2013 Hyundai Elantra Gls on 2040-cars

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Hyundai shocks Korea with mid-engined Veloster concept

There are many things we love here at Autoblog, but one of the quirkiest is the mid-engined hot hatch, whether it's the Renaultsport Clio V6 or the Volkswagen GTI W12-650 concept. Unfortunately, we can never seem to get our hands on one - the former never having made the transatlantic journey and the latter remained strictly a concept. And now we've got one more to salivate over.
It's called, simply enough, the Veloster Midship concept, and Hyundai is unveiling it this week at the Busan Motor Show in South Korea. As you might have guessed, it's essentially a Veloster with the engine - a 2.0-liter Theta turbo four producing 296 horsepower - mounted behind the two seats. It's also got a lightweight aluminum suspension, a reinforced chassis and extreme aero to help that mid-mounted turbo engine do its thing.
The project was undertaken by the same team that developed the initial i20 WRC rally car, but unfortunately as Hyundai itself says in the press release below (released with the solitary image above), "The Midship is a concept only to explore possibilities for the Veloster chassis and is currently not related to any future production model." Which is a bit of a shame, but hardly a surprise.

Kia Soul EV starts production next month amidst modest sales projections

The hamsters in those Kia Soul commercials? Looks like they'll be riding real quiet and quite clean a little sooner than we thought. Kia is now saying it will start production of the 2015 Soul EV next month, and sales will start later this year in the company's home country of South Korea. Additionally, according to Reuters, Kia is keeping sales expectations low, suggesting it should sell about 5,000 Soul EVs a year at a price of around $39,000, though the out-of-pocket costs should be cut in half because of South Korean government subsidies. Kia's taking a somewhat conservative approach to its early sales target as it focuses largely on the US and Europe during its first phase, said Kia spokesman Michael Choo. "We are currently conducting launch feasibility studies for the secondary phase of Soul EV introduction and plan to expand sales to other countries at a later stage," he said. "Hence, we believe the sales volume of the Soul EV will steadily grow following our initial full year of sales." As for the US, Kia spokesman James Hope tells AutoblogGreen that while the company hasn't set a definitive debut date, "we are targeting Q3 of this year." Hope says Kia isn't providing Soul EV sales guidance for the US, so we'll just have to see where the EV chips fall come September or so. Reuters also notes that sister company Hyundai will start selling its own battery-electric vehicle in 2016, a timetable confirmed by Hyundai Senior Vice President Lee Ki-sang. Both Kia and Hyundai are shooting for a South Korean electric-vehicle market that they hope will expand exponentially from a total of just 713 sales last year. The front-wheel-drive Soul EV will have a 81-kilowatt electric motor, and its single-charge range will be about 120 miles. The model was first shown off at the Chicago Auto Show last month, but Autoblog scored an early prototype test drive ahead of the reveal – check out our feature drive report here. Kia Motors shows Soul EV and next-generation hybrid powertrain at Geneva Show (SEOUL) March 4, 2014 -- The new Kia Soul EV made its European debut at the 84th Salon International de l'Automobile in Geneva, Switzerland, today alongside a special technology exhibit of the brand's next-generation hybrid powertrain.

2014 Hyundai Tucson gets DI engines, styling tweaks, priced from $21,450*

Despite being overhauled for the 2010 model year, not much attention has been paid to the Hyundai Tucson crossover in recent times. But when its overseas twin, the ix35, received modest updates at this year's Geneva Motor Show, we knew it'd only be a matter of time before the US-spec model was blessed with similar tweaks. So, without further ado, meet the ever-so-slightly enhanced 2014 Tucson.
The most significant mid-cycle change is found under the Tucson's hood, where two new direct-injected four-cylinder powerplants are found. On the base end, there's a brand new 2.0-liter "Nu" inline-four, good for 164 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. These numbers represent a loss of one measly horsepower, but five more foot-pounds of torque. Nothing significant here, and fuel economy is only slightly better - 23/29 miles per gallon city/highway versus the 22/29 rating of the 2013 model. Uplevel Tucson models use a revamped 2.4-liter engine, also featuring direct injection, which produces 182 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque - gains of six hp and nine lb-ft, respectively. That said, fuel economy for the front-wheel-drive, automatic transmission model has actually suffered some - 2013's rating of 21/30/25 mpg (city/highway/combined) has fallen slightly to 21/28/24. Both front- and all-wheel drive are available on all trim levels.
As far as visual enhancements go, the 2014 Tucson now uses projector-beam halogen headlamps up front and LED taillamps out back, and redesigned 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels are fitted, depending on trim level. Inside, two new cabin colors are available - beige and brown - the navigation system has been enhanced with a choice of two touchscreen interfaces, and there are now two-stage reclining rear seats.