2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

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Rivian R1T, Mini Cooper Electric owners happiest with their EVs

The J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study is out, and there's change at the top. With the swelling adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. over in the past two years especially, the third year of the EVX study changes focus to first-time EV buyers. Those two factors encouraged change at the top of both premium and mass-market segments. Among premium EVs, the Rivian R1T pickup scored overall victory in its first year of eligibility with a satisfaction score of 794 out of 1,000. The Tesla Model 3 takes second place with 759 points. Tesla had won the top two premium spots in the study in 2021 and in 2022. The average score in the premium segment was 756. The Tesla Model Y (754), Audi E-Tron (735), and Polestar 2 (724) filled out the list of the five eligible models this year. Among the ten eligible mass-market vehicles, the Mini Cooper Electric nabbed the overall win by scoring 782. The Kia EV6 came second with 762 points, keeping Kia in the top two; the Kia Niro EV won the mass-market segment the previous two years. The Ford Mustang Mach-E (742), Hyundai Ioniq 5 (738), and Volkswagen ID.4 (735) completed the top five, the Niro EV (733) in sixth. All were above the segment average of 730. The four models fell below the segment average were the Ford F-150 Lightning (723), Chevrolet Bolt EUV (716), Chevrolet Bolt (711), and Nissan Leaf (698). How are the scores derived? J.D. Power worked with EV app maker and research firm PlugShare to get owner responses in ten areas: accuracy of stated battery range; availability of public charging stations; battery range; cost of ownership; driving enjoyment; ease of charging at home; interior and exterior styling; safety and technology features; service experience; and vehicle quality and reliability. Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, said, "Recent vehicle launches from both new brands and traditional automakers have had a profound effect on what factors are most important in the ownership experience. Today’s EV owners are looking for quality, reliability, driving enjoyment, safety and technology features." The Mini, in fact, scored highest of any premium and mass-market EV in the studyÂ’s highest-weighted index factor, quality and reliability.

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 promises brand new EV for US within three years

The big and official news from Hyundai at the Washington Auto Show this week was that a bunch of people went to the website for the Tucson Fuel Cell CUV. But as Michael O'Brien, the vice president of corporate and product planning for Hyundai Motor America, was announcing that bit of news, an off-hand mention of something more battery-powered caught our ear. Hyundai calls the hydrogen Tucson the "next-generation EV," but in the US, that H2 vehicle will actually beat an EV to the company's showrooms. There have been hints about a Hyundai EV in the US before – and the Korean company has shown off the BlueOn EV (pictured), based on the i10 – but O'Brien was willing to give a little bit more information on the still-nebulous EV plans. "It will be a new product, that's all we can say right now" The i10 electric vehicles have been in service since they were used at the G20 summit in Seoul, Korea in 2010 O'Brien said, but the EV that's coming to the US will be completely different. It will be a compact-class EV wearing the Hyundai badge (so, not the Soul EV from sister brand Kia) that could, based on demand, be sold in more locations than the Tucson Fuel Cell, which is going to be limited to places like California where there are hydrogen fueling stations. "It will be a new product, that's all we can say right now," O'Brien said. "It will be within the next three years. Not a firm production date, but soon." In general, Hyundai is still more confident in hydrogen as the preferred zero-emission solution, and O'Brien cited range anxiety as the number one obstacle to EV adoption, with the slow recharge rate in second place. Still, strict emissions regulations mean that automakers will need to look at many options, and Hyundai is more ready than ever to dip its toes in the plug-in side of the pool. Featured Gallery Hyundai Blueon unveiled in South Korea News Source: Hyundai Green Misc. Auto Shows Hyundai AutoblogGreen Exclusive Electric dc auto show washington auto show hyundai ev i10