Happy Hyundai, Kia Cars Picked as Best Buys in U.S.

Hyundai, Kia Cars Picked as Best Buys in U.S.

Four cars by Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors were named 2011 Automotive Best Buys by U.S. magazine Consumers Digest on Thursday.  

Hyundai's Genesis and Sonata sedans were picked in the family car and luxury car categories, and Kia's Sorento R and Soul in compact SUVs and compacts.

The Genesis has won the award for three years in a row and the Soul two, while the new Sonata and Sorento R have been honored in their debut year in the U.S.

/Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

Consumers Digest evaluates vehicles based on design, performance, amenities, and motoring costs and selects a couple of winners in 12 categories. This year some 250 cars were considered.

Meanwhile, Hyundai ranked first in the automotive category and sixth overall among 501 brands on the 2010 Customer Loyalty Leaders list. The ranking was released last month by Brand Keys, a New York-based market researcher that specializes in customer loyalty.

Is China Electric car boom going to happen? Happy Hyundai Oak Lawn

Among the recently launched new energy vehicles, how many are really low-carbon oriented cars? The answer is: None. Detailed implementation rules for subsidies for new energy vehicles are expected to be announced by the end of this month. There is a lot of insider speculation as to the nature of those rules.

At the 2010 China Low Carbon Economic Forum held recently by the Low Carbon Research Center at Peking University, Li Junfeng, deputy director of the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), noted in a keynote speech, titled New Energy Development Outlook, that among new energy vehicles, none is low carbon and that new technology must be developed to produce low-carbon cars.

Li said that not one new energy mode, not fuel cell, nor bio-gas, nor fully electric, is truly low-carbon under existing technical criteria, and he warned carmakers against using the "low carbon" claim while building high-carbon vehicles.

The government is preparing to introduce subsidies for new energy vehicles, but analysts explain that a policy not in line with the relatively strict market access system will fall victim to short cuts and some companies will use trickery to gain subsidies.

A Dongfeng Motor deputy manager says, "The issue of emissions and low-carbon makes cars the focus of contradictions. Auto industry insiders do not want the business to become a second real estate, everybody's target."

In China, like in much of the developed world, developing and promoting new energy vehicles has become highly fashionable.

In January 2009, the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology(MIIT), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST), and other ministries announced their vigorous support for the development of new energy vehicles, resulting in a wave of new-energy and electric vehicle projects in a market that had been perfectly quiet. So far, among domestic car companies, only BYD says it will enter the electric car field, but it has not come up with a purely electric model. Toyota's hybrid Prius represented at that time the most advanced technology for new energy vehicles
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Almost overnight, however, hybrid technology was going out with the tide, and pure-electric development is the focus of domestic automobile companies. Statistics are incomplete but show that more than 40 domestic auto enterprises claim to have mastered pure electric car technology, apparently far outshining the industry in Japan and the United States.

According to the new-energy vehicle strategic objectives of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers(CAAM), the number of pure electric vehicles is to reach 500,000 by 2015, electric technology is to be widely used in conventional cars, hybrid vehicles should account for 30% of annual production, whole vehicle and key component production for new energy automobiles should reach a world advanced level, and new car average fuel consumption should drop by 30%, reaching international levels.

In the Directory of Recommended Models of Energy Conservation and New-Energy Vehicles, released by the State Council, almost all major domestic automobile manufacturers have their new energy vehicles on the list, and more than 100 new-energy car products are included. China seems to be leading the world in new energy vehicle production. Have so many companies in a not entirely developed country truly mastered the technology of new-energy cars? There appears to be a large dose of speculation among firms about new-energy vehicle concepts.

Chen Quanshi, director of Auto Research Center at Tsinghua University and deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy Conservation, points out that it is only the eve of the real development of new-energy vehicles and the bulk of the needed technology is still in planning stages. China's key technologies in electric cars, in fact, have as yet made no breakthroughs, as even the big international automakers are struggling with reducing carbon emissions from current industry standards.

Xu Jun, director of the Division of Resources and Environment for MST Social Development, says as the development of new energy vehicles is yet a trend, some issues such as fuel cells have not yet been solved. Dong Yang, deputy director and secretary general of CAAM, also admits that there is a gap between domestic new-energy vehicle technology and advanced international-level tech, and domestic products lack sufficient experimental verification.
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The biggest problem China's new-energy vehicle push faces is the lack of original technology, which is to say that China has very little. Some carmakers, however, blow hard. In 2009, more than 20 domestic auto makes announced their successful development of pure electric cars, surpassing even Japan, the leader in electric car development. According to China Business News, senior managers of one domestic private car company say the so-called pure electric car is an assembly of components bought from other companies and developed by an R & D team of 30 individuals over 2 months, at the total cost of not more than 5 million yuan. The result is that the company has yet to meet the actuality of green energy, but has inflated its reputation and also obtained specific government grants.

Happy Hyundai Oak Lawn Il you source for Hyundai cars. Please visit us on the web at http://www.myhappyhyundai.com/

Hyundai Unveils its Electric Car Happy Hyundai Oak Lawn

Seoul, Korea, 09/09/2010

• 'BlueOn’ is Korea’s first Full Speed Electric Vehicle (FSEV)
• Hyundai’s new vehicle boasts maximum speed of 130 km/h, can travel 140 km on a single charge
• Korean President Lee Myung-Bak attends unveiling ceremony, test drive

Hyundai Motor Co. today unveiled the company’s – and Korea’s - first Full Speed Electric Vehicle (FSEV) named ‘BlueOn,’ opening a new era in eco-friendly technology.

“We are proud to introduce the world to BlueOn, which was fully developed in Korea and displays Hyundai’s latest technological advancements,” said Dr. Hyun-Soon Lee, Vice Chairman at Hyundai’s Corporate R&D Center. “Consumers’ interests and demand for eco-friendly cars are rising and securing such advanced technology is critical in becoming an industry leader. Hyundai is dedicated to reducing its carbon footprint and satisfying market needs.”

Hyundai unveiled the car at the Blue House today, in the presence of Korean President Lee Myung-Bak and Ministers from the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and Ministry of Environment. About 50 other government and electric-vehicle industry officials were also present. During the unveiling ceremony, President Lee and Hyundai’s Vice Chairman Lee test drove one of the new vehicles together on the Blue House premises.

TEST FLEETS

Hyundai invested a total of about 40 billion won over a one year period to create BlueOn, which is based on Hyundai’s small hatchback, i10. The electric version of i10 was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009.    

Beginning with today’s ceremony, Hyundai is planning to provide 30 BlueOn vehicles as test fleets to various government organizations in Korea by October. These vehicles will be mainly used to help develop and test charging infrastructures for about two years, until August 2012. Furthermore, these cars will be used for promotional purposes, starting with the upcoming G20 summit, to boost Korea’s eco-friendly image.

The name ‘BlueOn’ derives from Hyundai’s Blue Drive strategy, which encompasses the company’s eco-friendly products and technologies. The word ‘On’ symbolizes “switch on.”

INNOVATIVE LiPOLY BATTERIES, VIRTUAL SOUND  

BlueOn has a compact body with an overall length of 3,585 mm, overall width of 1,595 mm and overall height of 1,540 mm. It is equipped with a highly efficient electric motor powered by an innovative 16.4 kWh LiPoly (lithium-ion polymer) battery technology that offers numerous advantages over other battery types. BlueOn boasts a maximum power of 81ps(61kW) and maximum torque of 21.4kg/m(210Nm).

As pure electric vehicles operate only with the battery and electric motor, the battery’s lifespan and storage capacity determines the vehicle’s performance. Hyundai chose LiPoly batteries because compared with previous nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH), LiPoly delivers the same power with 30 percent less weight and 40 percent less volume, boosting efficiency and leaving more interior space for passengers.

Furthermore, the car has been designed to prevent overcharging and collision-related safety issues. Hyundai also conducted hundreds of thousands of kilometers’ worth of endurance testing to secure safety. BlueOn boasts a maximum speed of 130km/h and 0-100 km/h is achieved in 13.1 seconds, better than some gasoline models in the same class.

BlueOn also features a Virtual Engine Sound System (VESS), which creates an artificial sound for the safety of pedestrians, as electric vehicles make little to no sound when driving at low speeds.

RECHARGING

BlueOn can travel as much as 140 km on a single charge. It also accommodates dual recharging methods: a 220V household power and a 380V industrial-strength power, which promises quick recharging speeds. Under the household power, the battery will be fully recharged within six hours. Under the quick charge method, the battery can be recharged to about 80 percent of its capacity within 25 minutes. Hyundai will collaborate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and other government agencies to build recharging facilities.

In addition, the engine-driven components were electrified so that the electric motor-driven power steering, electric water pump and regenerative brake system could be adapted to BlueOn. Furthermore, for the driver’s convenience, an advanced telematics system showing the charge status and location of recharging stations is installed. A 4.2-inch TFT LCD Supervision Cluster that provides voice guidance has also been installed.

Hyundai plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities for BlueOn next year, carrying out test productions and making about 2,500 units by the end of 2012.

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Co. has grown into the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group which was ranked as the world’s fifth-largest automaker since 2007 and includes over two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates.  Employing over 75,000 people worldwide, Hyundai Motor sold approximately 2.8 million vehicles globally in 2008, posting sales of US$25.6 billion on a non-consolidated basis (using the average currency exchange of 1257.5 won per US dollar).  Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000 dealerships and showrooms. Further information about Hyundai Motor and its products are available at http://www.hyundai.com

HYUNDAI UNVEILS ITS FIRST ELECTRIC CAR 'BLUEON'