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Hyundai working on clean-sheet, hydrogen-powered CUV

Autocar reports that Hyundai is working on its next hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and that the coming vehicle will be a clean-sheet design and likely a crossover. The South Korean company will soon have its Toyota Prius-fighting Ioniq hybrid on the market, now it is said to have placed a bullseye on the Toyota Mirai FCEV. This follows news that Kia is developing a brand new fuel-cell hybrid for launch by 2020, the theory is that platform will be shared with Hyundai, who will launch it first. The bodystyle isn't confirmed, but making it a crossover would take advantage of two important factors, one being the ongoing sales boom of compact and mid-sized SUVs. The second is that according to Sae-Hoon Kim, head of the company's fuel cell research, "all customer feedback says range and boot space are the priorities." Since bigger tanks typically mean less trunk space, a crossover would offer the best opportunity for maximizing both. A people-hauler could also make design and brand connections with the Kia Niro hybrid crossover. Hyundai is hoping to get a range of 500 miles out of the new vehicle, which would mark a 25-percent improvement over the range of the Tucson FCEV currently on sale. When it arrives it will give Hyundai a dedicated player in three alternative powertrain domains, joining the Ioniq plug-in hybrid and the pure electric vehicle it promised for launch by 2017. That could be seen as merely hedging bets, but the company does believe in hydrogen, Kim saying, "Every solution leads to hydrogen; either you use renewable energy sources to create and store hydrogen, or you use traditional fuels like coal to create hydrogen. Either way, hydrogen is the way to store energy and control supply and demand."

Hyundai recalls 43k Genesis and Equus models for faulty lighting

As you can imagine, it'd be a bit of a problem if the brake lights on your car didn't work. And that, unfortunately, is precisely the problem that Hyundai has found with some of its higher-end offerings, prompting the Korean automaker to issue a recall. (One of a great many recalls issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today, as you can no doubt see.) The problem apparently revolves around a failure in the circuit that's supposed to illuminate the taillights when the driver hits the brakes. If that doesn't work, of course, the vehicle behind would be more likely to crash into the Hyundai in question. As a result, Hyundai is recalling precisely 42,925 units, split between the 2009-2011 Genesis (manufactured between April 30, 2008, and November 21, 2010) and the 2011 Equus (manufactured between July 31, 2010 and November 21, 2010). Owners of those vehicles will be notified to bring their vehicles in to have their brake light circuits repaired. RECALL Subject : Inoperative Stop Lamps Report Receipt Date: NOV 07, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V713000 Component(s): EXTERIOR LIGHTING Potential Number of Units Affected: 42,925 Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America SUMMARY: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Hyundai Genesis vehicles manufactured April 30, 2008, to November 21, 2010, and 2011 Hyundai Equus vehicles manufactured July 31, 2010, to November 21, 2010. Due to a circuit failure, the stop lamps in the affected vehicles may not illuminate. CONSEQUENCE: A following vehicle may not recognize that the vehicle is slowing or coming to a stop if the stop lamps on the vehicle do not illuminate as expected. There is an increased risk of a rear-end crash as a result. REMEDY: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the stop lamp switch circuit, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-714-865-3920. Hyundai's number for this recall is 125. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Hyundai to build test facility at N"urburgring

It looks as if Hyundai is set to build a test facility at the famous Nürburgring. Carscoop reports the Korean automaker has commenced construction on a 10,000-square-foot test center with access to the lengthy German track. Hyundai says the $7.3 million facility will help the company focus on improving the ride and handling of its vehicles through extensive research and development.
Sounds like a plan to us. While we've seen Hyundai vehicles improve on many fronts over the past few years, the company continues to struggle with suspension refinement compared to its Japanese, German and domestic rivals.
Automakers routinely flock to the Nürburgring for testing and development thanks to the track's unusual attributes. With a variety of surfaces, banking, turns, elevation and even weather, the circuit offers engineers the ability to put a vehicle through its paces in a wider range of conditions than most facilities.