2014 Hyundai Accent on 2040-cars

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Hyundai-Kia claims 'greenest' title from Honda, Big Three still big losers

Let's start with the good news. On average, any new car you buy in the US today will be 43 percent cleaner than any average new car in 1998. Here's some more good news, for Korea anyway, Hyundai-Kia has been named the cleanest automaker in the latest study by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which looked at 2013 model year vehicles sold between October 2012 and September 2013 from the top eight automakers (by volume). The bad news? The big three Detroit automakers are, on average, still making the dirtiest cars in the showroom. The big three Detroit automakers are, on average, still making the dirtiest cars in the showroom. The problem for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler lies in their trucks, which sell well but tend to have pretty bad fuel economy (compared to sedans, at least). The UCS calculates its list by averaging "the per-mile emissions for each light-duty vehicle sold by each automaker" and then factors in "the fuel economy, fuel type, and sales volume of each type of vehicle sold by each automaker" and "the upstream global warming emissions from producing and distributing the fuel used by each vehicle, as well as emissions from the vehicles themselves." That all means that, the more trucks you sell, the worse you're gonna do. Then again, the more trucks you sell with 18 mpg, the more you're helping drivers put CO2 into the air, so the UCS is doing a fair comparison of the things that this study is trying to track. More details on the methodology are available on page six of the study PDF. In case you were wondering (we were), UCS did make sure to use the revised mpg numbers for Hyundai and Kia models that were originally overstated. Hyundai has apologized for and fixed those figures and even with the new, corrected numbers, Hyundai's total emissions are dropping at a rate of about three percent a year, enough for it to take the greenest company title for the first time. In fact, this is the first time that an automaker other than Honda has come out on top in the UCS ranking, which has been released six times now, including the first one in 2000 (which looked at 1998 model year data). In 2010, Honda was almost knocked off the winner's perch by both Hyundai and Toyota, but managed to hold on. Chrysler, on the other hand, came in dead last (again) in the ranking of the top eight automakers, snagging the "dirtiest tailpipe" award once (again). Read the UCS' press release below.

Hyundai in hot water over suicide-themed commercial

There's a surprisingly long and storied history of automakers creating suicide-themed advertisements. You'd think the companies and their marketing firms would have figured out by now that such ads always result in a swirl of backlash - see examples from Audi, Citroën, General Motors and Volkswagen, all pasted down below, as proof.
It seems somebody at Hyundai didn't get the message that many people don't find suicide a laughing matter. A video making the rounds on the web that was, according to Hyundai, produced in the UK, depicts a man trying to commit suicide by pumping exhaust fumes into the passenger compartment of his car. As it turns out, the self-assisted death doesn't quite go according to plan.
Scroll down below to see the ad from Hyundai, a slew of similar spots from other automakers, and an official statement from Hyundai. After that, we suggest reading this piece from our friends at AOL Autos to see how deeply such thoughtless advertisements can affect people.

Hyundai launches Blue Link update for smartwatches

Hyundai released an update for its Blue Link app last week that makes it work through smartwatches. The app is downloaded through Google Play and works with Android Wear watches. A version that's compatible with Apple smartwatches is under development, and Hyundai expects to launch it soon after the Apple Watch launches April 24, a spokesman said. The Blue Link smartwatch app was revealed this year at the Consumer Electronics Show. Features include remote engine start and stop capabilities, remote door locking and unlocking, the ability to honk the horn and flash the lights and a function to call roadside assistance. All of the features can be done through voice commands. Hyundai's smartwatch app will work with cars equipped with first and second generations of Blue Link. The smartwatch app is a companion feature, and it needs to be paired to the owner's smartphone that has the Blue Link app. Blue Link launched on the 2012 Sonata and rolled out across Hyundai's lineup in 2013. The second-generation system is available on the 2015 Genesis, Sonata and Azera. "Blue Link subscribers and gadget lovers will appreciate a more convenient way to interact with their Hyundai vehicles," Frank Ferrara, executive vice president, customer satisfaction, Hyundai Motor America, said in a statement. HYUNDAI BLUE LINK SMARTWATCH APP AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY Android Wear Can Remote Start Your Hyundai * Smartwatch App Compatible with First and Second Generation Blue Link Equipped Hyundai Models * Commands Work with Voice Recognition FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Mar. 4, 2015 – Today Hyundai owners no longer need to fish out a phone from a pocket or purse to remote start, lock or unlock their car using Blue Link(tm). They also won't need to look down at a phone to find their car in a crowded parking lot if they can't remember where they parked after a sold out sporting event or a business trip. This is because Hyundai has launched its Blue Link smartwatch companion app to help owners with these tasks. The latest Blue Link app update on Google Play now includes the smartwatch companion app for Android Wear. The Blue Link smartwatch app will be available for the Apple Watch shortly after its release. "Blue Link subscribers and gadget lovers will appreciate a more convenient way to interact with their Hyundai vehicles," said Frank Ferrara, executive vice president, customer satisfaction, Hyundai Motor America.