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2016: The year we talked about autonomy a bunch | Autoblog Podcast #497

This week on the Autoblog Podcast, Mike Austin and David Gluckman take a look back at one of the biggest topics of 2016: autonomous driving. The thing is, there was a lot of news about autonomous driving, but not much in the way of autonomous cars you can buy. They also talk about what they've been driving lately - there was a good turbocharged compact car and a not-so-good turbocharged compact car. And then we round out the year with a quick Spend My Money. The podcast will take a break next week, but we'll be back in the new year with reports from CES and the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. And we're lining up some fun guests for future recordings. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And please send trivia questions! You'll get the honor of stumping your fellow listeners, and we'll thank you too. Autoblog Podcast #497 Topics and stories we mention 2017 Hyundai Elantra Sport 2017 Nissan Sentra SR Turbo 2016 Honda Accord V6 (The sedan, but here's our Quick Spin of the coupe for reference) Autonomous Driving Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 02:40 Rants (metal trim on steering wheels, learn how your car works) - 14:25 Looking back at autonomous driving in 2016 - 21:10 Spend My Money - 31:20 Total Duration: 37:46 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Honda Hyundai Nissan Car Buying Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles nissan sentra

Second-generation Hyundai Veloster spied with same asymmetric doors

Until we saw these photos, the future of the Veloster didn't look especially bright. It's entering its fifth year on sale with no major updates, and no announcements for a replacement. It also was killed in the UK three years ago when it wasn't selling well. However, these photos show that Hyundai hasn't given up on it. At first glance, it looks very much like the current model, but closer inspection reveals some differences. Up front, the hood looks lower, and it tapers down to what seems to be an exaggerated version of the "cascade grille" Hyundai has implemented on the Elantra GT, and new Sonata. The headlights look slimmer, and there seem to be fewer busy, "quirky" lines. Moving backward, we find the same asymmetric door layout consisting of one door on the left, and two on the right. On the right side, the rear door handle is still tucked in the corner of the window. The glass area on the right also appears a bit larger thanks to a lower edge that stays lower for longer. At the rear, the camouflage is at its heaviest, but interesting details still show through. The rearmost glass seems to be more steeply raked. We can't tell if there's still glass on the top of the hatch, but considering the evolutionary nature of this car's design, we would expect the same amount of hatch glass. The taillights have adopted the slim and wide look of other recent Hyundai's. The center-exit exhaust remains, too, but it looks a bit smaller, and no longer has an obvious split in the middle. On either side of the bumper are auxiliary vents, likely fake. Besides the low sales and limited updates, another reason we questioned the future of the Veloster was its unremarkable driving dynamics. While forgivable in the base model, it was an issue on the Turbo, which simply wasn't fun enough to recommend over competitors. We're glad to see Hyundai will give it another shot, though, since the world can always use more quirky and interesting automobiles. Hopefully this next one will drive better. And who knows, it might even spawn a crazy mid-engine, rear-drive version. Related Video:

Hyundai pickup truck sounding more likely

Hyundai looks poised to get into the pickup market, according to the latest report from Automotive News. The Korean automaker revealed the Santa Cruz concept at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, previewing a vehicle that combines the best attributes of a pickup truck with those of a small crossover – sort of like a Honda Ridgeline, but smaller. It's an idea whose time has come, says Hyundai's US chief Dave Zuchowski. "We're assuming that it's going to get done," he told AN. "It's just not officially done yet." He expects it to be approved sometime within the next decade, and when it does enter production, Zuchowski said it could emerge as the first diesel-powered Hyundai offered in America. The biggest challenge, however, may not lie in convincing the head office in Seoul to give it the green light. The company's plant in Montgomery, AL, is strained enough producing the Sonata, Elantra and Santa Fe. In order to produce the pickup as well, Hyundai would need to either expand the current plant or build a new one.