2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

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We get our hands on Android Auto [w/video]

After a week with version one of Android Auto in a 2015 Hyundai Sonata, my opinion is that it fulfills the promise of the technology. I couldn't even exploit it fully because I'm not married to the Android ecosystem. At my desk right now there's a PC in front of me, an iPad on my left, and an Android phone on my right. My Android phone is, in fact, so old that it's not compatible with Android Auto. So in addition to a Sonata, Hyundai let me borrow a Nexus 5 smartphone and a Motorola Moto360 watch. Yet even with all that gear, which, in practical terms is someone else's borrowed digital life, Android Auto still showed itself to be tech worth having. When you start the Sonata you get the standard Hyundai infotainment screen. Plug your phone in, and you'll get an option to click over to Android Auto. At that point, you lose the ability to use your phone, which is the purpose of the system, to keep you from using the handset. Since the contents of your phone are ported to the head unit, there is hardly any reason to reach for the portable device anyway. The Google Now screen comes up first, populated with a series of notifications resulting from Google having learned your life and kept track of where you've been going, who you've been calling, and what you've been searching for. After only two days, Google Now understood that I probably lived in Venice, CA, and not in Orange County, where the phone had previously resided. No matter the make of car, the interface is the same. The icons along the bottom of the screen indicate Navigation, Phone, Home (Google Now), Audio, and Return – to go back to the car's native interface. The first four options represent much of what we use our phones for (we'll get to texting in a second), and that's what buyers want: for cars to work seamlessly with their phones. Oh, and to have voice recognition actually be useful. Android Auto works with the Hyundai system, so if music is playing when you turn the car on, it will continue to play even though you're in Android Auto, and you can control it through that interface. Switching to media or apps on your phone is as easy as saying, "Play music," which defaults to Google Play, or pressing the audio button and choosing an app like JoyRide or NPR One. You do have to figure out how to speak to the system. I couldn't find any list of Android Auto-specific voice commands, so sometimes it would take a few tries to figure out how Google liked to be ordered around.

Hyundai spices up Euro lineup with i20 Coupe, i30 Turbo, revised i40

Hyundai's model line in North America is made up of nameplates like Accent, Elantra and Sonata, but across the pond in Europe, the Korean automaker takes an alphanumeric approach. And it's just revealed a whole slate of new models. Arguably the most enticing of the fresh batch of Hyundais destined for Europe is the new i20 Coupe. Joining the recently refreshed, Ford Fiesta-sized i20 five-door hatch, the new three-door gets a more rakish roofline, beefed-up wheel arches and other visual enhancements to appeal to a younger demographic. European buyers will be able to choose between four engines – two diesels and two gasoline units – ranging from 1.1 liters to 1.4 liters, offering anywhere between 74 horsepower up to 99 hp, with a new 1.0-liter turbo three to follow. Hyundai Motor Europe has also revealed a refreshed version of its Focus-sized i30 with refreshed styling and upgraded equipment. The kicker, though, is the new i30 Turbo that packs the Korean automaker's 1.6-liter turbo four, but detuned from the 201 horsepower it produces in the Veloster Turbo and Kia Cee'd GT to "only" 183 hp. Although the refreshed i30 is available in three-door hatch, five-door hatch or wagon bodystyles, and with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual clutch, the turbo engine is only being offered with the manual and in hatchback form. Finally, Hyundai has also announced a refreshed version of the i40. Just a bit smaller than the Ford Fusion/Mondeo, the i40 is available in sedan and wagon forms, and benefits in this latest iteration from updated sheetmetal, a more refined cabin, upgraded equipment and a new diesel engine displacing 1.7 liters and putting out 113 or 139 horsepower, channeled through a six-speed manual or (on the more powerful version) a seven-speed DCT. Interested parties will want to scope out images of all the new models in the accompanying galleries and details in the trio of press releases below. DIFFERENTIATED BY DESIGN: HYUNDAI MOTOR INTRODUCES NEW GENERATION i20 COUPE - Hyundai Motor reveals New Generation i20 Coupe - Clear design differentiation for unique three-door - Extends the appeal of New Generation i20 to younger customers High Wycombe, 10 December 2014 - Hyundai Motor has today unveiled the New Generation i20 Coupe. For the first time, Hyundai has created a three-door B-segment car that is significantly differentiated from the five-door model.

The Hyundai Solus is a 500-hp Genesis Coupe for SEMA

Hyundai is working on a SEMA Show car again with its old pals at ARK Performance. This time the project is a wide-body Genesis Coupe dubbed the Solus, a performance concept theoretically aimed at the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F. The white paint is subtle for SEMA, but ARK Performance built new parts for practically the entire body. The bumper gets larger intakes and a carbon-fiber splitter, the fenders are widened at both ends, and a new hood fits the revised look well. Side skirts bring the styling treatment along the profile to highlight the more aggressive rear. The styling should mesh nicely with the 700-horsepower Tucson that's also coming to the event. ARK Performance didn't neglect the engine, stroking the V6 from 3.8 up to a full 4.0 liters and then adding a Rotrex supercharger. The result is a claimed 500 hp running to the rear through a six-speed manual. The company also installs its own coilover kit to help handling. This isn't the first Genesis Coupe Ark has tuned. The company has produced multiple tuned versions of the model for SEMA going back to 2010. Last year, it switched gears slightly with a 550-hp supercharged Genesis sedan called the AR550. Seventh Consecutive SEMA Vehicle Blends Premium and Performance Sponsorship Provided by Hyundai Car Care Express and Quaker State FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 30, 2015 – Leveraging its long-standing relationship with Hyundai Motor America, ARK Performance has released details on its race-inspired Solus Genesis Coupe, blending performance and luxury to take on vehicles like the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F. The vehicle will be revealed at Hyundai's SEMA press conference on November 3 at 11:30 a.m. PT. For the tuner's seventh consecutive vehicle built for SEMA, ARK added performance and luxury in tandem, creating a premium coupe that can go toe-to-toe with top rivals from around the world. Building on the success of last year's AR550 Genesis Sedan, the vehicle's design focuses on creating a wider visual look to give a more powerful stance using ARK's own "Solus" wide body kit. The interior also has been given a complete makeover with a redesigned dashboard, race-bred steering wheel and gauges, with ample carbon fiber. The Solus Genesis Coupe is sponsored by Quaker State and Hyundai Assurance Car Care Express, with more than 300 service centers nationally. Car Care Express provides customers with quick oil changes, tire rotation and other basic services in less than an hour.