We noticed the first glimpse of the Track-ster last week and this further picture reveals the rear lights and additional emphasis the vehicle’s flared wheel arches.

As with a few of Kia’s current ideas, the Track-ster is based mostly on the boxy Kia Soul. But in this situation it has emerged as a two-door sports activities hatch.

No doubt the concept will look a tiny out there and a perhaps a tad more than the top rated, but you have the give the Koreans credit for continuing to push the envelope with modern automotive styles. Not that Koreans created the Track-ster, it is the function of Tom Kearns, Kia’s chief designer in California.

Will it go into production? More news on that when we see it unveiled in Chicago in much less than 36 hours. We suspect it will sport the Hyundai Veloster Turbo’s 1.six-litre GDI 4-cylinder unit, generating around 152 kW and 265 Nm of torque.

Kia would undoubtedly advantage from a sporty hatch to assist develop its brand credentials further but we will a lot more than likely have to wait and see how effectively the Veloster sells before this can become reality.

Auto Guidance

The compact, open-leading SUV was unveiled at the 2009 Detroit auto show. At the time, Kia mentioned the automobile was purely a concept.

In 2010, Kia sources said the Soul’ster would not make production due to the economic circumstances, pointing to the simple fact that it would need the development of a new platform.

Kia has now exposed production could go ahead. In a current press release, the South Korean company explained the Soul’ster is “currently underneath final evaluation for production”.

In concept type, the Soul’ster comes with a two-piece flip back roof that opens the front and rear sections independently, exposing roll bars and the rear cargo area.

The production edition is anticipated to come with a one.six-litre four-cylinder engine making all around 103kW as nicely as a 2.-litre engine creating 122kW, borrowed from the Hyundai Veloster and Kia Sportage, respectively.

Auto Guidance

It is like BMW USA forgot to make some adverts for the new three-Series in time, so when they remembered they just went mad and released six spots together. Two of these commercials will be aired during Super Bowl XLVI in specific regions, but none of them is probable to win the very best ad award. Although they’re aimed at the American public, the adverts are very German. Even the humor is German. But they do a great occupation boasting the car’s excellent new capabilities.

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Motorward

It comes about to every single new vehicle buyer: you search at the car’s specs and amongst other items you take discover of its official fuel economic system numbers. Then you could discover that in true-planet problems, the mileage you eke out of a single tank is nowhere close to the quoted figure.

The discrepancy is often so large that you are either driving like a maniac (which in some situations may be true), or there is something’s fishy with the official mileage estimates. Are customers tricked by carmakers as far as fuel consumption is concerned, as some claim?

Client Watchdog (CW), a non-profit organization that advocates taxpayer and client interests, believes so and is generating a fuss about it. The organization has urged the EPA to execute tests itself and has even threatened to make use of “guerilla” techniques if its demands are not satisfied.

The lates issue was about Hyundai’s Super Bowl industrial for the Elantra that appeared on YouTube.

On December 14, Consumer Watchdogs wrote a letter to Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik where it demanded that the 40 mpg claim to be removed from the business considering that it did not clarify that it was referring to highway and not combined fuel economic climate numbers and that real-world consumption was truly considerably worse.

On Tuesday, February 1, Krafcik received a new letter that was also addressed to Hyundai Motor Business President Eok Jo Kim.

The client group noted that, although the 40 mpg “was not pitched” in the revised Super Bowl ad, it was nonetheless placed on a sidebar on Youtube. It requested a written reassurance that the ad be eliminated and desired an answer the next day, February 2.

“Consumer Watchdog has crafted its own short video about your 40 mpg claim that we intend to release should we not obtain assurances the Elantra Super Bowl ad will not make mpg claims,” CW demanded in its letter.

In addition, it warned the Korean carmaker that if it tried “to sneak the claim into your advertisement at the last moment”, then it would publicly challenge Krafcik to demonstrate the 40 mpg claim by driving an Elantra to the Super Bowl.

Hyundai Motor America senior group manager Monique Kumpis replied that the Super Bowl commercials displayed on YouTube “reflect specifically what will run on Super Bowl Sunday” adding that “in no way had been any of our advertisements influenced by any Customer Watchdog claims, comments or statements.”

Consumer WATCHDOG CORRESPONDENCE WITH HYUNDAI

VIDEO

Carscoop

The ninth-generation Honda Civic was rated ‘good’ for pedestrian protection – the highest attainable rating below the new criteria, which has been added to the overall ratings for 2012. It earned a pedestrian protection score of 27.54 points out of 36, and an all round occupant protection score of 34.91 out of 37.

The Hyundai Veloster three-door sports activities coupe attained an ‘acceptable’ rating for pedestrian protection – the second-highest rating – with a score of 17.74 out of 36. The Veloster carried out especially nicely in the occupant protection place, scoring 35.47 out of 37.

Electronic stability control (ESC), six airbags (dual front, side and curtains), ABS, EBD and brake help are common in the two automobiles. The Veloster gets front seatbelt reminders, even though the Civic gets reminders for both front and rear occupants.

ANCAP Chair Lauchlan McIntosh praised Honda on reaching the highest pedestrian protection rating.

“Pedestrian protection is an area that has not been properly addressed amongst the existing fleet so Honda has thrown out a challenge to other car suppliers,” he explained.

The Hyundai Veloster is now on sale in Australia whilst the Honda Civic sedan is due in neighborhood showrooms following month.

Vehicle Suggestions

The pace for U.S. light automobile product sales rose by 11 percent final month and was set by a handful of major automakers including Chrysler Group, Volkswagen Group and Hyundai/Kia.

All major automakers posted revenue gains last month except General Motors, which fell 6 % from a robust January 2011. The automaker sold a complete of 167,962 vehicles with Chevrolet getting the primary highlight as sales for the brand had been up 13 percent.

“Chevrolet drove our efficiency once once again and sales of our fuel-effective new cars had been particularly good,” and Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. Product sales Operations. “The strength that the economic climate and the car industry showed in the fourth quarter carried into January, so we imagine the year is off to a good start off.”

FoMoCo sold a total of 136,710 vehicles in January, a 7 percent boost. Ford as a brand sold 131,589 automobiles in January, creating it the greatest January product sales month for the Ford brand because 2008.

Chrysler shined the most out of Detroit automakers with U.S. revenue coming in at 101,149, a 44 % improve compared with product sales in January 2011.

Toyota sold a total of 124,540 units – up 7.five percent. Honda sold 83,009 units a enhance of 8.8 percent. Nissan was up 10.4 percent after offering 79,313 units.

Korean’s Hyundai was up 15 % with complete sales coming in at 42,694.

Germany’s Volkswagen Group product sales had been up 40 percent to 36,681 units. The product sales were led by a 48 percent boost for the VW brand and 20 % improve at at Audi.

egmCarTech

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Road &amp Track Blog

The Chevrolet Cruze, sold only as a sedan, brought in some successful product sales numbers for 2011, with 231,732 units sold. For this year, Chevy has made a decision to add a wagon variant for the Cruze that expected to improve product sales even increased.

Although GM is nevertheless finishing up with the wagon, it is rumored that the model will be numerous inches lengthier, with the addition of a sloping rear window and a tailgate.

Click here for a lot more news on the Chevrolet Cruze.

This is not the 1st variant that GM has produced for the Cruze, nevertheless. A 5-door hatchback is only available in markets outside the U.S., and even though GM hasn’t stated if they will be undertaking the exact same with the wagon, it may be a worthwhile move for the automaker to add it in the states. The Jetta Sport Wagon and Hyundai Elantra Touring are the only competitors the Cruze wagon would have in the states.

- By: Alexandra Koken

Source: AutoNews

egmCarTech

 

At the 2012 LA Automobile Present, Hyundai took residence award for the 2012 North American Auto of the year with the 2012 Hyundai Elantra.

At the Chicago Automobile Show following month, Hyundai isn’t basically going to sit close to displaying off trophies. Instead, they will be lopping two doors off of the Elantra and debuting this, the 2012 Elantra Coupe.

Visually, it really is extremely equivalent (shock) the the Elatra sedan. The primary big difference is the side detail which morphs into the rear wheel arch — that doesn’t exist on the sedan. The crease looks sharper right here, but that’s probably a visual trick lead to by it not currently being broken by the rear door take care of. We’re anticipating the powertrain to be the exact same with a 148-horsepower 1.eight-liter I4 hooked to either a six-speed manual or 6-speed automatic. (California cars which are SULEV/PZEV only make 145 horsepower.)

Categories: Coupes,Hyundai,Spy Photos

Straightline

Incoming search terms:

• 2012 Elantra Coupe Photos

The concern evolving about hybrid cars has constantly been the existence and durability of their battery packs, which stemmed from the reality that batteries inevitably die out at some point. And regardless of Toyota’s Prius and Ford’s Escape proof that hybrid batteries can stand the test of lengthy-term use and time, Hyundai even now insists on delivering prospective purchasers some piece of thoughts by offering a lifetime warranty for 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid batteries.

“We can afford the program simply because the failure rate is so very low,” stated Hyundai’s CEO, John Krafcik. And in the identical sentence, Krafcik also claimed that Hyundai has tested the Sonata Hybrid’s drivetrain for a lot more than 300,000 miles with no obvious signs of degradation.

Krafcik didn’t clarify the specifics of the warranty, but in the very same interview, his crew apparently confirmed that Hyundai is functioning to up the ante with transmissions by introducing, not a nine-speed cog swapper, but ten…TEN gears.

“We confirmed that it (the 10-speed) is a ‘go project’ for growth,” stated an undisclosed Hyundai representative.

Other than the confirmation, no other details had been offered.

- By: Chris Chin

Source: CARandDRIVER

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