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Hyundai HND-12 Enduro Concept shows Seoul a motorcycle-inspired CUV

While the New York Auto Show is grabbing our attention with major debuts, Seoul, South Korea, is celebrating its own automotive event. There, Hyundai is showing off a new three-door crossover concept called the HND-12 Enduro that's inspired by long-distance, off-road motorcycles. Despite its rugged inspiration, this concept isn't made to get dirty, Instead, the Enduro is aimed at folks living in cities "with energetic, athletic lifestyles," according to Hyundai. The result looks like a Veloster after spending a lot of time at the gym that's mixed with a smaller take on the Intrado concept. To fit Hyundai's modern style, the Enduro wears a hexagonal grille but features a polished aluminum blade at the bottom that wraps around to a the muscular, black-cladded fenders. Even with its higher ride height, the concept looks a bit more like a sporty three-door hatch than a CUV in profile. The roof has just the slightest curve and leads to a tiny rear window, which is outlined almost completely by the taillights. To lend a little more utility, side steps near the rear wheels make it easier to load the top, but good luck finding much room up there to carry anything. Although, one neat feature is a sliding storage drawer hidden in the bumper just below the hatch. Inside, the Enduro is driver-focused with the center console and dashboard enveloping the pilot. Hyundai designers also try to bring in some motorcycle cues with a steering wheel inspired by the hand moldings of a road bike. While purely a concept for now, power from the Enduro comes from Hyundai's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and it's linked to a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox. Related Video: HYUNDAI MOTOR INTRODUCES 'ENDURO' LIFESTYLE CUV CONCEPT AT 2015 SEOUL MOTOR SHOW Urban crossover utility vehicle harmonizes with energetic, athletic lifestyles 'The Professional Gear' for drivers wanting to escape the ordinary Design concept is expressed in rugged, versatile yet sophisticated form language April 2, 2015 - Hyundai Motor is celebrating the world premiere of its all-new design concept, the 'Enduro' lifestyle urban crossover utility vehicle (CUV), at the 11th Seoul Motor Show today (Thursday). The name 'Enduro' is derived from 'Endurance.' Also, Enduro visually combines SUV looks with rally motorcycles which compete in the world's toughest rally events. The Enduro is designed as the perfect partner for individuals living in the modern city with energetic, athletic lifestyles.

Hyundai, Porsche top J.D. Power APEAL study

Just as they did in the Initial Quality Study, Porsche and Hyundai have taken the premium and non-premium crown, respectively, for the 2014 J.D. Power APEAL study. This is the tenth consecutive year for that Porsche has been rated the best premium make in the APEAL study, which attempts to figure out how pleased owners are with their purchases. For 2014, it asked 86,000 owners of MY2014 cars to rate their vehicles in 77 different categories 90 days after their initial purchase. The resulting figures were plugged in deliver the APEAL score, which is rated on a 1,000-point scale. The industry average sits at 794 points for 2014, although that's a one-percent decline over last year's rating. In this year's study, premium brands averaged 840 out of 1,000, while non-premium makes average 785. For their part, Porsche netted an impressive 882 points, while Hyundai earned an 804. Interestingly, only four non-premium brands (Hyundai, Ram, Volkswagen and Mini) finished above the industry average for 2014. It's also interesting to see the clear delineation between premium and non-premium brands, with an eight-point gap between the non-premium champ, Hyundai, and the lowest-rated premium brand, Volvo. Porsche and Hyundai weren't the only automakers to take home recognition. Dodge managed to tie Porsche for the most segment awards, with three. The Challenger, Charger and Dart all topped their market. There were a number of two-segment winners, as well, with Audi, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan capturing a pair of segments each. Scroll down for the full press release from JD Power on this year's winners. Automakers Struggle to Impress Owners with Increased Usefulness of In-Vehicle Technologies And Features on All-New and Redesigned Models Dodge and Porsche Each Receive Three Segment-Level Awards; Audi, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan Each Receive Two WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 23 July 2014 - Although manufacturers are putting more and more technologies and functionality in their new and redesigned models, satisfaction with these features is not significantly higher among owners of those models than among owners of carryover models, according to the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM released today. The APEAL Study, now in its 19th year, serves as the industry benchmark for new-vehicle appeal. Owners evaluate their vehicle across 77 attributes, which combine into an overall APEAL score that is measured on a 1,000-point scale.

Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317: