Hyundai to launch battery-powered electric car in 2016

Hyundai plans to start selling its first battery-powered electric vehicle in 2016.

Hyundai has leant toward engines which turn hydrogen into electricity in response to stricter emissions regulations in markets such as the United States. Research and development partner Kia Motors Corp has focused on rechargeable batteries.

But the division of labor is blurring at a time when the number of battery-powered EVs is on the rise. BMW's i3 and Nissan Motor Co Ltd's Leaf are widely expected to reach Korea this year - as will Kia's Soul EV.

"There is no clear direction about which eco-friendly cars will win. We are dividing roles of Hyundai and Kia, with Hyundai launching fuel cell cars and Kia focusing on electric cars," Senior Vice President Lee Ki-sang told reporters on Tuesday.

"But the time will come when Kia will introduce a fuel-cell car. Hyundai is also preparing to launch a (battery-powered) electric car in 2016," Lee said at the Korean launch of the Soul

Battery Power

Kia, 34% owned by Hyundai, has favoured battery-powered cars because they can be charged at home as well as at charging stations. Fuel-cell cars must be refilled with hydrogen only at filling stations.

So far, a lack of charging stations and relatively short driving ranges, as well as high prices resulting from the cost of batteries, has kept the battery-powered EV market niche.

The number of battery-powered EVs on the rise, as BMW’s i3 and Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s Leaf are widely expected to reach Korea this year - as will Kia’s Soul EV.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Kia said it will start building a battery-powered version of its Soul compact in Korea next month. The car will be Hyundai-Kia’s first battery-powered EV export, with destinations including the U.S. and Europe.

For this year, the global sales target is 5,000 Soul EVs, said Cho Yong-won, vice president of Kia’s Domestic Marketing Group.

In Korea, the Soul EV will cost about half of its 42 million won ($43,650) price tag after government subsidies, similar to the higher-end model of the gasoline version.

The car can run up to 148 km per 24 to 33 minute fast charge or four hours on slow charge.

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Fire up the... Hyundai Veloster

LIKE a silly hat on Ladies Day at the Grand National, coupes are all about style. Even if it's useless at just about everything else, if they've got the looks then we'll buy them.

Hyundai knows this all too well, having had a string of hits with various models called simply the Coupe, which took ordinary enough ingredients and then garnished them with gorgeous sports car styling. It was a Ferrari 456GT for a fraction of the price. So how does the Veloster, the company's new coupe contender, stack up?

Very well indeed if what you're looking for are extra doors, because the new arrival uses the same trick the MINI Clubman pulled off a couple of years ago by offering you an extra opening on the left-hand side, making it usefully easier to get into than most of its rivals.

It's also, considering it's a coupe and therefore something you'd forgive for being a tad cramped, roomier in the rear and bigger of boot than you'd rightfully expect it to be.

Yet as a coupe connoisseur, you'll be buying the Veloster for the looks, and while I know style's a very subjective thing it's where I reckon the Veloster starts to fall apart. It's striking enough at the front and its proportions hide that third door beautifully but at the back it's got all the flow and grace of a crumpled piece of paper.

It might be practical but it just doesn't quite gel, and nor does the way it drive. It's an easy and refined experience not a million miles from its i30 hatchback sibling, but for something setting its stall out as being sporty the feel and handling are nothing special. There's nothing wrong with it, but nor is it anything to thrill or excite you.

The Veloster's the one to go for if you need your coupe to come with a pinch of practicality but if you don't I'd go for either Volkswagen's Scirocco, which is much more fun to drive, Honda's CR-Z, which is cramped but an eco-friendly hoot to drive, or Peugeot's RCZ, which wins in the style stakes.

Hyundai's latest coupe contender is by no means a bad car, but it isn't an exceptional one either.

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