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Hyundai and Kia have been on a roll this year, with both Korean automakers breaking several model-specific and/or monthly sales records in the United States. Now that November sales are in, we have a clearer idea of where each brand is at and how the year will finish. With 822,756 models sold through November, Hyundai leads Kia, which sold 777,152 vehicles over the same period. These are increases of 8% and 7% respectively, so the two brands have grown at a similar pace in 2025. It’s when we bre

Hyundai Thinks Car Doors Are Due for a Rethink Automakers have spent decades refining engines, suspensions, and software, but Hyundai is aiming at something far more basic: how people actually get in and out of cars. A newly published patent application shows the company experimenting with a double-sliding-door setup that feels less inspired by minivans and more by subways and commuter trains. Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in January 2026 (you can look it up

Software Is Now the Product Performance still counts, but these days, what really sets a car apart is the software running underneath. That’s the thinking behind software-defined vehicles – cars that keep changing and adding features long after you’ve bought them. That’s exactly where Hyundai Motor Group is headed with Pleos Connect. Instead of treating cars as finished products, they’re building a platform that lets vehicles keep getting better over time. Pleos Connect rolls out first in the Hy

Three Doors Down Hyundai is gearing up to revive the gasoline-powered i30 N, injecting excitement back into the global hot hatch scene. Yet once again, the United States is left watching from the sidelines. According to Autocar, the reborn i30 N is aimed squarely at markets outside America. For US enthusiasts, it is a familiar story. The original i30 N never came here either, despite its cult following overseas and its status as the car that launched Hyundai’s N performance brand. But there is

Sci-Fi Styling Now a Full EV When Hyundaifirst showed the Staria in 2021, it was hard to miss. The clean lines, huge windows, and wide light bar made it look like an EV. It was, however, still running on combustion engines at the time. Now, Hyundai has closed that gap. The Staria is finally available as a full EV, pairing its futuristic design with zero-emission power. The Staria Electric made its debut at the Brussels Motor Show as Hyundai’s new flagship minivan. It keeps the updated look from

The Robot That Accidentally Solved a Car Problem Ask any engineer, and they'll tell you there's no perfect suspension system. Every setup is a compromise depending on usage – too soft and the vehicle wallows; too stiff and it beats up the occupants. Sure, fully active adaptive suspension exists in high-end nameplates, but it still has limitations (read: off-road). Hyundai may not have set out to break this rule, but its latest creation comes surprisingly close. The Mobile Eccentric Droid, or Mob

Reports indicate that Hyundai's N division is expanding its high-performance electric vehicle strategy to be more accessible. Following the launch of the flagship Ioniq 5 N and the anticipated Ioniq 6 N, Hyundai has reportedly tasked its N-division with developing an entry-level performance EV expected to sit beneath the current lineup. Hyundai Hyundai's N-Division Lineup The curr

The Santa Cruz is pretty much the only Hyundai that is unpopular, selling just over 32,000 units last year versus the Ford Maverick's 155,000, but the Korean automaker's next attempt at luring Ford and Toyota pickup buyers to its dealerships will have several differences. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a couple of years to see exactly how the new midsize pickup will differ, reports Australia's CarExpert, but the good news is that we already have several clues. We'll discuss those momentarily,

Tech layoffs are in full swing, with January marking the highest level of job cuts since 2009, driven mostly by AI restructuring. U.S. employers announced over 108,000 layoffs in January 2026, a 118% increase from January 2025, with most companies citing artificial intelligence as the main reason for the job cuts. The automotive industry is not immune to this, although the main culprit is not AI but the EV downturn. Lucid Motors announced a 12% reduction of its global workforce last month and Ge

Hyundai’s China-developed Elexio electric SUV has been spotted in Australia for the first time, confirming that what started life as a China-only EV is now headed overseas. The midsize, five-seat model was photographed on a transporter in Melbourne, as per Cars Guide, wearing only light camouflage, and Hyundai has since confirmed it will launch locally in early 2026. Slotting between the Kona Electric and Ioniq 5 in size and price, the Elexio is built on an 800-volt architecture, uses BYD-suppl

Growth Continues Amid a Cloud Right now, Hyundai’s got a headache with the Palisade in the US, enough to trigger a stop-sale. It’s the sort of thing that can turn opinions fast. But if you look at the bigger picture, Hyundai’s been on a roll in America – 2025 was its best sales year yet, and that didn’t happen by chance. The company has tightened up its lineup, pushed harder into electrification, and steadily improved how the brand is perceived. At its latest shareholder meeting, Hyundai made it

“Six for 6 in 2026,” that’s Randy Parker’s shorthand for the automaker’s latest goal – a sixth consecutive year of record sales for Hyundai Motor America, where he serves as CEO. But that’s just the beginning of what the Korean carmaker has in mind. Hyundai has come a long way since it launched operations in the U.S. Worldwide, it’s now the third-largest automaker, second in terms of profitability. And, in the States, it’s giving chase to giants like General Motors, Ford and Toyota. Last year, t

Hyundai has put a price on the hottest version of its Elantra N entry-level performance car, the limited-edition 2026 Elantra N TCR Edition. Built to celebrate the six-consecutive Hyundai TCR Manufacturers’ Championships in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, the TCR Edition starts at $39,250 for the manual transmission model and $40,750 for the eight-speed wet dual-clutch transmission (DCT) version; the prices exclude a $1,245 destination charge. Compared to the regular Elantra N, the TCR Editio

Hyundai’s Fake EV Gearbox Hyundai’s simulated gear shift system has quietly become one of the more influential ideas in the EV space. What started as a quirky feature in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N turned out to be surprisingly convincing, adding fake shifts, simulated revs, and even drivetrain jolts that gave the electric hot hatch a more traditional performance-car feel. The idea worked so well that other brands started taking notes. Hyundai is also looking to bring this tech to more than just its N

Hyundai Strengthens Foundations for Building Flying Cars While Elon Musk continues teasing futuristic Tesla concepts that could one day take to the skies, Hyundai Motor Group is taking a more grounded approach by partnering with Korea Aerospace Industries to develop real Advanced Air Mobility aircraft. The two companies recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding focused on creating future flying vehicles powered by electrified aviation systems. The partnership combines Hyundai’s expertise in

Meet Atlas. It’s the latest member of the growing robot family to emerge from the laboratory at Boston Dynamics – perhaps best known for its canine-like Spot. Atlas, however, walks on two legs and boasts a decidedly humanoid shape. And if the company’s parent, Hyundai Motor Group, has its way, Atlas will soon start showing up at its U.S. parts and assembly plants. Hyundai hopes to

Electrified Models Led the Charge Hyundai has recorded its third consecutive month of record total sales in the U.S. after posting a six percent year-over-year increase in February 2026, with 65,677 units sold. Electrified models helped drive the result, rising 56 percent, while the hybrid lineup surged by 79 percent — both marking the brand’s best-ever February totals. This reflects strong U.S. demand for hybrid vehicles, particularly as all-electric cars have seen slower adoption amid shifting

Hyundai’s N division has come a long way since its first product, the i30 N hot hatch, was launched almost a decade ago. Sadly, that car never made it stateside, where the Korean marque’s N lineup is currently limited to the Ioniq 5 N, Elantra N, and the new Ioniq 6 N. But Hyundai has grander plans for its N range over the next three to four years. That’s according to Olabisi Boyle, senior vice president of product planning and mobility strategy at Hyundai. Although she was careful not to divulg

Hyundai’s Ioniq family of dedicated all-electric vehicles has grown spectacularly in recent years, but up until now the automaker has focused mainly on mid-range and high-end models. That is about to change, because the smallest member of the Ioniq range yet—the Hyundai Ioniq 3—is only days away from its world premiere. Hyundai will officially unveil it on April 20 at the 2026 Milan Design Week in Italy, with the market launch in Europe following later in the year. World Premiere at 2026 Milan

Hyundai decided to do things the old-fashioned way at this year’s New York International Auto Show. It’s become the industry norm to provide journalists advanced embargo news releases allowing them to prep stories ahead of time. But Hyundai left everyone guessing until it lifted the covers at its Wednesday morning press conference at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Hyundai Boulder Concept Adam Lynton &a

A Segment Hyundai Can’t Ignore Not much is known yet about Hyundai’s upcoming midsize pickup, but the model is already drawing attention, given the high demand for trucks in the U.S. In Australia, meanwhile, CarExpert reported that expectations are also high, reflecting just how popular pickups, or “utes,” are there as well. Bill Thomas, Hyundai Australia’s General Manager of Public Relations, told the publication the new pickup is primed to help the brand make a splash in the Land Down Under –

The compact Kona crossover has been an indisputable success for Hyundai since it launched in 2017, proving popular in markets all over the world over its two generations, even if demand for the electric version is unsurprisingly a little weak in the US right now. It’s little surprise, then, that the model looks likely to get a third generation. Not only that, but as we've previously reported, it could come sooner rather than later, with suggestions that a planned facelift for the current model h

The Hyundai Palisade had its best-ever global sales performance in 2025, fueled by the introduction of the redesigned second-generation model. Official Hyundai Motor Company figures show that the Palisade sold a record-breaking 211,215 worldwide, achieving its highest annual sales to date. That represents a 27.4% increase over the previous year, when Hyundai moved 165,745 Palisade units globally. The United States was by far the biggest market for the Palisade last year, with a total of 123,929

A Reputation That’s Hard to Shake The Hyundai Theta II 2.4-liter engine has a reputation that’s hard to ignore. Recalls, lawsuits, and owner complaints have piled up, mostly due to engine failures caused by bearing wear and oil starvation. Manufacturing debris, lubrication issues, and questions about long-term durability have all contributed to making this one of the more troublesome modern four-cylinders. This reputation was built up over the years. Across Hyundai and Kia models, the same patte

Every country that sits next to a hostile neighbour needs a credible army. South Korea has known this for seven decades, maintaining one of Asia's largest standing forces through mandatory military service. But numbers are slipping fast. Troop strength has fallen roughly 20 percent over six years, sitting at around 450,000, and that figure is projected to drop further. The reason isn't conflict or desertion. It's demographics. South Korea has the world's lowest birth rate, and that means fewer b