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Nissan Z Proto, next-gen Hyundai Tucson and a hi-po mystery Bronco | Autoblog Podcast #645

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. In the news this week, Ford has teased some sort of high-performance Bronco, Nissan unveiled the Z Proto, Hyundai revealed the next-gen Tucson and GMC teased the Hummer EV's "Crab Mode." Our editors break that all down for you, and share some insights and opinions before they turn to the cars in their own driveways. This week, they've been spending time with the 2020 Mercedes-AMG G 63, as well as the 2020 BMW Alpina B7. Autoblog Podcast #645 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Ford's beefed-up Bronco prototype stars in new teaser photo Nissan Z Proto previews the retro, rear-drive, turbo, manual future of the Z All the Nissan Z cars that got us to the Z Proto 2022 Hyundai Tucson debuts with striking styling inside and out GMC Hummer teases crab mode, reveal set for Oct. 20 Cars we're driving: 2020 Mercedes-AMG G 63 2020 BMW Alpina B7 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Hyundai patenting speed bump detection

Often patents are more about solving a small, annoying problem than really taking on the big issues. Take Hyundai's recent filing for a system to detect speed bumps, for example. Other than teens with a fresh license and ground-scraping supercar drivers, no one really sees spotting these traffic-slowing devices as the bane of their existence. However, the Korean automaker is out to make driving just a little more convenient for everyone with this tech. The Hyundai patent combines several pieces of currently available technology in a new way. GPS, a camera, and multiple sensors identify an oncoming speed bump, and they then measure its height, width, and curvature. With that info, the software calculates the appropriate speed to drive over the hump. If drivers are going too fast, then a warning message tells them to slow down. The patent is a straightforward solution to a problem that doesn't seem to really exist for many drivers. However, while Hyundai makes no mention of this in the documents, this tech could be extremely useful for applications in autonomous vehicles. All the system would need is the additional ability to slow itself automatically, and the driverless car could potentially handle a speed bump just as well as a human.

Hyundai leased 70 Tucson fuel-cell vehicles in first year

Since going on sale in the early summer of 2014, Hyundai has leased around 70 of its hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Tucson CUVs. That's the number that Mike O'Brien, Hyundai's vice president of corporate and product planning, revealed at a green vehicle event in Huntington Beach, CA, this week. There's a reason for the low number, O'Brien said. "Of course, everybody asks 'Why 70?' and it's basically tied to the number of fuel stations that are available," he said. "We were the first to actually pass over ownership of the vehicle, it's not a test program. It helps people put their money on the table, and they lease the car from us and it's their car. The customers that we've leased the vehicle to are ones that live close to a fuel station. "Right now there is less than 10 in the state of California. By the end of this calendar year, there should be in the mid-20s. And then, of course, under Gov. Jerry Brown's $200 million towards construction, I believe about 100 stations [will come online] through the end of the next couple of years. As those stations get built out, we're taking more and more applications for vehicle sales." In January 2014, O'Brien told AutoblogGreen that 88,000 people had expressed an interest in owning a fuel-cell Tucson. O'Brien said that Hyundai needs the customers to be close to a hydrogen station so that driving the car feels similar to what they're used to doing. "We just want to make sure there is a satisfying experience of ownership, and that's the most important thing, to make that their ownership experience matches what they've experienced with a gasoline car," he said. The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell can be leased for $499 a month, which includes free refueling. For the 2016 model year, the Tucson FCV gets HomeLink connectivity in the rear-view mirror and two new exterior colors, Hydro Blue and Chromium Silver, in addition to the already available Winter White. 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Continues To Attract Zero-Emissions-Focused Customers With New Colors And Features World's First Mass-Produced Fuel Cell Vehicle Available For $499 per month Lease Includes Unlimited Free Hydrogen Refueling and At Your Service Valet Maintenance FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai's zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle continues to satisfy and attract new customers focused on high-versatility and clean transportation.