2013 Hyundai 3.8l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai looking to add plant in Mexico

Mexico is rapidly becoming the go-to place for North American auto production, and companies including Toyota, General Motors, and Audi are all building new plants, expanding or shifting some production there. Now, Hyundai is investigating joining them in the future. "I'm sure that over the years we'll see production of Hyundai products in Mexico," Pedro Albarran, managing director for the automaker in Mexico, said to Bloomberg. Albarran indicates that a likely location for such a factory might be the state of Nuevo Leon, where Kia also has a forthcoming $1 billion plant. The site would be an ideal location near suppliers. It's probably going to be a while before any of Hyundai's models start coming out of Mexico. According to Bloomberg, the automaker wants to wait to make a final decision until sales there reach around 50,000 annual units, and that benchmark isn't expected until 2018. While Kia's plant is slated to have a capacity around 300,000 vehicles a year when it opens in 2016, Albarran thinks Hyundai might start smaller at just over 100,000 annual examples. Some of those would likely include subcompact models for the Mexican market. The Korean automaker was rumored to be looking into a factory south of the border as far back as 2013.

Hyundai bringing Elantra GT, special edition Veloster to Chicago

Hyundai will be bringing two new products to next week's Chicago Auto Show, a company source confirmed to Autoblog. The first is a freshened version of the Elantra GT – pictured above as a 2014 model – and the other is a special edition of the Veloster hatchback. Our source was mum about specific details, but said that the Elantra GT refresh was simply that – nothing crazy or all-new. In other words, we expect some lightly touched-up styling, and perhaps some improvements to the interior refinement, infotainment and technology, and maybe powertrain. As we reported earlier, the two-door Coupe is no longer part of the Elantra lineup, so these changes might be a way for Hyundai to further differentiate the GT from the sedan. As for that Veloster, it won't be anything revolutionary, either. Hyundai has historically used the Chicago show to debut special editions of the Veloster – take a look at last year's Re:Flex, for example – and we expect the same this time around. Perhaps a new matte paint finish? That's been a popular choice for Veloster Turbo buyers, after all. Whatever may be in store, we'll have the full scoop next week during the Chicago festivities. Stay tuned. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT View 21 Photos Chicago Auto Show Hyundai Hatchback Economy Cars hyundai elantra gt

Apple's digital car keys may work with Hyundai and Genesis models this summer

Apple's digital car key feature might soon be useful for unlocking more than a handful of BMW models. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed Hyundai and its upscale Genesis badge will support Apple CarKey "by the summer." It's not certain which models would provide the option, but it's notable that some trim levels of the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai cars include NFC for a (currently proprietary) digital key. While remote lock controls have been available through smartphones for a while, CarKey (and its Android equivalent) treats the phone more like a physical key. You just have to bring your phone or Apple Watch to the door handle to unlock it, and you can even place your phone in a given area to start the car. People with ultra-wideband iPhones (such as the iPhone 11 and newer) can even leave their phone in their pocket when opening and starting the vehicle. If the leak is accurate, Apple's move could significantly expand the audience for digital car keys — you wouldn't need to shop from one high-end marque to even consider it. A deal would also suggest the tussle over a possible EV collaboration wasn't enough to deter Apple and Hyundai from exploring a CarKey team-up. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Genesis Hyundai Technology Smartphone Apple