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Hyundai spotted testing Prius-style hybrid

The Toyota Prius has become an automotive icon – maybe less so among actual automotive enthusiasts than with the public at large – to the extent that most anyone on the street would recognize its five-door hatchback form and immediately identify it as a hybrid. Little wonder that Honda tried to emulate it with the second-gen Insight, but while that didn't work out so well for Honda, it looks like Hyundai is preparing to go down the same road with a dedicated hybrid of its own. Our paparazzi on the ground in the Arctic Circle have spotted this protoytpe and tell us what we're looking at is a new Prius-fighter from the Korean automaker. Snapped up high on a transporter truck, you can see the orange high-voltage cables underneath and a label with the letters AE HEV – the latter standing, of course, for Hybrid Electric Vehicle. We wouldn't be surprised if the AE stood for Advanced Experimental or Alternative Energy or something of the sort. Tipped to be based on the same platform as the next-generation Elantra, the new Hyundai hybrid is said to pack a 1.6-liter inline-four working in parallel with an electric motor juiced by a lithium-ion battery pack. It's expected to begin production in the second half of 2016, with a plug-in and possibly other variants to follow a year to a year and a half after its initial launch.

10 of 18 midsize SUVs earn 'good' IIHS side impact safety rating

It's not terribly surprising that midsize SUVs earned better safety ratings than small SUVs in the latest side-impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Just how much better they scored, on the other hand, certainly raises an eyebrow. Ten out of 18 midsize SUVs earned the highest rating of 'good' in the stringent new test, altered for vehicles starting with the 2020 model year with a heavier barrier (4,200 pounds) that moves at a higher speed (37 miles per hour) and is fitted with a hard honeycomb frontal structure. By way of contrast, just one out of of 20 small SUVs earned a 'good' score.  SUVs that receiving 'good' scores were the Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln Aviator, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Volkswagen ID.4. For EV fans, it's worth noting the ID.4 was the only electric vehicle included in the test. The Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse scraped away with 'acceptable' ratings while the Honda Passport, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Wrangler 4-door, Kia Telluride and Nissan Murano were deemed merely 'marginal' in the tough new test. Only two models — the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen ID.4 — earned a "Good" rating in every test category.  Interestingly, the Jeep Wrangler would have scored a 'good' rating if it were equipped with side airbags for the rear seating positions. It would likely be an engineering challenge to equip its removable top and/or doors with airbags, but the lack of that safety feature allowed the head of the rear passenger dummy to hit the vertical support of the top. Otherwise, the Wrangler scored good ratings across the board. The new Ford Bronco, which makes more allowances for side-impact safety, has not yet been tested.  The popular Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride SUVs stand out in the test with 'poor' ratings for driver pelvis injuries. The Nissan Murano, a vehicle last redesigned for the 2015 model year, was the only vehicle tested that received a 'poor' rating for its structure and safety cage. Videos of the tests of 12 of these 18 SUVs can be found on the IIHS' YouTube page. Related video: Green Buick Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jeep Kia Mazda Nissan Subaru Toyota Volkswagen Safety Crossover SUV IIHS Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Hyundai hits milestone with 10 million cars sold in US

Hyundai entered the US market in 1986, and initial success with the Excel was followed by a difficult period of quality woes. The company refused to bow out of the country, and began a turnaround. Now after nearly 30 years, the automaker is a highly respected player in the market and is celebrating the milestone of selling its 10 millionth vehicle in the US. Amazingly, just five models make up nearly 85 percent of Hyundai's lifetime US sales, and unsurprisingly the Scoupe isn't one of them. The brand's bestselling model in that time is the Sonata with nearly 2.5 million examples on the road and 24.98 percent of the company's total volume. At 24.85 percent of deliveries, the Elantra barely squeezes into second place, and the Santa Fe is a somewhat distant third with about 1.25 million deliveries. Rounding out the top five are the Excel – Hyundai's first US model – at 11.47 percent and the Accent at 11.03 percent. Since opening in 2005, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama has been responsible for a healthy portion of those 10 million total sales by assembling 2.66 million vehicles, including the Sonata and Elantra. "About 56 percent of the cars Hyundai sells in the United States are made here," company President and CEO Dave Zuchowski said in the milestone's announcement. Take a look at where Hyundai is today and at some of its vintage models in the gallery above. With volume up consecutively for the last seven years, it probably won't take another three decades for the automaker to celebrate the 20 million mark. Milestone Marks Automaker's Continued Investment in U.S. Market and Economy FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 28, 2015 – Hyundai marked a monumental milestone today, selling its 10 millionth vehicle in the United States. Having started in 1986 with a single nameplate, reaching 10 million sales is a significant achievement that showcases the success of Hyundai's continually expanding lineup. "The United States has been a key region of focus for nearly three decades, and this landmark achievement comes after years of accelerated growth and the strategic rollout of our product line," said Derrick Hatami, vice president of national sales, Hyundai Motor America. "Today serves as a testament to the design, quality and value of Hyundai's product portfolio. The American car market continues to be on the rise, with more than 17 million new car sales expected in 2015.