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New Genesis G80 costs $2,650 more than its predecessor

If you're in the market for a Hyundai Genesis, you'd best act fast. The Korean company's new luxury sub-brand, Genesis, just announced pricing for the rebadged G80, kicking the starting figure up across the board while adding a suite of desirable safety and tech features. The base model, with a 3.8-liter V6 and rear-wheel drive, starts at $41,400. All-wheel drive adds $2,500 to that figure, while both V6 models add $2,650 to the price of a Hyundai-badged Genesis sedan. Hyundai justifies the increase with a slew of now-standard equipment from the current car's discontinued Tech Package, including automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, high-beam assist, and adaptive cruise control. Considering the Tech Package tallied $3,500, this is a net win. You can improve your six-cylinder G80 with a pair of packages. A $4,750 Premium Package adds fog lights, a panoramic sunroof, a 14-speaker Lexicon stereo, a seven-inch color instrument display, vented front seats, and a power sunscreen for the rear window. Genesis essentially carried over the current $3,500 Ultimate Package, which now costs $4,200. It includes matte wood, full-color HUD, 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment, a 17-speaker Lexicon stereo, and a power trunk lid, along with an upgraded power driver's seat, which used to be part of the Tech Pack. If you're hankering for the V8 model – no longer listed on the Hyundai USA consumer page – you're looking at a $650 bump, from $53,850 to $54,550. There are no option packs for the V8, so all you need to do is pick a color and drive away. Not surprisingly, the G80 undercuts its rivals by a few dollars. BMW will happily sell you a base 5 Series for $51,195. Mercedes offers an E-Class, the E300, at $53,075. Audi and Lexus are slightly more down to earth – an Audi A6 is $47,125 while a base GS is $46,595. So, going with the V6 G80 against its all-four-cylinder-turbo competition will save you, on average, around $8,100. That makes the $8,950 in option packs look awfully attractive. The difference between the G80 V8 and its rivals is smaller, but still significantly stacked in Genesis' favor, mainly because only BMW still offers a V8 in this segment – it's $67,295 ($12,745 more than a base G80 V8). Pricing on the US market 2017 E-Class is only available for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged E300, while neither Lexus nor Audi sell a V8 outside their respective high-performance brands.

Hydrogen stations that don't work putting a dent in H2 lifestyle

Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe, but it's not abundant enough for some hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle drivers. Southern California lessees of models such as the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell SUV are taking to Facebook to voice their complaints about out-of-order fuel cell stations, Green Car Reports says. In many cases, the lack of hydrogen supply has made the cars effectively undriveable. For Tucson Fuel Cell owners, the hydrogen is supposed to be free and unlimited, but Hyundai doesn't manage the stations. One Orange County lessee of a Tucson fuel-cell vehicle hasn't driven the car for over a month because the trio of nearby stations are out of commission. Additionally, some of the stations that do work can only provide about a half-tank worth of hydrogen, once again putting a crimp the driving range of the hydrogen car. California is home to 10 of the dozen public hydrogen refueling stations in the country (there's one each in Connecticut and South Carolina), according to US Department of Energy figures. These sorts of challenges can't help Hyundai's hydrogen efforts. Last month, it was reported that Hyundai has sold fewer than 300 fuel cell vehicles worldwide during the past three years, including about 70 through the first five months of this year. The South Korea-based automaker has said it wants to sell 1,000 fuel-cell vehicles globally by the end of 2015. Fuel-cell drivers and advocates alike are hoping that Toyota will change the game when its Mirai hydrogen vehicles start hitting California roads later this year. Toyota confirmed in May that Mirai US sales would start in October in eight California dealerships. The Northeast is on tap for 2016. Related Video:

Hyundai Veloster N spied hard at work at the Nurburgring

The first vehicle from Hyundai's N performance division, the i30 hatchback, is coming later this year. Sadly, that handsome little five door isn't bound for the US. While the Korean automaker won't confirm what will be coming to America in 2018, we're almost positive that the first model will be the next-gen Veloster. The car is well into development, and we now have some new photos of a shakedown at the Nurburgring. Pure facts are scarce, but based on what we know about the i30 we can make some educated guesses about the Veloster. The car will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making either about 250 horsepower or 280 with an optional performance pack. Power will be sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual, though Hyundai hasn't ruled out a dual-clutch transmission for the future. Look for big wheels with sticky summer rubber to surround beefy Brembo brakes. Although every Veloster we've seen both in photos and in person has been covered with a decent amount of camouflage, we can see the car's basic outline. The car will still feature an asymmetrical door layout, with one on the driver's side and two on the passenger side. The large grille is now shaped like the corporate cascading grille. It's styled like a flat-bottomed version of Superman's "S" logo. While the standard and Turbo models will feature center-exit exhaust tips, the Veloster N pushes the exhaust to the corners of the bumper. Pricing and performance numbers haven't been revealed, but Hyundai is gunning straight for the Volkswagen GTI. In typical Hyundai fashion, it's likely to undercut the competition by a hair or two. Look for prices in the mid $20,000s when the Veloster N arrives next year. Expect a full reveal sometime this fall. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Hyundai Veloster N spy shots Image Credit: Spied Bilde Design/Style Spy Photos Hyundai Hatchback Performance hyundai veloster turbo Hyundai N hyundai veloster n