2011 Hyundai 4dr Sdn V6 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo: June 2013

There are an awful lot of good reasons to get into the Hyundai Veloster family and formula. This car looks good, is loaded out with tech and offers a great deal of practicality in a small form factor. One good reason not to consider a Veloster, at least if you're a city dweller or have primarily urban daily driving path, is the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine in the eponymous Veloster Turbo.
Two major factors kill the Veloster Turbo in terms of said city driving: turbo lag and fuel economy.
Two major factors kill the Veloster Turbo in terms of city driving: turbo lag and fuel economy.

Autoblog Podcast #362

Episode #362 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert cover the year-end news, including the surprise resignation of Hyundai Motor North America CEO John Krafcik, strong early sales for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and 2015 Ford F-150 rumors ahead of its expected Detroit Auto Show debut. Dan also had a chance to look back at 2013 and ahead to 2014 with Autoline's John McElroy. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #362:
Topics:

2015 Hyundai Tuscon Fuel Cell will lease for $499/month, comes with free hydrogen

If nothing else, Hyundai wants to make it as easy as pie for you to check out its upcoming hydrogen-powered 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle. Given that the Korean automaker will be the first to offer a mass-produced fuel cell vehicle in the US (sorry, Honda, the FCX Clarity just doesn't cut it for this category) and that the hydrogen-powered Tuscon is coming next spring, there's no time like the present to lower hurdles.
Here's how Hyundai is trying to remove your worries. First, if you want to have an extended test drive, you can go rent a fuel cell Tuscon at participating Enterprise locations, starting next spring. Nothing was said about buying one of these SUVs outright, but after putting $2,999 down, you will be able to lease the H2 Tuscon for $499 a month for 36 months, and that includes "unlimited free hydrogen refueling" and a hydrogen version of the "At Your Service Valet Maintenance." Since there are only ten public hydrogen refueling stations in the US, and nine of them are in California, it makes sense that the Tuscon will be available only in the Golden State, specifically at just four dealerships. Hyundai said in a statement that, "Availability of the Tucson Fuel Cell will expand to other regions of the country consistent with the accelerating deployment of hydrogen refueling stations." In other words, don't hold your breath.
Speaking at the unveiling, Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik praised the hydrogen work that Honda and Toyota are doing here at the show and said, "We think fuel cell technology will increase the adoption rate of zero-emission vehicles, and we'll all share the environmental benefits." In the Tuscon, that means an estimated 300-mile range and a refill time of under 10 minutes along with the instant torque of an electric motor. We'll be most interested to see how that plays out in the marketplace. Feel free to read more in the press release below.