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Hyundai previews new infotainment system ahead of CES

One of the most common refrains in the world of automotive infotainment is that soon, smartphone-enabled infotainment systems would come to dominate the industry. We've seen some progress in this regard, with a number of automakers offering apps and services that take advantage of a driver's smartphone data plan, but few that have gone whole hog and offered a system that genuinely relied on a cellular service. At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, Hyundai will offer up its take on smartphone-enabled infotainment, with a new, seven-inch-touchscreen Display Audio system. Designed specifically to work with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the system will first be rolled out to Hyundai's more affordable 2016 offerings before rolling out to the brand's entire entry-level lineup. Once mated with the car, both systems will offer access to a plethora of third-party apps, in addition to the typical satellite navigation and text message services. Apple CarPlay users will build on the standard suite of stuff with Siri Eyes Free. Overall, whichever phone you're loyal to, this new Hyundai system sounds remarkably interesting. Of course, expect to hear plenty about the new Display Audio system in the coming months. Until then, let us know what you think in Comments. Should automakers just stick to traditional infotainment systems, or do you support the idea of relying on a smartphone inside the car? Scroll down for the full press release. HYUNDAI TO DEBUT DISPLAY AUDIO SYSTEM AT 2015 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW All-New Infotainment Unit to Be Offered in Select 2016 Models Brings Android Auto™, which extends the Android™ platform in a way that is purpose built for driving Brings Apple CarPlay™, the smarter, safer and best iPhone experience, on four wheels Features the next generation Blue Link system with Connected Care, a suite of safety and car care features and remote engine start with climate control Incorporates the latest smartphone-enabled technologies and the next generation Blue Link® system into more lower price Hyundai models without embedded navigation systems The Display Audio system includes a large color touch-screen display that has been optimized for smartphone integration Fountain valley, Calif., Dec. 17, 2014 – Hyundai is doing the unthinkable at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES®) by showing a new Display Audio system with no CD player or embedded navigation system.

Hyundai swims against the current with new i20 Coupe

Coupefying hatchbacks is all the rage in the European market these days. Its what Opel and Vauxhall did with the latest Astra, and what Renault did with the Mégane, and now Hyundai is preparing to follow a similar formula, only in a smaller form.
While the i30 is the model with which Hyundai competes with the aforementioned Astra and Mégane, to say nothing of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, it's the smaller i20 - recently introduced in five-door form - which the Korean automaker plans to give the coupe treatment.
Previewed in the teaser image above, the upcoming new i20 Coupe will enter a somewhat shrinking market for three-door superminis. Though the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa are still available with three portals, their forms are otherwise no more coupe-like than their five-door counterparts. (Mini has tried a similar approach with its Coupe, and Citroën has forked the C3 five-door and DS3 three-door, but those are decidedly more upscale offerings.) Alongside the Seat Ibiza, Hyundai is one of the few mainstream automakers offering three-door superminis significantly distinguished from its five-door versions.

2016 Hyundai Sonata PHEV will be a 50-state car, sort of

Technically, the upcoming 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug In Hybrid will be available in all 50 states. It will just be a lot easier to get in the ten ZEV states. That's because in the 40 states that do not follow California's Zero Emission Vehicle regulations, Hyundai dealers will not be stocking the plug-in version of the Sonata when it goes on sale in the fall of 2015. In the ten ZEV states (California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont), Hyundai will stock and sell the PHEV Sonata just like any other model, with numerous colors and trim levels available on dealer lots. In the other 40 states, "we're not going to encourage dealers to stock them," because the company expects demand to be low, said Mike O'Brien, Hyundai's vice president of corporate and product planning. O'Brien was speaking at a launch event for the two new Sonatas in California this week. Hyundai has a reason for choosing the ZEV states as a starting point, O'Brien said. "The ten states are spending more money on charging infrastructure, so you can park at work, you can park while you're in the grocery store, and you can charge your car while you're doing it." In any other state, where the plug-in infrastructure is weaker, a customer can order a PHEV Sonata just as if they were going to get a specific color Veloster that the local dealer didn't have in stock, O'Brien said. "It's really no different." "If you just look at the sales, basically all our competitors, over half of their plug-in hybrid sales are right here in the state of California," O'Brien said. "Usually, much more than half. If you cover the ZEV states, you're going to cover over 85 percent of the sales already. And we're going to make sure that our dealers can accommodate and customers that wish to buy outside those states." In other ways, the PHEV buying process will be similar. The customer can choose, at time of purchase, to rely on standard 110-volt outlets or to work with the dealer to install a Level 2, 240-volt charger at their home. Hyundai will train its dealers to offer a preferred partner's charger (Hyundai would not specify which company it will be working with). With 110, an empty-to-full charge of the 9.8-kWh lithium-ion polymer battery will take around nine hours, but with Level 2 it'll be around three hours. "The essential technical elements [of the PHEV] are the same as the hybrid," O'Brien said.