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Hyundai will launch Genesis brand in December

Hyundai is about to go global with a new, high-end sub-brand called Genesis. Rumors of this spinoff have been swirling for years, but an announcement Tuesday confirms that the Genesis brand will launch in December of this year. "To elevate and differentiate the Genesis brand from Hyundai, a distinct design identity, emblem, naming structure, and customer service offering is being established," the automaker said in a statement. A Korean report states that Genesis will kick off with a new version of the Equus, set to launch next month, called G90. The rest of the lineup will follow suit with that naming structure (Infiniti isn't using it anymore, after all). The Genesis sedan as we know it will be called G80, and a new midsize model will be G70. A luxury SUV and sport coupe will round out the range, and all six models will launch by 2020. The rear-wheel-drive, midsize sedan is expected to debut in the second half of 2017. In order to properly create an identity of its own, Hyundai is creating the Prestige Design Division. Beginning in mid-2016, this group will be lead by Luc Donckerwolke, who was formerly responsible for design at several Volkswagen Group brands, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Seat, and Skoda. Hyundai Motor Group's chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, will oversee the work of Donckerwolke's new division. Genesis will initially launch in North America, China, Korea, and the Middle East. Hyundai says it will expand to Europe and other parts of Asia as Genesis grows. "The Genesis models will provide technological innovation, excellent driving performance and luxury to customers. Every Genesis model will be created with the needs of our customers in mind, so the resulting car will perfectly meet their needs without any unnecessary burden or excess," said Woong-Chul Yang, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor. Hyundai's full announcement can be found here, or in the press release below.

HyFive hydrogen infrastructure gets $51M boost across Europe

"High five!" was one of the catch-phrases of Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh comedic alter ego Borat. A real-world HyFive is being announced by a power broker named Boris. And this is serious business. London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced a program called HyFive, which will see automakers and other entities invest 31 million British pounds ($51 million US) in a demonstration project for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. By next year, London will have three hydrogen refueling stations, while there will be one each in the Danish cities of Aarhus and Odense and one in Innsbruck, Austria. Leaders of the program are planning for other stations in Sweden, Germany and Italy. The five participating automakers are BMW, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota, while other companies involved include Copenhagen Hydrogen Network, ITM Power and Linde. Those OEMs will make 110 fuel-cell vehicles available for deployment in Bolzano, Copenhagen, Innsbruck, London, Munich and Stuttgart. The program represents an effort to address the "chicken or egg?" challenge inherent to establishing a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market. While the powertrain technology provides benefits by combining fossil-fuel-like refueling times with long driving ranges and zero emissions, establishing a refueling network and building fuel-cell vehicles is prohibitively expensive, especially in low volumes. The London mayor is no stranger to green transportation technology. Late last year, Johnson made himself available for a photo opportunity with Ecotive and Frazer-Nash, which had developed a six-passenger extended-range plug-in taxicab. The mayor got a test drive in the cabs this week. You can check out the HyFive press release below. Global leaders sign up to GBP31m plan to demonstrate viability of hydrogen vehicles International project HyFive pioneers hydrogen fuel cell technology A pioneering GBP31 million deal will be struck today (3 April) to make hydrogen vehicles a viable and environmentally friendly choice for motorists across Europe. Leading motor manufacturers, hydrogen fuel suppliers, the Mayor of London's Office and energy consultancies from around the globe are signing up to the HyFive project, the largest of its kind in Europe, at City Hall in London today.

Hyundai announces N performance sub-brand at WRC launch

It's been well over a year since Hyundai revealed its initial prototype for the i20 WRC at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. Now it's revealed the final version (pictured above, complete with Shell Helix livery) and it's also announced the full team that will field it next year in the World Rally Championship, including Thierry Neuville and additional drivers Juho Hänninen, Dani Sordo and Chris Atkinson. That's plenty exciting for rally fans, but the news that caught our attention was buried deeper in the press release.
That is the announcement of Hyundai's new N performance sub-brand. Named after the company's R&D facility in Namyang, South Korean, the N brand "will be used to symbolize Hyundai's high performance technology," not just on the rally car but also "future mass-produced high performance cars" for the road. The WRC car wears the logo that we'd expect to represent that new cadre of performance Hyundais.
Having hinted at the emergence of a European performance sub-brand a couple of months ago, the Korean automaker hasn't revealed any further details on which those road cars might be, but promises to transfer lessons it learns from the rally stage to the marketplace. We're looking forward to finding out more, but a roadgoing i20 hot hatch would be a good first bet. Here's hoping the North American product lineup won't be left out.