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2015 Hyundai Genesis

It's not easy to drive a prototype-level version of the upcoming, second-generation Hyundai Genesis sedan.
Three hours in airports; fourteen hours in a plane; two hours riding in a car from a Iuncheon to my hotel in the now-famous Gangnam district of downtown Seoul; another two hours-plus on a bus from Seoul out to the Hyundai nerve center in Namyang. And that's just the travel.
Finally settled into a massive presentation room deep in the heart of the Namyang R&D center, freshly denuded of all of my camera gear and fortified with abundant coffee and green tea cookies, I still faced hours of product presentation; question and answer sessions with a large team of engineers, designers and executives; an official unveiling under the soaring dome of the Design Hall; a strolling lunch and more coffee. And then, finally, a shuttle ride to the proving grounds around which the whole facility hums with enterprise for an all-too-brief stint behind the wheel of a car that, by this point, I'm basically slavering to get my hands on.

Hyundai Recalling 883,000 Sonata Sedans

DETROIT (AP) - Hyundai is recalling its popular Sonata midsize sedan to fix problems with the gear shift levers. The recall covers 883,000 cars from the 2011 through 2014 model years. The Korean automaker says the automatic transmission shift cable can separate from the shift lever. If that happens, the lever may not show the correct gear, increasing the risk of a crash. Also, if the driver stops the car and puts the transmission in "park," the car may still be in gear and could roll away, injuring drivers, passengers or bystanders, Hyundai said in documents posted Wednesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Other symptoms include an inability to start the car because it can't be shifted into park. Hyundai has received 1,171 warranty claims about the problem, plus seven other reports with related symptoms. The documents don't say if there have been any crashes or injuries. The Sonatas being recalled were made from Dec. 11, 2009 through May 29, 2014. The Sonata is Hyundai's second-best-selling car in the U.S. so far this year. First is the compact Elantra. Hyundai will notify owners by letter between now and the end of September. Dealers will inspect the shift cables and repair the connection if needed. Owners with questions can call Hyundai customer service at (800) 633-5151. Recalls Hyundai

An inside look at Rhys Millen's new Pikes Peak Unlimited racer [w/video]

Wider, Lower And Decidedly More Sinister
Rhys Millen was sitting on a cooler whittling away at a piece of aluminum when I first arrived at the expansive skidpad at the California Proving Grounds, owned by Hyundai, located in a desolate part of the California desert about a dozen miles east of Mojave. By the time I had walked over to the accomplished driver for introductions, he had picked up a piece of sandpaper and begun to arduously file away at the alloy's rough edges, smoothing them masterfully.
He was focused on the job, but I politely interrupted him and asked what he was making. Ryhs looked up, smiled, and then grabbed a few zip-ties and asked me to come over to the new Hyundai RMR PM580-T, destined for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in just two short weeks, raised on its air jacks just a few yards away.