2013 Hyundai Sonata Limited on 2040-cars

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Hyundai plant one of 100 factories shutting down in wake of Beijing pollution scare

Many factories and chemical plants have suspended production in Beijing in an attempt to curb dangerous pollution, according to the South China Morning Post. The air pollution is some of the worst the city has seen in years, with harmful PM2.5 particle rates hovering between 200 and 400 micrograms per cubic meter. That number is down from as high as 886 on Sunday. For contrast, the US Environmental Protection Agency regulations say PM2.5 concentration at any location be no higher than 65 micrograms per cubic meter, with average maximums not to exceed 15 micrograms per cubic meter.
China blames the pollution on vehicle emissions, industrial production and an increase in domestic coal use to heat homes during cold weather. A total of 48 work sites, including construction zones, metal refineries and chemical plants have suspended production, and 41 factories have cut back production as well. That includes Hyundai Motor Beijing, which suspended production on Sunday.
Even so, the area's children's hospitals are receiving up to 10,000 patients per day with respiratory ailments. The city's government says it is in the midst of an eight-year plan to curb pollution and that levels have dropped between 30 and 70 percent over the past 14 years thanks to its actions.

Hyundai, Genesis, Subaru warn their dealers about markups

Six weeks ago, word got out that Ford's VP of sales for the U.S. and Canada wrote one of those "It has come to our attention..." e-mails to the automaker's dealer body. The VP's problem was dealers trying to get reservation deposits for the Ford F-150 Lightning well above the official $100 fee. The tomfoolery resulted in interactions "with customers in a manner that is negatively impacting customer satisfaction and damaging to the Ford Motor Company brand and Dealer Body reputation." Two weeks later, GM told its dealers to cut out the reservation gaming and the markups on the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, banditry that's been going on for two years. Two weeks ago, Ford was back at it, this time about markups on the Bronco. Last week, Asian automakers swept into the melee, with Hyundai and Genesis, Subaru, and Infiniti writing letters to their dealers to deliver some variant of, "Stop pissing off the customers." Automotive News reported an SVP at Hyundai Motor America and the COO at Genesis Motor North America sent letters to their dealers expressing disappointment at "certain pricing practices which, if left unchecked, will have a negative impact on the health of our brand." One of the practices mentioned was dealer markups, another was the bait-and-switch, with dealers advertising one price then charging a higher price once the customer showed up at the lot. The letters acknowledged that dealers are separate companies to the automakers and have the right to set their own prices. The automakers cannot interfere with that; their leverage is distributing allocations and perks such as advertising support and financial incentives. So, like a movie boss letting the protagonist go on a technicality, the brands wrote, "we cannot stand idly by watching the actions of the aforementioned dealers undo all the efforts we collectively have put into making these brands what they are today." Jalopnik got tipped to a letter Subaru of America CEO Thomas Doll sent to that brand's dealers. Doll's polite yet insistent tone was the result of a letter a loyal Subaru owner sent to the automaker's VP of Customer Advocacy. In the market for a third brand-new Forester, the owner said they encountered a "tax" labeled a "Low Inventory Surcharge" of as much as $6,000, putting the Forester out of reach.

Hyundai reveals more 2015 Genesis details

After we posted the renderings of the 2015 Hyundai Genesis last night, Hyundai issued a full press release revealing some of the details about its next-generation sedan. Set to make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in a few months, the 2015 Genesis promises to bring a whole new level of styling and technology to the Korean automaker's portfolio.
Hyundai says that the design used on this car is part of its Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 language that we expect to slowly make its way across the entire lineup. Major styling changes include a taller, upright, single-frame grille (think Audi), larger headlights, sharper body lines and the swept-back, couple-like roofline. Except for spy shots, we still have no clue what the interior of the new Genesis will look like, but Hyundai says the sedan will be more intuitive for drivers to interact with. On the Genesis-foretelling HCD-14 Concept, this included a head-up display, as well as eye- and hand-gesture recognition.
For the drivetrain, Hyundai hasn't revealed much, except that the 2015 Genesis will get an all-new HTRAC all-wheel drive system. The sedan should also be better to drive, thanks to a more even weight balance, a stiffer chassis and Advanced Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) electronic suspension. Replacing the electro-hydraulic power steering system in the current model, the new Genesis will get a full-electric, rack-mounted power steering system. For more info on the upcoming 2015 Genesis sedan, check out the full press release posted below.