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Hyundai and Kia invest $110 million in UK electric van startup Arrival

Korea's Hyundai Group is backing a UK electric vehicle startup that plans to begin selling battery-powered delivery vans in 2021, the companies said on Thursday. Hyundai and sister firm Kia are making the investment of $110 million (100 million euros or 84.34 million pounds) in Arrival. Founded in 2015 and based in London, Arrival has developed a boxy, futuristic-looking shuttle bus aimed at the commercial delivery market. The company said its van will have a range between charges of 300 miles. In a statement, Arrival said it will work with Hyundai and Kia to develop a variety of electric vehicles, initially for the commercial market. Those vehicles will be built on Arrival's modular vehicle platform or "skateboard" that bundles motor, batteries and chassis components, similar to the skateboard developed by U.S. startup Rivian. Rivian is backed by Ford and Amazon, and has a contract to build 100,000 electric delivery vans for the e-commerce giant, starting in 2021. Hyundai and Kia last year invested $89 million in Rimac Automobili, a nine-year-old Croatian company aspiring to build electric supercars that is also backed by Porsche. Arrival said its vehicles will be equipped with advanced driver assist features and can be upgraded with self-driving systems. The vehicles are designed to sell for the same price as similar models powered by internal combustion engines and to be built in small "microfactories." That strategy is the opposite of U.S. electric vehicle rival Tesla which uses massive "gigafactories." Last fall, Arrival, which until now has operated largely in stealth mode, hired General Motors veteran Michael Ableson to head its new North American operations. With a small factory in Banbury, England, Arrival said it now has 800 employees in five countries, including Germany, Russia and Israel. Arrival previously said it would use BlackBerry's QNX operating system to connect safety features in its electric vehicles. Arrival said its prototype delivery vans are being tested by the Royal Mail, DHL and UPS. Related Video: Green Hyundai Kia Commercial Vehicles Electric Future Vehicles electric delivery van

Hyundai Palisade looks like a cross between Santa Fe, Grandmaster concept

We're getting closer and closer to seeing some full-size, three-row crossover SUVs from Hyundai and Kia. The most recent previous spy shots showed the Kia Telluride, but we now have photos revealing more of the Hyundai version, which reports say will be known as the Hyundai Palisade. It appears to take design cues from both the new Santa Fe and the recently revealed Grandmaster concept. The front, which is more visible than in previous photos, is very closely related to the Santa Fe and the even smaller Kona. It has the same split headlight setup, and the lower lights are extremely large. The fascia has elements of the corporate "Cascade" grille, and it has an upper slot like on the Kona. That slot is better integrated, though. It actually looks a bit like the grille on the Subaru Ascent. There isn't as much new about the sides and tail compared with previous images. But the profile is unquestionably inspired by the Grandmaster concept. The main cue shared between the two is the chrome strip that starts at the base of the A-pillar, goes up over the top of the doors' windows, and drops down along the C-pillar. We expect this big Hyundai SUV to go on sale either next year or in 2020. The Kia Telluride will likely go on sale around then, too, and both SUVs will probably share engines and platforms. Related Video:

Hyundai hydrogen fuel-cell SUV spied nearly naked

Back in August, Hyundai showed what seemed to be an extremely thinly veiled concept version of a hydrogen-powered crossover SUV at a special event in Seoul. Besides its showy gold paint and two-toned interior, it definitely looked like something that could roll down the production line with minimal effort. Well, judging by these spy photos, that looks like it'll be the case. Hyundai didn't even really bother to camouflage these test mules. The intricate taillight clusters carry over from the concept, as do the distinctive grille and Tesla-like extending door handles. Heck, even the wheels look to be exactly the same. And if we were to make a guess based on its proportions and size, this shares a lot with the Kia Nero. Featuring Hyundai's fourth-generation hydrogen fuel-cell technology, the FCEV (or whatever the compact crossover will eventually be called) features a 20 percent power increase over its Tucson hydrogen FCEV predecessor and is more capable in cold weather. The new FCEV will also have greater hydrogen capacity, featuring three tanks instead of two. (If you want to learn a little more about how hydrogen fuel cell vehicles work, our Honda Clarity first drive is a decent place to start.) The spy photographers didn't get a glimpse inside, but the "concept" back in August showcased a pretty production-looking cabin. If the exterior's any indication, it should look exactly like that. We've included pictures of that "concept" at the end of the gallery above so you can easily compare the "transformation." Expect the final product to be unveiled at CES in January. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai FCEV Hydrogen SUV Spy Shots View 19 Photos Image Credit: KGP Photography Green Spy Photos CES Hyundai Crossover SUV Concept Cars Future Vehicles Hydrogen Cars fcev