2014 Hyundai Accent Gs on 2040-cars

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Hyundai Santa Cruze pickup is a when, not an if

A production version Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept looks all but certain to arrive in showrooms to compete in the growing small truck field, and Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski claims the official announcement is now just a matter of scheduling. "Our timing is not crossing our fingers and waiting for approval, it's trying to figure out when we're going to announce it," he said to Motoring. According to Zuchowski, the people at Hyundai's headquarters in South Korea have a say when the announcement comes, but he didn't indicate exactly how soon the model's production could be official. Zuchowski suggested Hyundai intended to ship the truck to places outside the US, too. "I'm not clear on the other markets, but from our perspective it's a vehicle that will be exported to other markets," he said to Motoring. The Santa Cruz was one of the most popular concept debuts at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and Hyundai execs in the US quickly started working to get a green light for production from headquarters. As of late December 2015, the automaker reportedly had the engineering feasibility and business case complete for the truck, and the bosses just needed to give final approval. Hyundai would reportedly use the Tucson for the Santa Cruz's underpinnings, and the model might be the company's first with a diesel engine in the US. The production version would enter a booming market for smaller pickups like the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and newly unveiled second-generation Honda Ridgeline. However, Hyundai's entry would likely be the smallest among them and target young crossover customers who want a little more hauling capability. Related Video:

Hyundai shutters engine development in shift to electric and hydrogen vehicles

Hyundai is quickly pivoting into an era of electric vehicles. Shortly after announcing it would halve the number of internal combustion models, it launched its first EV on its dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the supremely enjoyable Ioniq 5. Now, as The Korea Economic Daily reports, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes sister brand Kia and luxury brand Genesis, has closed its engine development division at its research and development center in South Korea to put those resources into electric powertrain development. According to the report, researchers from engine design are moving to its electrification design center, but a few remain behind to continue to refine existing internal combustion engines. The powertrain system development center will become an electrification test center, and the performance division will focus on electric performance. The group has also established a battery development center, and the R&D Center will also focus on raw materials for batteries and semiconductors. In an email, R&D boss Park Chung-Kook told employees, “Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification. Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past.” Hyundai Motor Group is targeting one million EVs a year by 2025, and full electrification by the year 2040. In addition to the newly launched Ioniq 5, Hyundai is planning to launch the Ioniq 6 EV, based on the stunning Prophecy concept, in 2022, and weÂ’ve already seen spy shots of that prototype in testing. That will be followed by the full-size Ioniq 7 SUV in 2024, which was recently previewed by the Seven Concept at the 2021 L.A. Auto Show. Kia is set to launch the EV6 in 2022, and Genesis recently revealed the GV60 electric crossover, both of which will use HyundaiÂ’s E-GMP architecture. Genesis also recently revealed an electric version of the GV70 crossover in China. Of course, Hyundai is also invested in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, both commercial vehicles like its Xcient trucks, and passenger cars like the Nexo and the recently revealed Vision FK concept. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2014 Hyundai Elantra

The reality of growing up and living in Detroit is an interesting one. You're essentially born with minute traces of gasoline in your veins and everyone you know is associated with the auto industry in some way. That's not an exaggeration. They might be the child of a line worker at the local auto plant, or they may hold down a job at a restaurant frequented by employees at a big supplier, but no matter what, everyone is part of the auto-industry ecosystem.
Because of this, the stories you may have heard about Detroiters and their distaste for foreign cars is, frustratingly, true. Simply put, Toyota and Honda are blatantly disliked by most, while BMW and Mercedes-Benz are merely tolerated. For a car reviewer who prides himself on making egalitarian recommendations, it's a frustrating environment to live in, particularly when friends and family ask that inevitable question - which is followed by an equally inevitable qualifier - "What should my next car be?" and "One more thing - it can't be foreign." It's this attitude that's perhaps the reason no one I know even considered buying a Hyundai Elantra.
Despite the fact that the compact sedan is built in Montgomery, AL and that Hyundai maintains a shiny, new, sprawling tech facility less than 45 minutes outside of downtown Detroit, the Elantra's status as a "foreign" car immediately precludes it from most Motown buyers' shopping lists. This is to their detriment, as I discovered during a week of testing the refreshed-for-2014 Hyundai Elantra.