Hyundai testing facelifted Veloster Turbo in Germany

Love it or hate it, you have to admit that Hyundai went against the cookie-cutter norm when it unveiled the Veloster in 2011. And to many eyes, its oddball shape is still refreshingly original. But in the three and a half years since, Hyundai has moved its design language onwards, so it's about time the Korean automaker bring the quirky three-door (or novel four-door, depending on the angle from which you look at it) into the fold. And that's just what it appears to be doing in these latest spy shots.

Though it's hard to tell much from underneath the heavy camouflage, it's clear from these spy shots that this is indeed the Veloster, and given the center-exit dual exhaust tips, it seems to be the Turbo model and not the base naturally aspirated version. It seems to be wearing a bigger grille like the one Hyundai put on the latest Genesis, among others, and new bumpers front and back as well. The half-door on the right side does appear to be carrying over, it's wearing new wheels, and we're told there seems to be something afoot inside the cabin as well - likely revolving around an updated infotainment system.

Whether there are any consequential mechanical changes as well, we don't know. That said, development seems to be in a fairly advanced stage, so we wouldn't be surprised to see a refreshed Veloster on the show stand sometime later this year or early next at the latest.
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Report: Hyundai plant one of 100 factories shutting down in wake of Beijing pollution scare

Many factories and chemical plants have suspended production in Beijing in an attempt to curb dangerous pollution, according to the South China Morning Post. The air pollution is some of the worst the city has seen in years, with harmful PM2.5 particle rates hovering between 200 and 400 micrograms per cubic meter. That number is down from as high as 886 on Sunday. For contrast, the US Environmental Protection Agency regulations say PM2.5 concentration at any location be no higher than 65 micrograms per cubic meter, with average maximums not to exceed 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

China blames the pollution on vehicle emissions, industrial production and an increase in domestic coal use to heat homes during cold weather. A total of 48 work sites, including construction zones, metal refineries and chemical plants have suspended production, and 41 factories have cut back production as well. That includes Hyundai Motor Beijing, which suspended production on Sunday.

Even so, the area's children's hospitals are receiving up to 10,000 patients per day with respiratory ailments. The city's government says it is in the midst of an eight-year plan to curb pollution and that levels have dropped between 30 and 70 percent over the past 14 years thanks to its actions.

News Source: South China Morning Post, Pittsburgh Today

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Hyundai to build test facility at Nürburgring

It looks as if Hyundai is set to build a test facility at the famous Nürburgring. Carscoop reports the Korean automaker has commenced construction on a 10,000-square-foot test center with access to the lengthy German track. Hyundai says the $7.3 million facility will help the company focus on improving the ride and handling of its vehicles through extensive research and development.

Sounds like a plan to us. While we've seen Hyundai vehicles improve on many fronts over the past few years, the company continues to struggle with suspension refinement compared to its Japanese, German and domestic rivals.

Automakers routinely flock to the Nürburgring for testing and development thanks to the track's unusual attributes. With a variety of surfaces, banking, turns, elevation and even weather, the circuit offers engineers the ability to put a vehicle through its paces in a wider range of conditions than most facilities.

News Source: Carscoop

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Hyundai Opening Test Center at Nurburgring

Hyundai Motor Group is becoming more “German” with each passing day. They’ve recently appointed ex Audi designer Peter Schreyer put some extra zing into their design, and now they’re thinking like the Germans when it comes to car handling.

They already have a huge banked oval to test their car on in Korea, but somehow that wasn’t enough, and now they are targeting the Nurburgring, like BMW or Mercedes. Hyundai has officially announced they will build a vehicle test center at the track that will cost €5.5 million.

They say the center will be used by their engineers from the R&D center in Rüsselsheim to improve quality and performance on European-designed vehicles. The track is known for being 10 times more demanding than a normal road.

The move might also have a connection with the recent motorsport activities Hyundai is delving into.

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Hyundai and Rhys Millen reunite, will return to Pikes Peak with new RWD racer, Genesis Coupe

Last September, Hyundai confirmed that it was exiting all of its motorsports programs in North America. That left Rhys Millen Racing without a title sponsor for its Formula Drift and Global RallyCross Championship series challengers. It also looked to have meant the end of a partnership that last year resulted in a record-setting run at Pikes Peak when Rhys Millen established the new benchmark for a run up the Colorado mountain in a production-based race car.
Hyundai clarified that September report by saying it was "reconsidering our continued involvement in Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, having achieved the world record in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe this year." The return is official, with Hyundai saying it is going back to the peak with Millen and two cars, one of them a "purpose-built unlimited class rear-drive," the other being the Hyundai Genesis Coupe-based racer that set last year's record in the time attack two-wheel-drive class.

Hyundai wants to show off the strength of its engineering, so the unlimited car will have something like 900 horsepower and 800 pound-feet of torque while using the production block, cylinder heads, bearings and accessories of its Lambda V6 engine.

HYUNDAI AND RHYS MILLEN RACING RENEW PIKES PEAK HILLCLIMB MOTORSPORTS PARTNERSHIP TO DEFEND 2012 WORLD RECORD

2013 Pikes Peak Two-Car Program Focuses on both UnlimitedAnd Time Attack 2WD Classes

Millen to Defend World Record in the Unlimited Class with All-newDedicated Rear-drive Racer

COSTA MESA, Jan. 14, 2013 – Hyundai today announced its renewed partnership with Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) to defend its 2012 world record in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC). This years' race to the internationally-renowned summit is planned for June 30. This year, Hyundai will expand its presence at Pikes Peak with a two-car effort, with Millen piloting a new, purpose-built unlimited class rear-drive racecar joined by the production-based Genesis Coupe that set last years' all-time record to the peak (9:46.164).

2013 Hyundai/RMR Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – Unlimited Class Racecar
"We're certainly proud to renew our successful partnership with Rhys Millen Racing to take on the unique challenge of international motorsports known as Pikes Peak," said Steve Shannon, vice president, marketing, Hyundai Motor America. "Last year's all-time world record, set by Millen in the production-based Genesis Coupe, was a defining milestone in Hyundai's quest to build thrilling and durable rear-drive performance vehicles that are as capable on the road as they are in the rigors of competitive motorsport."

TWO-CAR EFFORT
For 2013's effort, Millen will produce and drive an all-new, ultra-lightweight, purpose-built racecar using major powertrain components from Hyundai's production-based Lambda engine family. This powertrain is expected to produce over 900 h.p. and 800 ft. lbs. of torque, while still making significant use of production components including the block, cylinder heads, bearings and engine accessories. The racecar chassis will be enveloped by a Genesis Coupe-like silhouette to compete in the unlimited class. This no-holds-barred racer will be accompanied by last years' world-record-setting, production-based Genesis Coupe in the Time Attack 2WD class. The driver of the Genesis Coupe will be announced at a later date. RMR is a truly unique racing firm, one of the very few which successfully conceptualizes, fabricates, tests, tunes, and most importantly, drives its vehicles in motorsports competition. In fact, the world-record-setting Genesis Coupe is the exact same production-based coupe that Millen successfully drifted in the Formula Drift competitive series, a testament to both the extreme durability of Hyundai engineering as well as the tuning versatility of the RMR team.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.

News Source: Hyundai

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Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept takes a sleek look at the future

After seeing the promising lines of Hyundai's latest concept car last week in a shadowy teased rendering, we now have a better idea about what this sleek concept is all about. The 2013 Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept received its official debut today at the Detroit Auto Show, and it's expected to be a pretty good indication of the styling direction for the next-generation Genesis sedan, although not quite the real deal.

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Federal green car fleet buys more Hyundai hybrids as overall number goes down

The Obama administration made a big deal about how it had a long-term plan to green up the federal vehicle fleet back in early 2011. Even with that big target, the overall number of hybrids is going down. And, after spending time buying fuel-efficient US cars, the Obama administration has been turning more to hybrids from foreign automakers – just like the general public – rather than fuel sippers from Ford or General Motors.

According to a Bloomberg report that used data from the General Services Administration, the overall number of hybrid and electric vehicles the US government bought last year went down by a third to just 1,801 vehicles. Over half of them (54 percent) were from Hyundai, Toyota and Mitsubishi. The number one vehicle by volume? The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The US government also purchased vehicles like the Mitsubishi i and the Toyota Prius. Among US civilian buyers, Toyota claimed the four most popular hybrid spots and the Sonata was fifth.

The stated plan is for the Federal government to only buy alt-fuel vehicles by 2015, but the numbers and percentages of the fleet have been dropping. Bloomberg's numbers show that the Feds bought 8,139 alt-fuel vehicles in 2009, 6,467 in 2010 and then 2,645 in fiscal 2011. The early number were buoyed by stimulus spending.

News Source: Bloomberg

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