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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

Top torque-to-weight ratios under $100k, $50k and $25k

Horsepower may steal a lot of headlines, but the always-more-complex torque figure is often a critical one for both the workingman and the motoring playboy. The measure of rotational force represents the twist that can liquefy one's tires or haul one's horse trailer. Good stuff.
It follows then, that as with the horsepower-to-weight list that we assembled for you a few months ago, a list of cars that offer the most pound-feet with the fewest pounds to carry, is an interesting one to break down. Sure, there's a big difference in how the torque is applied from a turbocharged six-cylinder in a Swedish luxury sedan and a massive heavy-duty truck's turbo-diesel. But being the car/stat geeks that we are, we think it's kinda neat that those two vehicles rank near each other where torque and weight intersect.
As with the horsepower list, we've given you figures as pounds per every one pound-foot. Again broken down into broad price categories, we've got a mixed bag of 2014 and 2015 models here, too. Every effort has been made to select the most up-to-date prices and specs, and we've also to omitted some '14 cars that won't be re-upped after the ongoing yearly changeover.

Hyundai Rockar dealership concept a kinder way to buy a car [w/video]

The simple car-buying battle line these days usually centers around dealerships versus some alternative method, like online, that bypasses the dealer. A few manufacturers are trying ways in between those two poles, so that customers can visit a retail concept brick-and-mortar location but avoid the negative associations they have with dealerships; Audi's done it in London, BMW's done it in Paris and Tesla is doing it all over. After two years in development, Hyundai has done the same with its Hyundai Rockar store in the Bluewater shopping mall in Kent, England. Hyundai UK partnered with Simon Dixon on the venture, Dixon being a 20-year veteran of the car industry who was frustrated by the experience of having to buy a car at a traditional dealership. Rockar, tucked between a Disney store and a Body Shop, keeps three vehicles in the store; if you prefer, you can handle the entire car-buying transaction online at home, or at computer stations in the store with the help of "Angels," otherwise known as salespeople. Focusing on the retail experience, however, the Angels don't have car backgrounds; they've been trained in the product, but we're told they aren't there to push it on you. Car hunters who want to trade in can input their car to get fair trade value; Rockar says all of its trade-ins go straight to auction, so values are based on dealer auction guides, and every customer gets a no-haggle purchase price. There's a test-drive facility in the mall's enormous parking lot, and prospective customers can go for a spin without a salesperson. It will also attend to routine service needs: owners can book appointments, bring their car to the mall, amuse themselves for a few hours and pick it up the car it's completed. Rockar says it will do routine maintenance on any car, not just Hyundais. Echoing Audi and BMW, Hyundai UK says this isn't about replacing the dealership, but trying to find a better, easier, and less stressful way for potential customers to interact with the brand and buy a car. Bluewater gets 27 million visitors per year, and in just over a month of being open more than 4,000 of them have stopped into Rockar, with three buying a car. Rockar says it will provide free service for three years for the first 100 buyers, and Hyundai expects it to be one of its UK's top ten dealers by the end of 2015. The video has more on the concept. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.