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Hyundai and Genesis launch Job Loss Protection programs for new buyers

In 2009, to help new owners through The Great Recession, Hyundai created what it called Hyundai Assurance and Assurance Plus programs. Together, the allowed new buyers to return their cars within 12 months in case of an involuntary layoff, and made up to three car payments for new buyers in the same jobless boat. With the novel coronavirus Covid-19 already creating similar effects to the financial crisis, Hyundai has reinstated its Assurance Job Loss Protection program, and brought Genesis in on it with Genesis Cares Job Loss Protection. Hyundai will make up to six months of payments for anyone who buys or leases a new Hyundai from a Hyundai dealer, financed though Hyundai Capital, between March 14 and April 30, 2020 if the owner or lessee loses their job any time this year. The relief is available to any customer, regardless of employment history. On top of that, anyone who buys a new Accent, Venue, Kona, Elantra, Elantra GT, Tucson, or Santa Fe before April 30 and finances through Hyundai Capital can ask to have their payments deferred for 90 days. The Genesis Cares Job Loss Protection program provides the same benefit, covering anyone who takes home a new Genesis at a Genesis dealer, financed through Genesis Capital, from March 14 to April 30. Any involuntary termination through the end of this year can qualify for having up to six months of payments taken care of. Those who elect to buy a G70 sedan and finance through Genesis Capital before April 30, 2020 can request to have payments deferred for 90 days. For more information on the programs, check out the Hyundai and Genesis web sites. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive goes on sale in Europe, Spain gets Nissan Leaf taxis

The new Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive goes on sale in Europe on November 3, with deliveries starting before the end of the year. Developed with the help of Tesla, the new electric B-Class offers more than 132 kilowatts (177 horsepower) and 250 pound-feet of torque. It features Economy Plus, Economy and Sport driving modes. An optional radar support system uses the collision prevention assist sensors to help make smarter decisions about when and how to use the regenerative braking. The B-Class Electric Drive also offers an optional Range Plus button, which can unlock more battery capacity when charging for the occasional longer drive. Learn more in the press release below. Racing returns to the streets of Miami for the first time in more than a decade for the Formula E Miami ePrix on March 14, 2015. Formula E has revealed the track layout, which takes the race around the Miami Heat's home court, American Airlines Arena, along the Biscayne Bay. "This event will help to make Miami more of a sports city," says Mayor Thomas Regalado. "In addition, we will show the younger generations that you may have motor racing without noise or pollution." Read more about the event at the Formula E website and see the track layout in detail here. Hyundai has delivered the first ix35 Fuel Cell vehicles to customers in the UK, including clean energy company ITM Power. ITM is responsible for three of the hydrogen refueling stations being built around the EU as part of the Hydrogen For Innovative Vehicles project - the same project that helped bring the Hyundai ix35 (also known as the Tucson) Fuel Cell to Europe. ITM's 700-bar hydrogen stations will be built in London by Spring 2015, each with its own electrolyzer system on site. In the meantime, ITM will use the ix35 for commutes between London and Sheffield, refueling at a site that uses wind-generated electricity from an on-site turbine to power the electrolyzer to make the hydrogen. Learn more in the press release below. Demand for aluminum is expected to climb as China builds more electric cars. Aluminum supplier Novelis says demand will likely increase 30 percent annually for the next 10 years in China, Japan and Korea, and possibly more depending on how China's plan to increase EV use and decrease air pollution shakes out. Read more at Bloomberg. Barcelona and Madrid have received their first all-electric taxis in the form of Nissan Leaf EVs.

2019 Hyundai Nexo fuel-cell debuts in California by year’s end

Hyundai will make its 2019 Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell crossover available in California by end of the year, and while it still hasn't announced pricing, it said the vehicle will be sold at Hyundai dealerships in Van Nuys and Tustin in Southern Cal, with a San Jose dealer coming online in early 2019. Read Autoblog's Quick Spin review of the 2019 Nexo here. The Nexo is the replacement for the Tucson Fuel Cell, which it leased to customers and use to log testing miles in 18 countries. Considered the second generation of Hyundai's fuel cell car, the Nexo boasts an estimated range of 380 miles, 115 more than its predecessor, in the Nexo Blue trim, with an estimated MPGe of 65 miles in the city, 58 on the highway and 61 combined. The Limited model offers a slightly more, uh, limited driving range of 354 miles and an estimated MPGe of 59/54/57. The EPA has yet to publish official fuel-economy ratings. Power and acceleration are also improved to 161 horsepower and 291 pound-feet of torque. Hyundai developed the Nexo on its own dedicated architecture, which it says weighs less (though how much is not known), offers an improved power-to-weight ratio, and delivers a 20 percent faster 0-60 mph sprint time at a not-particularly blistering 9.5 seconds over the Tuscon. Despite the three hydrogen tanks, they take up less total space than the Tucson FCEV, so rear cargo volume is increased by nearly 6 cubic feet to 29.6 cubic feet, with the battery relocated to the trunk. The Nexo is also longer by 10.3 inches and wider by 1.5 inches, with a longer wheelbase, though it's shorter by 1 inch. Overall power increases to 135 kilowatts, with a slightly less energy-dense fuel cell but a battery pack that jumps by 16 kW to 40 kW. The Nexo also gets a host of driver-assist technologies, like forward collision-avoidance assist, high-beam assist and what it calls remote smart parking assist, which enables the car to autonomously park or retrieve itself from either a parking space, including parallel slots and rear-first parking spaces. Related Video: