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EPA says it will more closely monitor fuel economy claims from automakers

The unintended acceleration brouhaha at Toyota led to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration tightening the vise on recall procedures. Likewise, the fuel economy kerfuffle that blew up with Hyundai and Kia's admission of overstated fuel mileage claims could lead to the Environmental Protection Agency policing automaker assertions by performing more audits.
At least, that's what a senior engineer with the government agency said while in Michigan giving a talk, according to a report in Automotive News. What that actually means, however, is still in question. Just ten to 15 percent of new vehicles - something like 150 to 200 cars per year - are rested by the EPA to verify automaker numbers. The EPA's own tests include a "fudge factor" to adjust lab mileage for real-world mileage, and the agency still relies on automakers to submit data for tests that it doesn't have the facilities to perform. How much more auditing can the EPA really expect to do, or perhaps a more relevant question would be how much more accurate could the EPA's audits become?
The price of gasoline, the psychological importance of 40 miles per gallon to a frugal car buyer, an automaker wanting to further justify the price premium of a hybrid, all of these things contribute to fuel economy numbers that insist on creeping upward. Perhaps the senior engineer encapsulated the whole situation best when he said, "Everybody wants a label that tells you exactly what you're going to get, but obviously that's not possible. A good general rule of thumb is that real-world fuel economy is about 20 percent lower than the lab numbers." If the lesson isn't exactly 'buyer beware,' it's at least 'buyer be wary.'

Hyundai refining dealer strategy for premium models

Automotive News reports Hyundai is set to give its sales strategy for premium vehicles a once-over. Moving forward, each of the automaker's five North American regions will have a premium product operations manager. Those managers will all report directly to a senior group manager based at the Hyundai headquarters in California. To begin with, the group will start by identifying what dealers are currently doing right to sell the automaker's luxury hardware. From there, the group will then help spread those practices to the 320 dealerships currently authorized to sell the Equus. All told, Hyundai has some 800 dealers in the US.
The move comes ahead of the launch of the second-generation Genesis and Equus. Both sedans are slated to hit showrooms by early next year. The Genesis debuted in 2008 with the Genesis Coupe following along in 2009, while the Equus first landed on US shores in 2011.

Mr. Millen goes to Washington

Ever driven around DC? We have. And let us tell you, people drive like jerks in the nation's capital. Mostly because they think they're more important than you, and they're probably right. But Rhys Millen is out to put them all to shame.
In this latest video, the guy who Red Bull refers to as a "precision driver" (and who the rest of us would call one of the best drifters ever to burn rubber) takes to the streets of the District in his Hyundai Veloster Turbo. There he does what he does best around sites like Capitol Hill, Thomas Circle and RFK Stadium - the one-time home of the Washington Redskins and Montreal Expos (pardon us, "Washington Nationals") - all with a police escort of black Tahoes and Harley outriders. Scope out the action in the video below.