2013 Hyundai Veloster Base on 2040-cars

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Hyundai expanding Tucson fuel cell deliveries to NorCal soon

The Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell hasn't exactly sold a bazillion copies, but that's all according to plan. Hyundai – like Toyota and Honda with their hydrogen vehicles – it keeping deliveries under control because there just aren't that many H2 refueling centers. Right now, all of these hydrogen vehicles are tooling around the LA area. At the Washington Auto Show this week, Hyundai announced that it would soon start deliveries in Northern California as well. There was no date set for the San Francisco-Bay Area hydrogen cars to arrive, but Hyundai's Mike O'Brien said that because, "We will sell them where there's fuel." Stations are supposed to begin opening in NorCal in the next few weeks. The next area that Hyundai suspects to launch the Tucson Fuel Cell is in the Northeast, which is the plan that other automakers have as well. The Tucson Fuel Cell leases for $499 a month, and includes free hydrogen fuel. There are currently around a dozen stations open in California. O'Brien said that 53 stations have been given fund guarantees by the state of California, but 23 have not yet broken ground. The biggest hurdle, he said, is regulatory – getting all of the different government agencies to work together to approve construction. Hyundai wants governments to get cracking on installing more hydrogen stations because it has plans to sell a second hydrogen vehicle at some point in the world by 2020. Up next on the green car front – we'll see it in Chicago early next month, in fact – is the Ioniq, which will be available with a pure EV, a PHEV and a standard hybrid. Whether the Ioniq will get a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain at some point has not been announced or even hinted at, but we would not be surprised if it does.

2017 Genesis G90 First Drive

The Genesis G90, new flagship of a new brand, makes me think of Shakespeare. Specifically, the tragedy of Troilus and Cressida, one of the Bard's more obscure and difficult works. But not because that play has much to do with the G90, but because that oft-forgotten work lent the Toyota Cressida, itself an obscure thing, its name. We're playing six degrees of Kevin Bacon with old playwrights and forgotten Toyota sedans because the luxurious Toyota Cressida directly paved the way for the Lexus LS400 to emerge a few years later. Since Lexus was the most phenomenal success to emerge from the late 1980s Japanese luxury brand movement, what better template for success? Genesis's Cressida was the Hyundai Equus. Both were uniquely badged, both sat slightly apart from a much less luxurious lineup. Both were not quite translated to American tastes, attempting to pass off indigenous flavors as export bonuses. The Cressida was pinched and cramped within, and frosted with gimmicky electronics; the Equus was tailor-made to a Korean businessperson's tastes. Both tested the waters and proved to product planners that there was room for a luxury brand. Lose the battle, win the war. Don't tell that to Troilus, though. Genesis won't quit with the G90. They're planning six vehicles by 2020, and the G80 (the old Hyundai Genesis sedan) is going on sale in September. A smaller G70 sedan will follow up later on. We expect an all-wheel drive coupe (or coupeish four-door) to replace the unloved Genesis Coupe, which should be significantly more upscale and luxurious to compete with the German brands. If it looks anything like the Vision G coupe concept from 2015, that won't be hard. Erwin Raphael, brand manager in the US for Genesis, tells us that a small SUV built on the G70 platform and a mid-sized one built on the G80 platform will follow (and in this SUV-crazy market, can't come soon enough). The slide below, provided by Genesis, shows the way forward. Genesis will craft its luxury brand not only with product, but also with a few customer service pillars that are worth a mention. Genesis expects most of their cars will be leased, and so they include a bunch of perks crafted to a typical lease period, like free service. On top of that, all Genesis dealers will offer a valet-style service to pick up your car for maintenance while dropping off a loaner. Other brands and dealerships do this piecemeal, but it will be a brand-wide pillar for Genesis.

2013 Hyundai i10 gets Frankfurt showing, official engine lineup [w/videos]

Hyundai strutted its tiny but fashionable i10 onto the Frankfurt floor today, showing off the new, second-generation city car to the assembled media. The i10 was originally unveiled in August, although at the time, we didn't have much info on powertrains or other items.
Europe, where the i10 will be sold, gets a pair of gas-powered engines from Hyundai's Kappa family, displacing 998cc and 1.25 liters, respectively. The smaller, three-cylinder engine is limited to just 65 horsepower and 69 pound-feet of torque. It's also available with an LPG option, which adds one hp at the cost of three lb-ft of torque. Opt for the 1.25-liter, four-cylinder mill and you'll get a positively reckless 85 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are available with the driver's choice of a five-speed stick or a four-speed automatic.
Lack of thrust aside, can we all agree that the i10 is a sharp looking city car? It's compact dimensions belie a reasonable amount of cabin space, all in a wrapper of the stylish, fluid lines that Hyundai is known for. We'd argue it looks even better in these pictures than it did the first time we saw it. Hop up top for our live images from Frankfurt, or scroll down to the bottom for an official press release and images from Hyundai. The company's European arm as also assembled quite a number of Q&A style videos about the new car, for your edification.