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Redesigned 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and PHEV revealed in Chicago

The refreshed 2018 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and PHEV have been revealed at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show. While the updates are subtle, it's enough to breathe a little life into an underappreciated member of the Sonata clan. Like the rest of that clan, the fascias front and back have been redesigned. The grille in particular looks considerably more shapely and modern than the outgoing 2016 model's rather plain, Audi-aping unit. The fog light recesses are much more aggressive, better complimenting the headlights, which are new LED units. New wheel designs top off the exterior changes. It's all fairly handsome in toto. Inside, there's a new steering wheel, and behind that a revised instrument cluster. The infotainment system is upgraded with new nav overhead perspective features, and there's a Qi charging pad if you option the nav as well. Safety is a big part of this refresh: blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and lane change assist are now standard. Automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist are also new options for these two cars. The gasoline-electric powertrains are unchanged. The Hybrid's 193-horsepower-combined electric and gas motor output remains the same. That includes a 2.0-liter gas engine, a 38-kW electric motor mounted in the transmission, and a 1.76-kWh battery pack in the trunk. The PHEV gets a bigger 9.8-kWh battery for up to 27 miles of electric range. With the larger 50-kW motor, the PHEV combined horsepower rating swells to 202. Like every other 2018 Sonata, however, the suspension and steering have been revised. The front roll bar has been stiffened, the steering assistance has been recalibrated, and the rear trailing arms have been fitted with new bushings. As we discovered in our 2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport quick spin review, these changes make a surprisingly significant difference in the way this midsize sedan drives. One would assume the improvements to the hybrid models' vehicle dynamics would be comparable. The PHEV will only be sent to dealers in certain states: California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont. If you want a PHEV in another state, your dealer can order one – so technically it's available in all 50 states, if you're patient. Hybrids are available now-ish, and PHEVs will be available in the second quarter of this year. Related Video:

Hyundai, Kia want to improve fuel economy by 25 percent

Hyundai and sister company Kia are giving themselves a little bit of time to make up a lot of ground in the fight for better fuel economy. We wonder if a recent multi-million fine might have something to do with this public target. The connected South Korean companies are vowing to increase their fleetwide fuel economy by 25 percent by 2020, Reuters reports. This will be done by further advancing their powertrains, looking at other ways to reduce weight, upgrading diesel engines and improving transmissions. That will all take money, but Kia and Hyundai will have $300 million less to invest thanks to a recent fine of more than $300 million from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for incorrect fuel economy numbers on around 1.2 million vehicles from the 2011-2013 model years. The civil penalties – $100 million of the total – are the largest in EPA history. In late 2012, Hyundai and Kia admitted to overstating the fuel economy of a number of models and said they'd change the official MPG figures and compensate owners. Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford confirmed to AutoblogGreen that the company set the dramatic fuel-economy improvement targets. In the US, where Hyundai and Kia are operated as separate entities, Hyundai "remains committed to meeting the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements that have been set out by the US government," Hosford said The EPA recently released a report on fuel-economy and put Hyundai fourth in overall fleetwide fuel economy in the US among vehicle makers for the 2014 model year. The top three were Mazda, Honda and Subaru.

Auto execs surveyed say VW, BMW most likely to grow

A new survey of top global automotive executives indicates both Volkswagen and BMW are the most likely to grow their market share over the next five years.
Tax advisory firm KPMG LLP has released its 14th annual Global Automotive Executive Survey, which includes responses from over 200 executives. A total of 81 percent of respondents said they expect to see Volkswagen make gains, compared to 70 percent last year. BMW, meanwhile, saw 70 percent of those surveyed say they believe the company will increase its market share. That's a jump of 7 percentage points over last year. This is the first time in the history of the survey that BMW has claimed the second-place spot.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has seen its perceived market share potential slacken for the third year in a row. Around 61 percent of those surveyed predicted gains for Hyundai, down from 63 in 2012. Toyota also has a surprising year, but for just the opposite reason. While the manufacturer had slipped in ranking since 2011, it enjoyed the largest increase of any company in the 2013 survey, jumping to 68 percent from 44 percent last year.