Hyundai

September 3, 2008

Hyundai Hopes to Hit New U.S. Fuel Economy Standard 5 Years Early

Hyundai Motor Co. plans to meet the proposed U.S. fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon in 2015 -- five years earlier than required -- and do it without relying heavily on hybrid vehicles, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

The South Korean automaker intends to reach that standard for its Hyundai and Kia brands by building smaller cars and using lighter materials as well as new engine and powertrain technologies such as gasoline direct injection, dual continuously variable valve timing and eight-speed automatic transmissions, the Journal reported, citing an interview with Lee Hyun-soon (right), head of Hyundai's research and development division.

The declaration comes at a time when most automakers, including Detroit's Big 3, are whining to U.S. regulators that an interim step in boosting fuel standards -- to 31.6 mpg by 2015 -- would pose a hardship for them.

"With just conventional gasoline engines, we think we can hit 35," Lee said in an interview at company's research and test center. "We have the technology to improve fuel economy. The problem was it increased the cost of the vehicle. Now, with higher oil prices, we can justify the technology."

In December, President Bush signed a law that requires automakers to boost their fleetwide gas mileage, for cars and light trucks, to an average of 35 mpg by 2020. The standard this year is 27.5 mpg for cars and 22.5 mpg for light trucks.

Since the law's passage, automakers have tried to influence new regulations being developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency, which is responsible for enforcing the new standard.

Asked whether Hyundai may be able to gain a marketing edge by meeting the 2020 target early, Lee said: "Everybody has the same homework. Maybe we are a little bit faster. Our engineers are working hard on this."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 3, 2008, 11:57 AM
Categories:: Courts, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hyundai, Legislation

August 20, 2008

Hyundai Opens Up About U.S. Hybrid: It's A Sonata, Due in 2010

Hyundai Motor Co. has long talked about introducing a hybrid for the North American market, but until now has not offered any detail.

But in Michigan during a media event today, Hyundai Motor America product development chief John Krafcik pulled the wraps off the South Korean automakers U.S. hybrid plan.

The car, a lithium-ion battery-powered version of the sonata sedan, will hit the market here "as early as" 2010, Krafcik said.

A prototype model is expected to start testing late this year.

He said the Hyundai hybrid would use "cutting edge" lithium-ion batteries, but didn't provide details about chemistry, weight, power or energy capacity.

Krafcik did say, however, that the Sonata hybrid would not be a plug-in.

Hyundai previously said it will introduce a hybrid version of its compact Avante in the Korean and other asian and possibly European markets in 2009.

That car is expected to use liquefied petroleum gas rather than gasoline to fuel its internal combustion engine.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 20, 2008, 12:09 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Hyundai
Technorati Tags:: Avante

August 15, 2008

Feds, Automakers Renew Vow To Make Hydrogen the Fuel of the Future

In case you've been wondering, major automakers and the lame-duck Bush Administration have reaffirmed their joint commitment to hydrogen fuel and to getting fuel-cell electric and other hydrogen-using vehicles into the retail market by 2018.

The happy group renewed its vows during a hydrogen technology showcase Thursday in Washington.

----------

A pair of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric Vehicles are shown in rendering of a hydrogen fuel station being installed near los Angeles International Airport.

----------

"With continued investment, hydrogen holds the potential to help fundamentally change the way we power our vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Bud Albright, an Energy Department undersecretary, said in remarks delivered during the public showcase.

The Energy Department, Transportation Department, nine automakers with prototype hydrogen-using vehicles and a number of fuel companies and other hydrogen advocates are in the midst of a cross-country tour to promote hydrogen as the logical successor to oil for fueling cars and trucks.

The manufacturers in "Hydrogen Road Tour '08" are BMW, Daimler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai-Kia, Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell August 15, 2008, 4:49 PM
Categories:: BMW, Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehuile

August 11, 2008

Hydrogen Road Tour Begins Today: Good Luck Finding Fuel

Honda's FCX Clarity fuel-cell electric car (right) is one of 10 vehicles traveling 'cross country in Hydrogen Road Tour '08.

Ever wonder what a hydrogen fuel cell really looks like, or how a fuel-cell electric vehicle handles? Itching to try that hydrogen-burning BMW 7-Series that so far has been piloted publicly only by high profile business, entertainment and political people?

(Article modified at 6:45 a.m, Pacific Daylight Time)

Your chance of laying eyes, or hands, on a vehicle using what many still believe will be the fuel of the future increases beginning today as a coalition of hydrogen backers launch a 13-day, 18-state, 31-city, cross-country tour to boost interest in hydrogen vehicles.

We wish them well. And we hope everyone who has a chance stops by, takes a look - or a drive - and becomes a hydrogen missionary.

But there's a sad note to what is being billed as the "Hydrogen Road Tour '08."

At times, ~~Mostly,~~ the vehicles will be trucked rather than driven to locations very near their various destinations on diesel or gasoline-burning commercial carriers. After being off-loaded, they'll be driven under their own power just a few short miles to the venues.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (9); John O'Dell August 11, 2008, 2:45 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, BMW, Daimler, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: California Fuel Cell Partnershp

July 22, 2008

Acura, Smart, Chevy Models Top List of Healthiest Cars Tested by Ecology Center

Soy foam in the seats the Ford F-150 pickups and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Locally farmed hemp, "ethically produced" woolen fabric and floor mats made of sisal in the Lotus Eco Elise.

Some automakers are increasingly going to great lengths to make the interiors of some of their models if not environmentally friendly, at least a bit wholesome.

But others, well...

Early today the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted its second-annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children's car seats at www.HealthyCar.org.

More than two hundred 2008- and 2009-model-year vehicles and more than 60 children's car seats were tested for unhealthy chemicals that seep in gaseous form from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats and carpet.

The "new-car smell," as the gases are commonly called, mingle with the air occupants breathe and have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.

The Ecology Center reported that Mazda, General Motors and Nissan improved since last year's findings, with GM showing the greatest gains of the domestic automakers, with an average vehicle ranking improvement of 27 percent.

The list of the 10 best and 10 worst vehicles as picked by the Center appears in the chart above.

Average child-car-seat scores improved 28 percent overall. The list of 10 best and worst car seats for 2008 as picked by the Center appears at left. Click on the chart for a better look.

For more information, go to www.HealthyCar.org.

Below are the three worst 2008-model-year vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno and Volkswagen New Beetle.

Below are are the three best vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Acura RXD, Chevrolet Cobalt and Smart Passion Cabriolet.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:21 AM
Categories:: Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Think, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

July 17, 2008

That New Car Smell Might Kill You

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

That's our sensational headline for 2008, but there's more than a smidgen of truth in it.

Last year Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Ecology Center released the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats -- and what they reported was sickening.

The odor you inhale when you slide into a new car? It might very well be bromine, chlorine, lead, other harmful chemicals or a witches' brew of them. They've been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and, no doubt, cancer.

If you think the government protects you against such things, think again. Some of the vehicles on the road today are veritable toxic dumps on wheels. And many drivers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust every day.

In case you missed last year's report, Ecology Center found the most toxic vehicles were the Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB 5dr and the Kia Rio. The least toxic vehicles were the Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Odyssey and the Volvo V50.

Next Tuesday -- July 22 -- Ecology Center will release its second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats, and if you're thinking of buying a new car anytime soon, you'll want to check it out. The guide will be posted at www.healthycar.org a little after midnight on the 22nd.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 1:39 PM
Categories:: Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Legislation, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

July 16, 2008

Survey Finds American Consumers Are Hot for Hybrids but Cooling on Ethanol

While most automakers have shifted production to focus on smaller vehicles, nearly 70 percent of consumers want the companies to invest more in existing and emerging powertrain technologies, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Alternative Powertrain Study released today.

Now in its third year, the Alternative Powertrain Study examines the reasons why consumers consider or avoid alternative powertrain vehicles, such as gas-electric hybrid, flex fuel and clean diesel models.

The study includes the Automotive Environmental Index, which rates the 2008-model-year vehicles on the basis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data to fuel economy and greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as expert input from J.D. Power & Associates.

The study found that more than 80 percent of the 4,000 consumers polled believe the U.S. is currently facing an energy crisis. Only 18 percent of these respondents believe the issue can be addressed by building small, fuel-efficient vehicle.

Thirty percent believe automakers should continue to produce a comparable vehicle lineup with a focus on gas-electric hybrid, clean diesel and flexible-fuel vehicles, while another 39 percent believe carmakers should focus on developing fuel cell and all-electric vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 16, 2008, 3:32 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Ethanol, Fiat, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mitsubishi, Natural Gas, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Pontiac, Smart, Solar, Toyota

July 1, 2008

Toyota To Offer Yaris in 4-Door Hatchback to American Market

At right, a Toyota Yaris 4-door hatchback. Currently available in Canada and other countries, soon to be sold in the USA.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

As you'll recall from a piece we posted the other day, Toyota's fuel-efficient Yaris two-door hatchback placed fourth on the list of least-expensive models to own in the U.S., besting a slew of hybrids including the Toyota Prius and popular conventional models including the Honda Civic.

You'll have to revisit that piece to refresh your memory of the Top 3 models by cost. Or if you'd rather not help our page-view count, simply print this out, hold the paper in front of a mirror and read the next sentence: .redro taht ni ,tiF kcabhctah rood-ruof s'adnoH dna kcabhctah rood-owt SG tneccA s'iadnuyH ,kcabhctah rood-ruof oevA yvehC cisab eht saw tI

Next time, it'll be an entire paragraph. Then an entire page! But we digress.

Now if you recently found yourself taken in with the Yaris -- with all the TV commercials for the cute little car, who could blame you -- but bit your knuckles each time you saw it because, as a hatchback, it was only available with two doors, you are in for some good news.

Toyota announced today that for the '09 model year, American consumers will have the choice of buying the Yaris as a hatchback in either two doors or four, just as their northern neighbors (no, the Canadians) have for several years.

Japan's biggest automaker hasn't yet announced pricing for the U.S. four-door Yaris, but it likely won't be much more than the $11,500 it asks for the two-door.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 1, 2008, 6:20 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Hyundai, Toyota

June 25, 2008

Hybrids Don't Shine in True Cost To Own Study

Chevy Aveo tops ownership cost study. Civic hybrid and other gas-electric vehicles don't fare well because of hybrid premium in initial purtchase price.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

If saving money is your thing, and in these rugged economic times who isn't into that, then Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota and Nissan all have cars for you.

But they aren't hybrids

Previous studies using Edmunds' True Market Value calculations have shown that the so-called hybrid premium makes it difficult for the fuel-efficient cars and SUVs to save enough on fuel to earn back the higher price automakers charge for the advanced technology packed into a gas-electric powertrain.

Now a new Edmunds.com True Cost to Own study finds that even with their sometimes hefty federal tax credits, hybrids slip well down into the pack when long-term ownership costs are considered.

The Civic Hybrid is No. 14 in the TCO rankings being released today, while the nation's best-selling hybrid, Toyota's Prius, doesn't even make the top 25. It finished 34th overall, although it is in second place among hybrids.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (10); John O'Dell June 25, 2008, 3:01 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Suzuki, Tax Incentives, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Cost to Own Hybrid

June 18, 2008

Hyundai Denies Government Help With Hybrid Program

Hyundai Motor Co. announced plans today to launch its first hybrid vehicle for public consumption next year – and it claims it will do so without any help from Seoul.

What's even more remarkable than the automaker's claim of going it alone on its upcoming hybrid car – only days after the South Korean government said it spent $38 million to develop the lithium-ion battery that will be used in it – is the fuel that'll power the model.

That would be liquefied petroleum gas and electricity...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 18, 2008, 12:11 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hyundai

June 15, 2008

Honda Begins Clarity Production, Unveils First Leases

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

True to its word, Honda Motor Co. began production of its long-awaited FCX Clarity fuel-cell electric sedan this evening (Monday morning in Japan) and said that it would begin putting the strikingly sculpted vehicles into the hands of carefully selected customers early next month.

The first of the cars, which produce electricity from hydrogen gas and oxygen and emit only water vapor from their tailpipes, will go to Hollywood producer ("Little Miss Sunshine") Ron Yerxa, who traveled to Japan to attend the ceremony at Honda's new fuel-cell vehicle assembly facility at its advanced R&D campus in Tochigi, about 100 miles north of Tokyo.

Honda introduced the production model of the garnet-red car at the 2007 Los Angeles International Auto Show in November and said at the time that it would launch a three-year Clarity leasing program this summer.

Yerxa and other lessees – there will be about 200 in Southern California and Japan by the end of 2011 – will pay $600 a month and will be required to provide considerable feed-back to Honda about their experiences with the vehicle.

Closer But No Cigar

"This is an important day in the history of fuel-cell vehicle technology and a monumental step closer to the day when fuel cell cars will be part of the mainstream," John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, said in a statement.

"Our customers and dealers share in our vision for a cleaner and more sustainable transportation future, and share in our challenge to embrace a new generation of automotive technology that we think will carry the auto industry and its customers into the future."

While fuel cell cars represent the auto industry's best effort so far to free the motor vehicle from its dependence on oil and to avoid some of the perceived pitfalls of using rechargeable batteries to store power for electric cars, the technology is not without problems.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 15, 2008, 9:30 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen

May 27, 2008

As the Market Turns: Kia Returning to Small Car Roots

After dabbling in minivan-SUV territory, South Korea's Kia Motor Co. is getting back to small cars – a good strategy given that's the direction the entire U.S. automaker is heading as fuel prices ratchet ever upward.

At a media event n Seoul last week, Kia CEO Kim Dong-Jin told reporters that the company has been neglecting the small car market, but no more.

"With fuel prices the way they are, we are going back to the mainstream of the business," he said, adding that the company's new U.S. assembly plant in Georgia, once scheduled to build pickup trucks, will be used for small cars when it opens for business late next year. The plant also will assemble the Kia Sorento, a midsize crossover-utility vehicle.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 27, 2008, 2:02 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Hyundai, Kia

March 25, 2008

Hyundai Wants Piece of Expanding Hybrid Market

Hyundai Motor Co. is joining the hybrid party with a mass-production model, the Avante compact sedan, that is set to go on sale in South Korea and some other markets next year.

Although Hyundai makes no secret of its intent to ultimately bring hybrids in the U.S., it has not disclosed North American sales plans.

The South Korean automaker said that its hybrid lineup will grow as midsize models are introduced in 2010. A fuel-cell electric vehicle is expected in 2012, the company said...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell March 25, 2008, 3:24 PM
Categories:: Hybrid, Hyundai

October 11, 2007

Diversity Will Be Key to Alternative Fuels, Panel Says

Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Vehicle

As if on cue, the cars of the future queue up and drive past Vijay Vaitheeswaran.

A shiny new Nissan Altima hybrid powered by both gasoline and electricity zips by silently. A slick European-spec Audi A6 sedan purrs by, burning clean diesel.

Then comes a Prius hybrid with a short power cord where you'd expect to find a tailpipe, signifying its aftermarket conversion to a 100-plus mpg plug-in. There's even a Hyundai Tucson fuel-cell electric SUV carrying three tanks full of hydrogen, enough to travel about 150 miles.

Vaitheeswaran, a reporter for The Economist and co-author of Zoom: The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the Future, nods in appreciation.

He's taken a break from his book tour to attend an alternative fuels program in the industrial town of South San Francisco.

"In a nutshell, oil is the problem, cars are a big part of the solution," he said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 11, 2007, 1:00 PM
Categories:: Diesel, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Natural Gas, Nissan, Volkswagen

October 8, 2007

Fuel-Cell Vehicles Get Facetime at Speed Festival

A weekend devoted to worship of fuel-swilling, carbon-spewing muscle cars wouldn't seem the ideal place to preach the gospel of clean transportation, but the California Fuel Cell Partnership pitched its tent just inside the entry gates to the Coronado Speed Festival this past weekend -- and got a lot of action.

Almost 1,500 people attending the two-day festival on Coronado Island in San Diego Bay dropped by the partnership's stand to take a drive in one of the eight fuel-cell electric vehicles on hand.

“It’s actually a smart thing to do,” Hyundai spokesman Kevin Oates said of the decision to force-feed fuel cells to the speed crowd. “It lets us reach out to the trend-setters. These are people who are dedicated auto enthusiasts, and they can influence the industry,” he said of festival-goers.

“They’re auto enthusiasts,” he said, “so they’re enthusiastic about their muscle cars and racecars, but they’re also very open to the idea of the fuel cell as a door to the future of the auto.”

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 8, 2007, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Transportation Alternatives, Volkswagen

September 30, 2007

U.S. Fuel Economy Unchanged, Buyers Still Like Trucks

EPA fuel economy ratings for individual models are posted on price stickers

America’s passenger vehicle fleet, still top-heavy with light trucks and large sport utility vehicles, turned in an average fuel economy of 20.2 miles per gallon for 2007 models, unimproved from 2006, according to a new report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

That the numbers didn’t change despite soaring fuel prices and a nationwide push for greater fuel economy to help reduce our dependence on imported oil reflects both the slow pace at which automakers can adopt improved technologies and the reluctance of U.S. car buyers to give up the kinds of vehicles they’ve been buying for years.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 30, 2007, 11:51 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota

September 10, 2007

Green Scene at Frankfurt Auto Show

Although there's plenty of development work on alternative fuels and power plants going on in U.S. automakers’ R&D labs, the industry is consumed these days with fixing its collective financial woes and there's not much noise being made about advancing green technology. Not in the U.S., anyhow.

We likely won't hear too much about what's close to being market ready until the carmakers and the UAW complete their ongoing master contract negotiations and possibly not until the hype around January's Detroit auto show begins.

But Asian and European car companies, including European subsidiaries of both Ford and GM, are stepping in to fill the environmental void, with a spate of clean diesels and gas-electric hybrids in the works. A lot of green goodies will be shown off at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, which begins a two-day press preview on Tuesday.

Here's a look at what's on tap.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 10, 2007, 8:00 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Audi, BMW, Diesel, Hybrid, Hyundai, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Volvo