Hyundai Veloster named "Urban Car of the Year" by Decisive Magazine

Great news for Hyundai!

The all-new 2012 Hyundai Veloster three-door coupe earned the “Urban Car of the Year” title from Decisive magazine. “The Urban Vehicles of the Year” awards are selected by a panel of independent automotive journalists who spend several months evaluating the most stylish, practical and attainable vehicles annually. After driving dozens of cars and trucks in a variety of North American urban settings, they panel selected Veloster as a stand-out performer in the 2012 class.

Hyundai’s all-new 2012 Veloster delivers innovation to the compact coupe segment with standard features such as a unique third door for easy rear-seat access, Hyundai’s Blue Link™ telematics system, Pandora® internet radio, seven-inch touch-screen display, and a new 1.6-liter Gasoline-Direct-Injected (GDI) four-cylinder engine and six-speed transmission. GDI technology helps deliver highway fuel economy of 40 mpg, lower emissions and higher reliability. With a starting price of $17,300 (plus freight), Veloster adds great value to its compelling list attributes.

“Conceived to attract new, youthful drivers to the Hyundai brand, Veloster stands out from the crowd with a stylish yet functional design that combines the best characteristics of both a coupe and hatchback,” said Scott Margason, director, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “The unique personality of the car is attracting many different types of shoppers and we’re honored that the panel of experts with Decisive magazine felt it met the needs of urban drivers so well.”

The Urban Vehicles of the Year winners and finalists will be honored at the 16^th Annual Urban Wheel Awards (UWA) on Sunday, January 8, 2012, the MotorCity Casino Hotel’s Sound Board Theater in Detroit, Michigan. The 16th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, hosted by the Emerging Diversity Education Fund (EDEF) and Decisive Media, has been named the Official Multicultural Event of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) by the 2012 NAIAS Executive Committee.

“The Hyundai Veloster is a combination of a hip and edgy image, along with exceptional value to price and outstanding fuel economy that is perfectly suited for urban drivers,” said Lyndon Conrad Bell, Decisive magazine’s editor-in-chief. “Hyundai’s choice to make its halo car an entry-level model excites us even more. With Veloster, Hyundai definitely proves that high style and reasonable pricing absolutely can go together.”

Read more: http://www.hyundainews.com/us/en-us/Media/PressRelease.aspx?mediaid=34273&title=hyundai-veloster-named-urban-car-of-the-year-by-decisive-magazine

The Right, Eco-Friendly Way to Wash Your Car

Do you know the most eco friendly way to wash your car? Read on to find out!

"Preserving the environment is a major concern these days, especially when it comes to automobiles. This even applies to something as seemingly mundane as preserving your vehicle's appearance. How and where you wash your car does make a difference. The matter is never more critical than in spring, when most proud car owners are busy washing off the effects of winter's unrelenting assault before it takes a toll on their pride and joy's looks, integrity and mechanical well-being.


Making a habit of keeping your vehicle as clean as possible, inside and out, will reap great benefits. A sparkling-clean car will not only flatter the eye and the owner's ego, it will also help the vehicle last longer and stay in better shape, thus improving resale value.


The question here is: What is the best and most eco-friendly way to achieve and sustain vehicular cleanliness?


Routine Cleaning
Dirt, road salt, tar and various other forms of gunk, goo and residue are your car's worst enemies. Keeping them off your vehicle's bodywork, year-round, is the basic challenge. Hand-washing a car remains the best and most effective way to do this, but it must be done the right way, and even then it is not the most environmentally friendly way to go.


These days the "greenest" way to wash your car is to run it through an automatic car wash. Studies show that a session in the car wash uses roughly half the water the average owner would use while washing it at home with the traditional bucket and hose. Commercial car-wash systems are also required, by law, to contain and collect the water used during the wash. So are professional detailers. The waste water is then cleaned and, in most cases, used again.


Automatic car-wash systems even get the nod from car-care professionals, especially when it comes to routine cleanings. David Lee, owner and operator of L.A. Detail, based in Toronto, offers thorough detailing services, but he freely admits to using commercial car-wash systems for his personal vehicle and says he finds them both useful and practical.


However, Lee is also quick to point out that not all systems are equally safe and effective. He favors the high-pressure, no-contact systems and warns against using systems with rotating brushes or moplike, moving felt mats. It's hard to assess how well-maintained these systems are, and your car's paint finish might be at the mercy of the grit that was scrubbed off the crusty old jalopy that passed through the wash just before your car. And paint could be at risk even in the best-maintained systems because of the friction generated by the brushes and mats.


High-pressure systems also are useful in performing the most difficult of tasks: cleaning off as much dirt and salt as possible from your vehicle's undercarriage, fender liners and rocker panels. The operation is entirely worth the extra couple of dollars, Lee says. "The best approach is to run your vehicle through a car wash regularly to keep the dirt from building up and digging into the surface," he says.


Lee adds that brush-free systems are at their best when only a light wash is needed. Frequency then becomes the key. Their weak point is glass, "so I always use the squeegee on glass surfaces before running my vehicle through," he says.


The Dirty Job
For really dirty jobs, the best and most effective way to wash a vehicle still involves elbow grease. That's how pro detailers do it to this day. It's the only way some dirt and residue can be removed. Clay, for instance, can leave a hazy, brownish film that will resist a high-pressure brushless car wash.


While hand-washing might get your vehicle the cleanest, it can be far from environmentally friendly. The main culprits are the excessive use of water and the release of harmful substances such as soap residue, oil, acid and metal particles into the sewer system while washing and rinsing. Some cities and states have banned home car washing for these reasons. Others do so indirectly by forbidding all use of tap water outdoors to preserve dwindling supplies during hot spells.


If you plan to wash at home, your first move is to get automotive soap and cleaners that are biodegradable and nontoxic. Even then, you should avoid washing over pavement, which would let the wash water drain into a sewer, storm drain or ditch that would then let it seep into the water system. Make sure to wash over grass or gravel that will absorb the water into the ground to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact.


Hand-Wash the Right Way
The golden rule for hand-washing, Lee says, is to be "as gentle as possible" to avoid scratching or etching the finish. Make sure your car is cool and parked in the shade. You should also wash in the shade to keep the surface from drying out instantly and leaving soap streaks and scratches.


Fill two buckets with tap water. The first gets the soap, with the right dilution ratio, and the second is for rinsing dirt and particles off thoroughly as you go over the car, section by section, moving from top to bottom. Leave the rocker panels and wheels, always the dirtiest bits, for last. Otherwise, the grit from these areas will get stuck in the cleaning rags and scratch the finish off your car as you rub it clean.


Your first step it to give your car the best possible rinse to remove as much of the dirt, dust and grime as possible. Pressure washers do a good job. Lee's team uses and recommends them. "They get dirt out of the nooks and crannies and save a lot of water, too, since pressure does most of the job," he says.


You should use two soft mittens or natural sponges for washing. The first only touches the painted surfaces and the second only the wheels, tires and other dirtiest bits. Rinse them in the second bucket as much as needed to get rid of the slightest grain of sand or dirt. Work in sections that you rinse with the hose as you go. Turn the water off between rinses to avoid waste.


Lee gives the nod to the traditional chamois, be it natural or synthetic, to dry the car afterward. Let the chamois soak thoroughly before use and rinse it frequently. Another pro tip is to use the moist chamois to wipe hazy deposits from the instrument panel and the inside of the windshield once the exterior is done.


A good spring cleaning should also include the floors, where a lot of grit, grime, salt and water has accumulated, often leaving a nasty crust where it dries. An excellent tool for this operation is a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. First, vacuum up as much of the dry stuff as you can. If deposits remain, scrub them with a brush, hot water and some vinegar, but do so sparingly. Then vacuum again quickly. Do not use too much water; it will dissolve the salt, and the resulting mixture will seep under the carpet and never dry. The result might be a rusted floor pan. The door jambs and sills should also be cleaned, this time with lukewarm water and soap.


Additional Steps
Once your car shines after that spring cleaning, you will want to wax it for protection against the elements, including the scorching summer sun. Lee says that the two-stage approach of applying a pre-cleaner compound first and then a protective wax is worth the extra effort.


You can also use "dressing" products on your tires. "Use the clear, petroleum-based type that seems to 'nourish' the rubber," Lee says. It is best to apply it with a cloth instead of spraying it on to avoid getting the stuff on your alloy wheels, where it becomes "a dust magnet." And you should wipe off the excess after a few minutes. Indeed, if the oily liquid mixes with brake dust and spins off onto rocker panels and fenders, it can permanently damage the paint.


These additional steps will help preserve the long-term appearance and value of your prized possession. And a clean car always runs nicer, doesn't it?"


Read more http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1184306&page=2

Any car that can be described as a "moving party machine" or "the car Bruce Wayne would take out on weekends" has definitely got my attention. Read on for more.

Hyundai, until recently hasn’t been known for being the cool hipster car but last night that all changed when three customized Velosters were revealed at the grand opening of RE:MIX Lab, a multi-city festival of art, music, fashion, technology, culture and design.


The Hyundai Veloster is a slick looking piece of machinery that not only looks sporty but also has some luxury touches that will appeal to both guys and gals when driving through Williamsburg or even to the next Austin City Limits festival. The Veloster is a three-door coupe that was designed for those who love to drive but also experience their surroundings. That is where the RE:MIX lab came in to transform three of these cars into moving party machines.


On display, there was the Music Veloster that features a matte black exterior, black-smoked taillights, black suede and vinyl interior, a Fender Stratocaster guitar and Vox stainless amp. In the rear hatch a Numark NS6 DJ controller, customized black and red 15” Macbook Pro with Serato, three JL Audio Amps and two iPad’s controlled the playlist pumping out of the car. This would be the car Bruce Wayne would take out on weekends…


Next up was the Technology Veloster, which was equipped with equipment from Apple, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic. This might be considered the geek mobile of the collection but you certainly wouldn’t look nerdy in it. The white Technology Veloster featured a 40” Samsung 3D LCD TV, 3D Blu-Ray player and 3D camcorder. The rear hatch also featured shelving for 3D glasses. So not one person but several people could get into the 3D viewing action.


The last bad boy of the collection has to be the ultimate gaming machine. The Gaming Veloster took its design cues from the Xbox 360 with green and black accents, carbon fiber trim and Sparco race seat. The rear hatch of the Gaming Veloster featured a 40” TV that was connected to both Kinect and Xbox 360, in the back seat of the car you found additional controllers as well as screens that meant eight players at any given time could play an Xbox game in the car. To mod your car to look like a moving Xbox machine, you’ll need about about $80,000 bucks. The car keep in mind has a MSRP of $17,300.


The RE:MIX LAB fueled by Hyundai Veloster is a traveling exhibition that is currently incorporating elements of art, music, fashion, and technology.


It’s a good possibility these cars will be making its way to your neighborhood soon and we seriously suggest you check them out.

Source (including tons of pictures): http://www.chipchick.com/2011/10/hyundai-veloster-remix.html

Hyundai steels itself for a cleaner future

Hyundai is taking major steps towards cleaner steel production!

“Steelmakers are known to be one of the worst polluters in manufacturing, but South Korea's newest plant claims it is designed to go green. Hyundai Steel's Dangjin plant, which sits an hour and a half south of Seoul on the west coast, is the youngest steel plant in the world and has adopted new technologies to ensure it stand out from others. By simply enclosing storage and transport routes for raw material, they are able to prevent dust particles from entering the surrounding areas. The facility, which includes 35 kilometers (21 miles) of conveyor belts fully enclosed and state-of-the-art storage domes, cost Hyundai Steel roughly $5.5 billion to build. The two blast furnaces produce eight million tons of steel a year.

It is no small investment, but the steelmaker believes it will earn its way back in no time."With the encapsulated storage system, we minimize loss of raw material so that may be $20 million a year (that we are saving)," said Hyundai Steel's senior executive vice president Cho Won-suk.

Other steelmakers lose roughly 0.5% in raw materials annually by keeping them in the open, subjecting the material to rain and wind, according to Hyundai. The idea is simple but conventional players elsewhere see it as a large investment that would require a new layout for the steel plant. With the encapsulated storage system, we minimize loss of raw material so that may be $20 million a year (that we are saving)

Hyundai's Dangjin plant, which blew in its blast furnace at the beginning of last year, was designed to accommodate the green system from the beginning. Dangjin also boasts its recycling byproducts emitted during the process of burning and melting raw materials. The company says it recycles 100% of its byproducts which supplies 80% of the operation energy at the plant.

"The byproduct gas contains energy and has some value. For example, it contains carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane, so the byproduct gas can be utilized for heating up furnaces in the plant," vice president Cho said.

To make sure Hyundai is meeting its standards as a green steelmaker, it monitors its emission output around the clock which is not only reported to the government but is also open to the public. The steelmaker keeps its pollution levels below half of the government's regulations, according to Hyundai's technical research center manager, Park Eung-yeul.

Its tight relationship with its sister companies, Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Construction, is also enhancing its efforts to become more green. Not only does Hyundai Steel supply car parts to Hyundai Motor, the old cars at the end of their cycle come back to the steelmaker as scrap metal to be melted down and used once again. The rougher steel produced from scrap metal can then be used at construction sites. Despite these efforts, tackling CO2 emissions remains an ongoing challenge. But the company's dedicated task force team continue the drive towards producing environmentally-friendly energy and removing the obstacles in the way of even cleaner steel production.”

Read more http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/05/world/asia/hyundai-green-steel-korea/

Check Out The Veloster Hotrod!

Check out the Veloster Hotrod!

Hyundai Motor Co. said it plans to unveil a special “tuner” version of its Veloster three-door coupe during the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show that runs from Nov. 1 through Nov. 4 in Las Vegas.

The Korean car maker tapped aftermarket parts supplier ARK Performance Inc. to modify a Veloster in the style of a high performance rally car. The special Veloster has a bright green and flat gray paint scheme designed to appeal to youthful hot-rodders and car hobbyists who specialize in souping up compact imported vehicles.

Displaying the Veloster at the SEMA show is part of a broad program at Hyundai to attract a wider audience and build a better reputation among car enthusiasts who crave quick acceleration and sharp handling. Upgrades to the show car include a turbocharger that boosts the engine to 210 horsepower and numerous new suspension and exhaust-system parts.

The ARK Veloster shows what ambitions owners can do to their cars with off-the-shelf parts while also hinting at possible specialty models Hyundai could offer in the future.

“Our ARK Performance Veloster will bridge the realm between an affordable sports car and an extreme motor sports vehicle,” said Ted Lee, owner of ARK Performance Inc, which is a longtime supplier of aftermarket parts for Hyundai vehicles.

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2011/10/02/hyundai-courts-performance-crowd-with-veloster-hotrod/