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Hyundai will add Ioniq EVs to WaiveCar car-sharing fleet

Hyundai Motor America will add its Ioniq electric vehicles to a Southern California-based car-sharing fleet that launched earlier this year with Chevrolet Spark EVs. Hyundai reached an agreement with Santa Ana, Calif.-based WaiveCar in which Hyundai will provide 150 Ioniq EVs to the fleet by the time sales begin for the model early next year. Hyundai may add an additional 250 Ioniq EVs to WaiveCar fleets in other cities. WaiveCar is an app-based car-sharing service that debuted in Los Angeles in early 2016. The company offers drivers the cars for free for the first two hours, then charges $6 an hour for more time. WaiveCar also generates revenue via external advertising wraps around the vehicles, and also features geo-located targeted ads. Take a look at Hyundai's press release about the WaiveCar agreement here. Curiously, and somewhat admirably, Hyundai earlier this week went on record as saying the Ioniq's 124-mile single-charge range won't be sufficient in the long haul. The South Korean automaker has vowed to replace the upcoming version with an Ioniq EV for 2018 that will be able to go at least 200 miles on a full charge. That's not a bad move, considering General Motors is preparing to launch its Chevrolet Bolt EV, while Tesla is working on its Model 3. Both of those models will have 200-mile-plus full-charge ranges. Hyundai announced the incoming sales of the Ioniq EV earlier this year. A hybrid version of the Ioniq also debuted in South Korea earlier this year. Overall, Hyundai is looking to debut more than two-dozen hybrids, plug-ins, and fuel-cell vehicles to the world by the end of the decade. Related Video:

Hyundai cranks the Tucson to 700 hp for SEMA

The annual SEMA Show doesn't kick off in Las Vegas until Nov. 3, but Hyundai is getting an early start by teasing another collaboration with the talented tuners at Bisimoto Engineering. Following up on their high-performance takes on the Sonata, Genesis Coupe, and Elantra GT of past years, the attention turns to the Tucson. Now that the crossover packs over 700 horsepower, Bisimoto prefers to describe it as a "Brute Ute." To crank that much power out of a Tucson, the tuners perform quite a long list of modifications to Hyundai's 2.4-liter Theta-II four-cylinder. Among them, the mill gets strengthened internal parts, a new cam, high-boost turbo, and updated management system. Bisimoto then routes the grunt through a six-speed manual gearbox. The tuners match the massive power with an appropriately wild look. Up front, the normal grille is gone, and now all that's visible is a massive intercooler. The blue Tucson also hunkers low over 19-inch wheels thanks to a custom air suspension, and bigger brakes should help slow things down at high speed. The interior also gets outfitted with an upgraded stereo, and there's now a roll cage in there, too. While only being shown currently in the sketch above, we expect to get all the angles at SEMA in November. Bisimoto Engineering's First CUV is the Most-Powerful Tucson Ever FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 21 2015 –Hyundai has revealed the most-powerful 2016 Tucson ever created, built by the powertrain gurus at Bisimoto Engineering for 2015 SEMA. Partnering for a fourth straight year, Bisimoto's "Brute Ute" will be revealed at Hyundai's SEMA press conference on November 3 at 11:30 a.m. PT, in Las Vegas. Utilizing Hyundai's 2.4-liter "Theta-II" power plant as the starting point for the build, similar to last year's 2015 Sonata, Bisimoto mated strengthened internals with fast-burning flex-fuel, a high-boost turbocharger and an upgraded engine management system to put down more than 700 horsepower to the wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission. This rendition of the 2016 Tucson was built with the ultimate vision of packing world-beating performance and technology into a brand-new, unexpected vehicle platform. "The 2016 Tucson was the perfect platform for this year's build, offering me the opportunity to captivate a wider audience by tapping into the growing popularity of the CUV market," said Bisi Ezerioha, owner and chief engineer, Bisimoto Engineering.

John Krafcik eyes Sonata, talks about his new role

As hundreds of people gathered to watch the unveiling of the 2015 Hyundai Sonata at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, John Krafcik, a driving force behind the new vehicle, found himself in a peculiar position.
He stood far away from the car, away from the crowd. He watched from the Nissan stand as the covers were pulled off the Sonata.
If it was an awkward moment for Krafcik, whose tenure as Hyundai's chief executive officer ended on January 1, he didn't show it. He offered effusive praise of the Sonata. "It's a beautiful car," he said. "I think it's wonderful."