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Hyundai Motorsport tests its performance at the WRC Rally Finland

Autoblog joined Hyundai to check out the Neste Oil Rally Finland, where thousands of kilometers of lightly traveled, rolling gravel roads have turned out decades of astonishing racing and cold-blooded drivers. Even though the World Rally Championship is well tamed from its feral Group B days, Rally Finland is still the drivers' favorite, with the fastest speeds and the biggest jumps.
It's the rookie year for the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team, run by Hyundai Motorsport out of Alzenau, Germany. The squad entered the season aiming for podiums in the second half and looking to get its three cars to the finish at every race for maximum development data. It's already outdone itself, Thierry Neuville scoring third places in Mexico - where he used a bottle of Corona to fill his radiator - and Poland.
Denis Giraudet told us that the rally's sternest challenge is not one of heart, though. Giraudet isn't part of Hyundai Motorsport, he was our guide and he's been in the sport as a co-driver for more than 30 years; he won Rally Finland with Juha Kankunnen in 1993 in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD. Giraudet said the race tests that particular confidence that comes from about 18 inches below the heart: "Here, you have to go all out. If there's a problem, it's usually between the steering wheel and the seat."

Hyundai Santa Cruze pickup is a when, not an if

A production version Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept looks all but certain to arrive in showrooms to compete in the growing small truck field, and Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski claims the official announcement is now just a matter of scheduling. "Our timing is not crossing our fingers and waiting for approval, it's trying to figure out when we're going to announce it," he said to Motoring. According to Zuchowski, the people at Hyundai's headquarters in South Korea have a say when the announcement comes, but he didn't indicate exactly how soon the model's production could be official. Zuchowski suggested Hyundai intended to ship the truck to places outside the US, too. "I'm not clear on the other markets, but from our perspective it's a vehicle that will be exported to other markets," he said to Motoring. The Santa Cruz was one of the most popular concept debuts at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and Hyundai execs in the US quickly started working to get a green light for production from headquarters. As of late December 2015, the automaker reportedly had the engineering feasibility and business case complete for the truck, and the bosses just needed to give final approval. Hyundai would reportedly use the Tucson for the Santa Cruz's underpinnings, and the model might be the company's first with a diesel engine in the US. The production version would enter a booming market for smaller pickups like the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and newly unveiled second-generation Honda Ridgeline. However, Hyundai's entry would likely be the smallest among them and target young crossover customers who want a little more hauling capability. Related Video:

Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept shows the future of brand's design

At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai revealed a concept called the Le Fil Rouge, which in English means "the common thread." Though the car has an unusual name, it's important for the Hyundai brand because this car represents the future of the company's design. Elements found on this concept will be applied to all future Hyundais, be they sedans, hatchbacks or crossovers, which also partly explains the car's name. Hyundai says the name also comes from how the car builds on Hyundai's past design and is a "reinterpretation" of its 1974 Coupe Concept. We're not so sure about that last part, but we think the Le Fil Rouge is a mighty handsome sedan, and its future production cars should look pretty good. Aside from a "common thread" of design, Hyundai says the car's theme is "sensuous sportiness." That seems to translate into a low-slung, curvy, coupe-like sedan form. At the front, the nose is very low, and it's dominated by a massive version of Hyundai's corporate "cascade" grille. It's actually a bit reminiscent of the recent Lagonda sedan. It appears that the grille contains lighting elements all throughout. It should be easy to translate this design into conventional radiator grilles, huge lights, or simple, blocked off styling motifs for electric vehicles. This low, wide grille leads into a long hood and front fenders with classic rear drive proportions. The hood has two large creases in the middle that lend some aggression to the swoopy shape, and there are two bright metal accent lines that run up the sides and loop up and around the windows back toward the hood. Along the side, we find a bold character line that lines up with the end of the headlight. It trails back along the car and merges with the rear panel that would likely contain the taillights. The roof also has a bit of a fastback look, ending at the trunk lid. It also contains a rear window with a double-bubble shape. It's an elegant, organic car that does some cool things with lines and curves. It will be interesting to see how it translates to production cars. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai Le Fil Rouge Concept: Geneva 2018 View 9 Photos Related Gallery Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept View 13 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2018 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Design/Style Geneva Motor Show Hyundai Concept Cars Sedan 2018 Geneva Motor Show