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Auto execs surveyed say VW, BMW most likely to grow

A new survey of top global automotive executives indicates both Volkswagen and BMW are the most likely to grow their market share over the next five years.
Tax advisory firm KPMG LLP has released its 14th annual Global Automotive Executive Survey, which includes responses from over 200 executives. A total of 81 percent of respondents said they expect to see Volkswagen make gains, compared to 70 percent last year. BMW, meanwhile, saw 70 percent of those surveyed say they believe the company will increase its market share. That's a jump of 7 percentage points over last year. This is the first time in the history of the survey that BMW has claimed the second-place spot.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has seen its perceived market share potential slacken for the third year in a row. Around 61 percent of those surveyed predicted gains for Hyundai, down from 63 in 2012. Toyota also has a surprising year, but for just the opposite reason. While the manufacturer had slipped in ranking since 2011, it enjoyed the largest increase of any company in the 2013 survey, jumping to 68 percent from 44 percent last year.

Hyundai i20 WRC gets shakedown in Finland

It's always a good day when we get to post a video about rally racing. It's even better when that video is of a new WRC competitor undergoing testing. This spy video shows Hyundai's i20 WRC, a car that debuted nearly one year ago at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. It's set to usher in Hyundai's return to top-flight motorsports, and will do battle with the cars from Citroen, Ford and Volkswagen that are currently contesting the 2013 season.
This video, which shows the i20 testing on the notoriously tough Finnish rally stages, gives the impression that progress on the new WRC contender is going well. It certainly looks fast, and as with the vast majority of rally cars, it sounds absolutely wonderful (listen to some of those gun-shot-like backfires). Take a look below for the whole, glorious three minutes and 20 seconds of unadulterated rally noise, flying dirt and jumping.

Bisimoto tunes Hyundai Ioniq SEMA show car for efficiency, not power

Automotive tuner Bisimoto is probably best known for its wildly powerful SEMA show cars, such as its 1,029 horsepower Honda Odyssey, and last year's 1,040-horsepower, rear-drive Hyundai Santa Fe. But this year, the company tried something different, building a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid not for power, but for fuel economy. According to Hyundai and Bisimoto, the resulting HyperEconiq managed to repeatedly exceed 80 mpg, based on 83 tests by the tuning company. That's a seriously impressive gain considering the standard Ioniq hybrid is rated at 57 mpg city and 59 mpg highway. Bisimoto was able to do this by enhancing just about every aspect of the car inside and out. But the most obvious changes are on the outside. The HyperEconiq features a custom body kit with front and side splitters, and a rear spoiler. There are also some prominent wheel spats, something we haven't really seen since the first-generation Honda Insight. The car also features lightweight, one-piece carbon fiber wheels from Carbon Revolution, and they're shod in high-silica low rolling resistance tires. Aluminum brake calipers further lighten the car, and coilover suspension lowers the car for better aerodynamics. There are a few other mechanical changes under the skin, too. The engine features unique low-friction 0W20 oil from PurOl. It has also been tweaked so that more air can be pulled in during valve overlap, and the exhaust was upgraded to improve exhaust flow out of the engine. The overall look is rather attractive. The body kit makes the car look sportier and more aggressive, and the carbon wheels are a nice accent to the dark gray color. We're still undecided on the looks of the wheel spats, but if they're functional, it's hard to argue with them. It will also be interesting to see if hypermiling upgrades enter the aftermarket mainstream. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bisimoto Hyundai HyperEconiq: SEMA 2017 Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Aftermarket Green SEMA Show Hyundai Fuel Efficiency Hatchback Hybrid Sedan hyundai ioniq bisimoto