by supporters of Moon, who was then in opposition. But analysts have suggested that given the need to preserve a unified front in the face of a hostile North Korea, there could be compromise on both sides to resolve issues. (By David Brunnstrom and Lisa Lambert. Additional reporting by Fatima Bhojani, Roberta Rampton, Tim Ahmann, David Chance, David Lawder and Eric Beech; Editing by Bill Trott and Andrew Hay) Related Video: Image Credit: Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters Government/Legal Genesis Hyundai Kia trade

Hyundai's Genesis gives birth to a sweet lease deal

In its June issue, Motor Trend devoted its cover to $399/month "luxury lease deals" with the question: Which sport sedan gives you the most for your money? The article included all of the usual suspects – Lexus, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, and Cadillac – along with the newest outlier, Alfa Romeo's Giulia. We wouldn't dissuade you from considering an Alfa or a Jaguar XE, but as of June 1, Hyundai's Genesis has an alternative. The Genesis G80 is an evolution of Hyundai's Genesis sedan, now selling under its own Genesis brand. And while the G80 skews luxury more than sport, it has a lot to offer. For that same $399/month over 36 months MT touted for smaller sport sedans, you can enjoy space akin to a BMW 5 Series, a responsive V6 powertrain, and enough refinement to get big tips if driving for Uber. Details of the lease offer: Lease starting at $399/month for 36 months with $3,999 due at signing 6/1/2017 ~ 7/5/2017 Lease a 2017 G80 4dr Sdn 3.8L V6 RWD for $399 per month for 36 months with $3,999 due at lease signing. Excludes registration, tax, title and license. Closed end lease for 2017 G80 4dr Sedan 3.8L V6 RWD (Model # B2402R65) available from June 1, 2017 through July 5, 2017, to well-qualified lessees approved by Genesis Finance. Not all lessees will qualify. Higher lease rates apply for lessees with lower credit ratings. Offer based on $3,999 due at lease signing (includes $399 first payment and $3,600 capitalized cost reduction). No security deposit required. MSRP $42,350 (includes destination, excludes tax, license, title, registration, documentation fees, options, insurance and the like). Actual net capitalized cost $37,250. Net capitalized cost includes $750 acquisition fee. Dealer contribution may vary and could affect actual lease payment. Total monthly payments $14,348. Option to purchase at lease end $24,140. Lessee is responsible for third-party fees. Third-party fees vary by state or locality. Lessee is also responsible for insurance, maintenance, repairs, $.25 per mile over 10,000 miles/year, excess wear, and a $400 disposition fee. Disposition fee of $400 applies in all states except in CO, IN, IA, KS, ME, OK, SC, WI, WV, & WY, where disposition fee is subject to state law limitations.

The next Tesla? Can Genesis be disruptive?

A word rarely spoken — at least not out loud — by automotive executives is disruptive. Yet that's the way Manfred Fitzgerald, the global head of Genesis (the brand spun off from Hyundai in 2015), does something that is also automotively unthinkable: praises Tesla's Elon Musk. He told me he credits Musk for disrupting the auto industry, which he thinks was long overdue. Genesis, of course, is also focused on the luxury end of the market. And so Fitzgerald and his colleagues are fully cognizant that Tesla is, at least in terms of MSRP and numbers of vehicles delivered, doing extremely well among the well-heeled. Tesla, lack of profitability notwithstanding, is managing to siphon off customers who would otherwise be buying a Mercedes or a BMW. With the launch of the Genesis G80 Sport, the company is listing Mercedes (E Class) and BMW (5-Series) among its intended competitors (also the Audi A6, Lexus GS, and Cadillac CTS). Fitzgerald spent 12 years with Lamborghini, where, as director of brand and design he helped broaden it beyond the maker of a handful of cars for a handful of customers. He says that he and designer extraordinaire Luc Donckerwolke, who has joined him at Genesis, now face the challenge of establishing it as a high-end brand to be taken seriously — and he realizes that what may have worked in the late 19 th and early 20 th century just isn't going to cut it. The GV80 concept — a hydrogen-powered SUV — introduced at the New York Auto Show in April seems to be in line with Fitzgerald's thinking, primarily because it's not simply a stylish, imposing SUV, but because with the fuel cell. (And let's not lose sight of the fact that Hyundai is pursuing the commercial development of that technology.) The GV80 represents, for now at least, something unavailable from the marques Genesis is going up against. Realize that Elon Musk wasn't disruptive in terms of design but for taking what pretty much amounted to laptop batteries - attached in a way that seemed to be a short circuit waiting to happen - and transforming the array into what is now the battery system to beat. That is the sort of disruption Genesis undoubtedly needs to create to get a foothold in the market. Perhaps the fuel cell will be such a play. Then there is the Tesla approach to retail, which isn't predicated on the franchise system that has long held sway in the U.S. market.

No N performance models for Genesis, but Hyundai might get a Tucson N

Although Hyundai still hasn't fully revealed its first N product, the i30 N that we will see with an Elantra badge, the company is apparently hard at work at various N-branded follow-ups. The head of the N performance division, Albert Biermann, spoke with Australia's Drive, and revealed some unexpected details about the future of the division. Among the surprises was the revelation that there are no plans for Genesis N models. This is a bit of a shock considering that just last year, Biermann told us that there was a five-year plan in place for N products, and that Genesis vehicles were part of that plan. Among the vehicles that are coming, Biermann said the division is developing a B-segment vehicle and an SUV. The B-segment car is likely the European i20 hatchback. Hyundai uses the i20 for World Rally Championship, so it would only make sense to capitalize on that association. As for the SUV, Drive believes it is the Tucson, since Biermann mentioned the little crossover quite a bit when speaking to the publication. The Tucson would also be the most logical candidate for an N variant, since it's currently the smallest crossover in the Hyundai line-up. As such, it should be the easiest to make sporty, since it's inherently lighter and more maneuverable than other crossovers in the lineup. Biermann also seemingly revealed that the next N-badged car after the i30 N hatchback will be a "fastback" version of the same car, which Drive describes as a coupe. We don't expect this to be a traditional compact coupe, though. Last year, AutoEvolution reported that Hyundai would release a coupe-like five-door version of the i30 in the vein of the Audi A7 and A5 Sportbacks. This also seems more likely than a traditional coupe since Hyundai ceded the segment to the Civic with the death of the previous Elantra coupe in 2015, and its Kia Forte Koup cousin this year. Related Video:

Hyundai shows a mysterious coupe design in promo video

You never know where you'll find some interesting automotive news. In this particular case, we found some curious Hyundai info buried in an otherwise painfully boring Hyundai promo video. At about the 1:12 mark in the video, we see footage of a person working on a clay model of a car. It's low, sleek, and looks like it would only have two doors. It appears to have a liftback as well, and fairly aggressive vents in the back. Nothing else in the video indicates what the car is, though. However, we've got some educated guesses. One possibility is that this is a model for the successor to the recently departed Hyundai Genesis Coupe. The short deck and steeply raked rear window and pillars fall right in line with the styling of Hyundai's old sports car, not to mention the bulging rear fenders. Genesis has also made it clear that they intend to have a coupe to replace the old Genesis on sale by 2020. The luxury brand also has a small rear-drive platform in development in the form of the G70 on which it could base the coupe, along with some reasonably potent engines. Last we heard, the twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 was under consideration. However, an argument against this being a Genesis coupe is that it would be odd to show a Genesis model in a Hyundai video. The companies are clearly trying to put space between each other, so including a Genesis vehicle in this video seems out of step with the two brands' goals. This brings us to the second possibility for this mystery coupe; that it must be a Hyundai of some sort. Hyundai has had very few coupe or coupe-like vehicles in its past. The Tiburon is long dead, thanks to the aforementioned Genesis Coupe, which will have a Genesis-branded successor. The Veloster is coupe-like and due for replacement, but recent spy photos show that it will look more like the current model and not the clay vehicle in the video. That leaves us with just one other coupe it could be: the Elantra coupe. It was killed off for the 2015 model year, but Hyundai might take another stab at it. If the company offered it exclusively with the turbocharged 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, it could attract a small enthusiast base, with the added advantage that, aside from the Civic Si, it would be the only sporty front-drive coupe on the market. Of course, it could also be something entirely new that isn't connected to any previous Hyundai or Genesis product.

The twin-turbo V6 Genesis G80 Sport costs almost as much as the V8 model

Last November, Genesis revealed that, in addition to a refresh for the whole G80 lineup, it would add a Sport trim with the company's twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V6. At the time, Genesis had yet to set pricing. But now pricing is out, and it turns out the Sport model won't be cheap. To get the G80 Sport's V6 with its 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque, you'll need to spend at least $56,225. That will net you the rear-wheel-drive version. For another $2,500, you can get your Sport with all-wheel drive. Regardless of drive wheels, the Sport features unique front and rear fascias, dark chrome and bronze-finish trim, upgraded suspension, vented rear disc brakes, more aggressive transmission tuning, and unique interior trim. For not much more money, though, you can pick up the more powerful V8-powered G80. It now starts at $57,975 for a rear-drive model, and all-wheel drive again adds $2,500 to that price. That's about a $1,700 difference to go from the Sport's V6 to the 420-horsepower V8. However, you won't get the Sport's performance upgrades. If you're looking for a real bargain on Genesis G80 power, you should go pick up a current 2017 V8 model. It's cheaper than both 2018 G80 Sport and G80 V8 by a substantial margin. The rear-drive version, the only one available, starts at $55,500. It has the same V8 as the 2018, too. And if you wait for the new models to show up on dealer lots – the Sport shows up next month, and the naturally aspirated V6 and V8 models come this summer – you might even score some sweet discounts to clear out the previous year cars. Related Video:

Where is Hyundai's upscale Genesis brand going, and what is it, anyway?

"Genesis is the beginning, where everything sprung from. That's where the light is, and that's where we see ourselves." Manfred Fitzgerald. A genesis is an origin story, a new start. So when Hyundai had accomplished its original mission of achieving near parity with the top Japanese marques in the middle-class car market and decided to attempt to move upscale into the profitable luxury automotive sector a few years ago, it made some sense that this was the moniker it bestowed to its spinoff brand. "Genesis is the beginning, where everything sprung from," says Manfred Fitzgerald, the global brand chief. "That's where the light is, and that's where we see ourselves." But now that genesis has turned to germination. A pair of production sedans have been launched, the G80 and G90 luxo-barges. A smaller, 3 Series-fighting sedan, the G70, was previewed as a concept in last year's New York Auto Show. And now, last week in New York, the brand showed something in the all-important crossover category, the GV80. Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, it's a look ahead at what Genesis' SUV line could be like, though the fuel-cell element faces hurdles. View 2 Photos "We have great resources with our brand partners in fuel-cell technology, so when it came to alternative propulsion, this was a natural," says Fitzgerald. "Not just for the US market, but looking at this globally, this is the best technology, but there are a lot of pain points to overcome, especially in terms of infrastructure." Genesis has promised us a handful more cars by 2020, including a coupe and another crossover. Expansion into additional vehicle realms ought to help flesh things out a bit. Though the brand can't really flesh things out any less. Only Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Smart, and Bentley sold fewer cars so far this year, and two of those brands are a century old and Italian, one is a century old and extremely exclusive, and the other is irrelevant in the United States. Given that company, where does that place Genesis? After a recent test drive in a G90, we have to say that we're not sure. The styling is acceptable, if a bit derivative and anodyne. The level of delight is quite lackluster. And the ride is cushy, quiet, and competent, but no better than a contemporary Buick. In a category in which excellence and exquisiteness are the point of entry, what does Genesis represent, what is its category-killing feature or component or capability? "We are known for being audacious.