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Hyundai Kia asked to pay $28.9M in patent infringement case

After years of litigation, Hyundai and Kia have lost their hybrid technology patent infringement case against Paice LLC. The jury ordered the South Korean automakers to pay $28.9 million, but according to Bloomberg, because the violation was allegedly intentional, the judge could triple that amount. The automakers have announced plans to appeal the ruling. Paice's patent dates from 1994 on a piece of tech called the Hyperdrive, and it was a way to seamlessly switch between power from an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. This lawsuit was first filed in 2012 and covered the systems in the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Kia Optima Hybrid. According to Bloomberg, the companies tried to argue that the patent was no longer valid, but the strategy failed. "Hyundai strongly believes its position and will appeal any remaining adverse findings to the Federal Circuit," the company said in a statement to Autoblog. Paice is certainly no stranger to litigating over the Hyperdrive patent, though. It and Toyota had a similar court battle that lasted years. Eventually, there was a settlement, and the result was Paice getting royalties for each hybrid that the Japanese automaker sold. Similarly, there's a lawsuit pending against Ford over tech in the C-Max, Fusion, and Lincoln MKZ. Hyundai Statement: Hyundai believes that the verdict returned by the jury today in the matter of Paice v. Hyundai Motor Company et al., is not supported by the evidence. Accordingly, Hyundai has requested that the presiding judge enter a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict. Hyundai strongly believes its position and will appeal any remaining adverse findings to the Federal Circuit.

Hyundai Genesis V8 HTRAC may come with performance orientation

When the second-generation Hyundai Genesis arrives in dealers, customers looking for the new all-wheel-drive variant will need to settle for the 3.8-liter V6. This is no bad thing, as the V6 is a sound engine, but what if you want that brawny, 429-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8? For now, you're stuck spinning the rear wheels.
A report from AutoGuide, though, claims that the new HTRAC all-wheel-drive system could be mated up to the Genny Sedan's optional V8 engine at a later date, as part of a new performance version. According to spokesman Miles Johnson, a performance-minded Genesis, perhaps in the same vein as the first-generation R-Spec, is being looked at by the powers that be at Hyundai and that there "may be a market demand for such a model."
Whether it'd add on to the V8's 429 ponies, or simply shore up other parts of the car while adding the AWD system remains to be seen. Of course, if we hear any more on an AWD, V8-powered, performance version of the new Genesis Sedan, we'll be sure to let you know.

Hyundai preparing to enter US commercial vehicle market

The commercial van segment has been surprisingly hot in the US over the past few years with new or updated entries from Ford, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Ram. Now, it looks like we can add one more to that lineup because Hyundai plans to enter the market here, too. The decision is part of the brand's newly announced push into the commercial vehicle segment worldwide, according to Reuters. Hyundai intends to invest 2 trillion South Korean won ($1.8 billion) into the venture through 2020, and the Korean automaker expects the segment to grow by 30 percent annually worldwide over the next five years. Around 1.6 trillion won ($1.5 billion) of that goes towards development of new models and engines for the division. Another $363 million is for expansion of the company's Jeon-ju plant to build 100,000 units there each year. According to Reuters, there's no set timeline on the US introduction of these models yet. Hyundai already sells commercial vehicles in Korea and China but holds just 2.1 percent of the global market in the segment. Autoblog reached out to Hyundai Motor America to learn more, but company spokesperson Jim Trainor said via email, "It is too early to provide any more details concerning the sale of commercial vehicles in the US market." The company is already setting it sights on the European commercial segment with the HG350 (pictured above). It's offered as either a cargo van or flatbed and is meant to compete against market stalwarts like the Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter. Rather than this vehicle, the US might get one of Hyundai's newly developed models, though. The automaker previously suggested to Autoblog that it wasn't "seriously considering" the HG350 for this market, at least at that time. Hyundai Motor Plans to increase Jeon-ju Commercial Vehicle Plant capacity to 100,000 units • Hyundai Motor to invest KRW 2 trillion on commercial vehicle development and production until 2020 • New Pilot Center, Global Training Center expected in Jeon-ju plant • 1,000 new jobs to be created following the increased capacity February 16, 2015 – Hyundai Motor announced today that it will invest KRW 2 trillion over the next six years to enhance its global commercial vehicle competitiveness. KRW 1.6 trillion will be invested on developing new models and engines to strengthen global commercial vehicle competitiveness.