2016 Hyundai Elantra Se on 2040-cars

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Hyundai Motor reassigns 17 top execs to make way for fresh ideas

SEOUL — South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group shook up its executive ranks on Tuesday and appointed its first foreign head of research and development, raising expectations of a smooth transition of power at the family-run business empire. The reshuffle, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday and confirmed by Hyundai on Wednesday, is part of preparations for generational change in the executive ranks at South Korea's second-largest family-owned business empire. Group President Albert Biermann, a German former BMW executive, was named head of research and development, replacing longtime executives Yang Woong-chul and Kwon Moon-sik. The move was seen as a significant step to bring in fresh ideas at the Korean-dominated group. In all, 17 top executives were reassigned across the group including at Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors Corp — which together form the fifth-biggest automaker in the world. The move follows the promotion of Euisun Chung in September to Hyundai Motor's executive vice chairman, moving him closer to succeeding his 80-year-old father, Mong-Koo Chung, as group chairman. It comes as Hyundai Motor Co battles to reverse falling profits as a result of U.S. recall costs and weak sales in the U.S. and Chinese markets. Hyundai Motor Co shares jumped as much as 9 percent to their highest level since Oct. 10, while shares in affiliates like Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Wia and Hyundai Glovis also rallied. While the announcement by Hyundai on Tuesday of a major investment in fuel cell production also lifted sentiment, analysts said most of the share price rise could be attributed to the leadership changes. In particular, it signaled that the junior Chung was making progress with his plans to restructure the sprawling group after a previous plan was scrapped due to opposition from U.S. hedge fund Elliott. "The reshuffle signals that the junior Chung is tightening his grip on the conglomerate, a move which raises investors' hopes for change," said Kim Joon-sung, an analyst at Meritz Securities. Ascendance of outsiders In a sign that Chairman Chung's grip may be weakening, one of his closest lieutenants, Hyundai Motor Co Vice Chairman Kim Yong-hwan, was reassigned away from the core automaker and named vice chairman of steelmaking affiliate Hyundai Steel.

2013 Hyundai Elantra GT

GT Stands For "Generous Trunk"
If ever there were an award for the most bastardized label in the automotive world, the Gran Turismo/Grand Touring/GT moniker would be an easy frontrunner. Once reserved solely for sporty coupes, the GT letters have taken a big hit over the years, but things got downright embarrassing with the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. For 2013, Hyundai is helping to muddy the waters even further by slapping a GT badge onto the hatchback version of its top-selling model, the Elantra.
In the case of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT, though, this name is just recycling the Elantra GT name from the early 2000s, albeit on a more stylish, modern and all-around better five-door. Hyundai has created quite a competitive lineup since its Fluidic Sculpture design language hit the market, but one area that it has paled in comparison to rival automakers is in the hatchback department. With a plethora of budget-minded compact cars currently on sale, Hyundai now finds itself in the unique position of being the only automaker to offer a compact sedan, coupe and hatchback with the 2013 Elantra. Still, with the compact segment more crowded than a public school classroom, we spent a week with the new Elantra GT to see how it stacks up against the hatchback competition.

We check out Hyundai's HRL exoskeleton, a robotic mobility suit for paraplegics

Hyundai makes some of the largest vehicles in the world – to wit, 185,000-ton ships with 56-foot high engines making power at 84 rpm – but its R&D division has found enough human-factor synergy with autonomous vehicle development that they're now working on robotic exoskeletons. We were recently introduced to two of these devices: the HRL designed to increase mobility and therefore quality of life for paraplegics; and the WEX, designed to assist in repetitive-motion lifting. Both of these machines are powered by replaceable lithium-ion battery packs with a 4-hour run time and 40-minute recharges. The HRL robotic legs are designed for people 64 to 71 inches tall and less than 250 pounds. The aluminum segments are adjustable in centimeter increments over a 10-cm range, and the 22.4-inch width means it would fit in many long-haul aircraft forward seats. With the 4.4-lb battery pack, the HRL weighs about 41 pounds. There are six 50:1 reduction-gear actuators, two pelvic actuators rated at 224 pound-feet of peak torque with 60-degree range of motion, and two hip and knee with 112 lb-ft peak, 180 degrees and twice the rotational speed of the pelvic motors. Twenty sensors control it all with default speed of just under a mile per hour and a top speed of 1.5 mph, and step length can be adjusted by smartphone via Bluetooth. One of the accompanying crutches has four thumb buttons much like a video-game controller, though they're experimenting with simpler inputs including a joystick. The crutch communicates with the leg unit over a few feet of distance via Zigbee wireless protocol, with security layers added for both obvious reasons and to ensure two users in the same vicinity won't transmit to the other's unit. An HRL can help you sit, stand, walk or climb and descend stairs; it will also stand on its own, simplifying the process of putting it on. Your correspondent is outside the design height limits so rather than do any impromptu CG research we deferred to colleague Chris Davies of Slashgear for impressions wearing it: "It grips tightly, the support would be comforting, and it delivers good posture. It does take some getting used to – when it first lifts up a leg to move it forward you do feel like you're going to fall over – but once you establish a gait and stop over-thinking it becomes much easier." Indeed, he never fell over and most who tried established a rhythm within a few minutes, if not a 1.5-mph sprint.