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Hyundai CEO touts new EV platform with mention of a pickup

A couple of years ago, one of the prominent concerns about a saturated EV auto-scape was how carmakers would accentuate brand differences among vehicles converging on a frightening sameness. The cars wouldn't make any noise, they would all emphasize aerodynamics, and they would all basically ride on a battery pancake. So far, the fears have been avoided; a Volvo XC40 Recharge won't be confused for a Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, and the Ford won't be confused for a Tesla Model Y. Not only that, but automakers are developing platform strategies that heighten the sameness among vehicle architectures because the architecture is where the expenditure and the profit are greatest. Hyundai's the latest to outline its plans for investors. And part of Hyundai's plan could include adding a full-size electric pickup to the range. The mid- to long-term roadmap is called the Hyundai Motor Way, recently revised with higher targets thanks to the swift uptick in EV sales globally. Business Korea wrote Hyundai Motor Group (HMG includes Kia and Genesis) sold 510,000 battery-electric vehicles in 2022. The conglomerate says it now plans to sell two million EVs annually by 2030, up from a previous estimate of 1.87 million.      The platform that will help make this possible is called eM, an evolution of the current Electric Global Modular Platform (e-GMP) platform under HMG's current EVs. The eM architecture's been rumored to launch under a Kia sedan that might be a spiritual successor to the Stinger. So far, eM is planned for 13 models across the HMG portfolio, using the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) that can plug-and-play with more than 80 common modules serving different vehicle segments and sizes. HMG president and CEO Jaehoon Chang said, "In the second-generation platform, the scope of vehicle development extends beyond the mid-sized SUVs covered by the current E-GMP system. It encompasses nearly all vehicle classes, ranging from small and large SUVs to pickup trucks, along with the flagship models of the Genesis brand." Sure, Chang could have been merely noting the eM's potential use cases when he mentioned "pickup trucks." That's not how observers are reading the line. At Kia's investor day last year, the brand said it planned two electric pickups. There have already been reports that Kia's working on a body-on-frame pickup for the Australian market, perhaps called Tasman, utilizing gas and electric powertrains.

Hyundai and Kia introduce new predictive transmission tech

Hyundai and Kia have announced that the two have developed a new transmission control system that optimizes shift logic to both improve efficiency and reduce "gear hunting." The system utilizes real-time traffic data, built-in 3D navigation and the same sensors that feed the cars' advanced safety and driver assist tech to proactively choose the right gear — even neutral in some cases — to reduce both fuel consumption and wear-and-tear. The Korean sister brands call it the "Information Communication Technology Connected Shift System," or "ICT" for short, and Hyundai says it delivers not just improved frugality, but a better all-around driving experience. ICT programming allows the transmission control unit to collect and interpret traffic, camera, sensor, navigation route, elevation and topographical data.  "Using all of these inputs, the TCU predicts the optimal shift scenario for real-time driving situations through an artificial intelligence algorithm and shifts the gears accordingly," the announcement said. "For example, when a relatively long slow down is expected and radar detects no speed irregularities with the car ahead, the transmission clutch temporarily switches to neutral mode to improve fuel efficiency." While this sounds like a primarily green play, there are quality-of-life improvements too. For example, ICT can also optimize gear selection and shift points for safer highway merges, effectively implementing the equivalent of a "Sport Mode" driving profile when a little extra punch is called for.  Hyundai says the resulting decrease in shifts was significant; in some test scenarios, such as roads with lots of curves, the number of shifts executed by the transmission was reduced by almost half. As an added bonus, these vehicles also utilized their brakes less often (11%), which would reduce wear (and accompanying maintenance costs) over time.  ICT is somewhat future-proof, too, as it was developed to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) data should such networks improve down the line.  The announcement did not say when the new tech would reach customers, committing only to introducing the technology "on future vehicles." If we're betting, the smart money says it will probably on a new Genesis model and trickle down from there. Related Video:

YouTube tallies votes for this year's top five Super Bowl spots [w/video]

When we asked you to tell us which of this year's 16 car-themed Super Bowl commercials you liked best, you chose the Farmer commercial from Chrysler Group, advertising the Ram trucks, over Audi's Prom commercial in second place. Turns out the voters in YouTube's Ad Blitz poll agreed, voting the same commercial to the number one spot from among the field commercials in every category.
From there, however, they went in a totally different direction. Budweiser's The Clydesdales spot came second, Samsung's The Next Big Thing took third. The Jeep Whole Again ad scored fourth in the YouTube poll, fifth in our poll of auto commercials, and the Hyundai Team spot got fifth from the YouTubers, but ninth in our poll.
The voting results don't match up with the viewing numbers, though - while Farmer has more than 13 million views, The Next Big Thing is well beyond 21 million. You can read the press release below and see all five spots, lined up for you, one more time.