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The 2021 Kia Seltos and Kia Sportage are nearly the same size inside

The 2021 Kia Seltos unveiled here at the L.A. Auto Show slots between the Soul and Sportage in Kia's crossover lineup, but it's much closer to the latter in terms of size. In fact, the interior dimensions of the two are awfully similar. Take a look at the chart below. Second-row legroom is basically the same, which I can confirm, having sat in both Seltos and Sportage back-to-back. Headroom, however, is indeed better in the Seltos. Shoulder room is even quite similar. Taking a look in the cargo area, the Sportage's advantage seems to come from being deeper. It makes up for the Seltos being boxier, which should explain why it actually has greater maximum capacity.  So, if the two crossovers provide similar interior space (even if the Sportage is bigger outside), what's the point between the two. Why pay the extra $2,000 for a Sportage? For starters, take a look at those engine specs. The base Sportage engine has more horsepower than the Seltos' turbocharged upgrade, while blowing away the base offering.  Moving away from specs, the Sportage (above right) has a higher-quality cabin. The door sills and much of the dash consist of soft, low-sheen rubbery materials. The Seltos has hard plastic in those spots with some rubbery stuff stitched and applied to the dash. And while both Kia interiors have plenty of hard plastic, the stuff in the Seltos has a higher sheen and seems more prone to scratching. It looks and feels cheaper.  Frankly, this pair is awfully reminiscent of the Jeep Compass and Cherokee. They too have similar interior space, but differ in terms of performance, capability and refinement. After the Cherokee's recent facelift, though, at least these two Kias offer more greatly differentiated styling.    Here are photos of both the Seltos and Sportage for further comparison. 2021 Seltos View 29 Photos 2020 Kia Sportage View 2 Photos

Hyundai Motor Group reveals the E-GMP modular electric platform

Just as Volkswagen has the MEB platform for its ID. line of electric cars, Hyundai Motor Group is launching a modular architecture of its own. It's called E-GMP for "electric-global modular platform," and the motor and battery powertrain is called PE for "power electric." These components will underpin models from Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and the new Ioniq brand. The first to launch with it will be the Ioniq 5. One of the interesting aspects of this platform is that it will be designed with rear-wheel drive in mind. Like VW's and Tesla's EVs, the basic layout will feature a rear-mounted motor powering those back wheels, and the battery pack fits in the floor between the wheels. All-wheel drive will be available on some of these models with the addition of a second, front-mounted motor. That front motor will be able to mechanically disconnect from the front drive axles when not needed, allowing for less mechanical drag and more efficient driving. Hyundai is promising impressive performance from the E-GMP and its batteries and motors. The company claims that a car built on the platform could be capable of 0-62 mph sprints of 3.5 seconds with a top speed of about 162 mph. This will vary depending on motors, and Hyundai Motor Group revealed that there are three outputs of motor in development. Maximum range is expected to be 311 miles on the WLTP cycle. Hyundai didn't give exact power outputs or battery capacity in kWh, though. The battery pack is made up of standardized modules that can be added or subtracted depending on the needs of the vehicle, and the individual cells are pouch-type, similar to what GM is using in its Ultium batteries. The E-GMP cars will also support fast charging up to 800V and 350kW, so an 80% charge from empty could happen in just 18 minutes. Two-way charging will also be supported, so your electric Hyundai or Kia could provide up to 3.5kW of power to various appliances or even to another EV. Hyundai says you could run a "midsize" air conditioner and a 55-inch TV for up to 24 hours with an E-GMP car. Hyundai 45 View 14 Photos We won't have to wait long to see the first car based on this platform. The Ioniq 5, which will take design inspiration from the Hyundai 45 concept, will launch next year. The Ioniq 6, based on the Hyundai Prophecy concept, will come in 2022 and the Ioniq 7 in 2024. The first Kia model will be a crossover revealed next year, and it will have a performance variant.

Hyundai Palisade and Genesis GV80 production idled

In February of this year, the coronavirus pandemic forced Hyundai Motor Company to idle production at most of its factories in South Korea. The Chinese suppliers that provided wiring harnesses for models like the Hyundai Palisade and Genesis GV80 hadn't recovered from their COVID-19 shutdowns, causing a shortage of components. Since then, Hyundai, along with automakers around the globe, has faced repeated hurdles to restoring desired production numbers. Just-Auto reports another hiccup, with Hyundai compelled to shut down lines that build the Palisade and GV80 at its Ulsan, South Korea complex again last week over a lack of parts. Just-Auto didn't specify the parts in question. On top of that, Hyundai had already idled three lines at two plants after an employee at a supplier died, the cause of death thought to be COVID-19. Kia needed to do the same for two entire facilities in South Korea after two plant workers were diagnosed with the illness. In the U.S., Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama was idled from March 18 to May 4, resuming production at lower output on May 4 to manage inventory after the coronavirus and lockdown measures gutted new car sales.   Hyundai, like giant Ford and tiny McLaren, will be ruing the lost momentum of its recovery. The group turned in its best quarterly profit since 2017 at the end of last year, thanks to the larger margins that crossovers and SUVs deliver. Hyundai brand U.S. sales last year of 688,771 units was tantalizing close to an annual sum the brand hasn't hit since 2012. In January, the automaker predicted it would improve on last year's 3.5% group operating profit margin by hitting 5% this year. The nearly 10,000 reservations taken for the GV80 fueled the optimism, when Genesis sold just over 21,000 vehicles in total last year in the U.S. However, through the first quarter, group sales were down 11% globally and in the U.S. Worse, Just-Auto says the group's global sales have nosedived 26% through the first five months. The production halts on the models that deliver the best return will prolong the pain and make it sharper. Related Video: