Just over 10 years ago, Hyundai was still pretty much the black sheep of the automotive industry. Despite the fact that the Hyundai Excel of the 1980s won several awards, Hyundai’s quality was still considered low and very few took them seriously. In the past 10 years, Hyundai has managed to dig itself out of the grave that it placed itself in and is now a legitimate competitor to import giants like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.
Regardless of the brand’s recent resurgence, no one would ever suspect that the words “BMW” and “Hyundai” would ever be used in the same sentence, except in the case of someone saying “I can’t afford a BMW, but this Hyundai will do.” Well, that was until just now…There are rumors being passed around the automotive world that Hyundai and BMW have been seen courting one another rather intensely, as reports indicate that Chung Euisun, the son of Hyundai’s chairman, and BMW brass were discussing sharing engine development costs.
These types of development sharing partnerships are not uncommon. Currently, we have Audi sharing its cost with VW, Toyota and Subaru joined up for the BRZ/GT 86/FR-S project, and in the past we have seen Ford and Mazda joining forces. However, those collaborations are all pretty much linear, as they are all on the same level with each other. With exception to the top-level Genesis sedan and Equus, Hyundai couldn’t be much more non-linear with BMW. In fact, Hyundai is pretty much the anti-BMW.
In reality though, Hyundai does build quality engines now and they still remain significantly cheaper than BMWs. With CAFE regulations becoming more of a reality every day, BMW needs to find a way to increase its vehicles’ fuel mileage without sharply increasing cost. Sharing some developmental cost with a company that produces quality and economically friendly engines just might do the trick.
As expected, both companies have adamantly denied any discussions of collaborating, but that means nothing in this day and age. Nearly every car company denies everything until they decide to officially release it.
Rhys Millen Racing will be entering a new season of the Global RallyCross Championship with a new partner in tow. Oh, and they’re also bringing along the Hyundai Veloster with them to build on last year’s fourth place finish.
RMR is building on a new partnership with Disney for the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship and they’re set to compete this season with a unique Veloster Rally Car that comes with a specially wrapped livery featuring Disney’s new racing-themed TV series, Motorcity.
Just in case you don’t know, Disney scored huge on the Cars franchise and they’re branching out with a spin-off TV series. So what better way to promote a racing themed TV series than to have it promoted on an actual race car. That’s exactly what RMR and Disney were looking for when they tied up to plaster the Veloster rally car with the Motorcity livery.
As far as the car itself is concerned, the number 12 Veloster will be powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers an impressive 500 horsepower and is mated to an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission. In addition, the car will also carry a new custom suspension and a new set of 18″ HRE wheels wrapped in 245/40-18 Hankook Racing tires. Stopping power comes from 14″ Alcon brake rotors and six piston Alcon calipers.
The Motorcity-wrapped RMR Veloster Rally Car will be driven by Stephan Verdier, who is personally looking to improve on last year’s fourth place finish. Despite having one of the coolest cars on the grid, Verdier will have his hands full this season competing against some pretty staunch rally heavyweights, including Tanner Foust, Ken Block, and Travis Pastran
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South Korean company, Hyundai, brought out the Santa Fe SUV in 2001 and after twelve years on the market, it’s more than ready for its third generation. In the past few weeks, there have been plenty of spy shots of the new Santa Fe, but it’s time now to see it in real life. The new Santa Fe has made its debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show. For the 2013 model year, the Santa Fe will be offered in three versions: Santa Fe, Santa Fe Sport, and Santa Fe LWB. Customers will also get to choose between three different engines: a 190 HP direct-injection 2.4-liter four-cylinder, a 264 HP turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and a 290 HP 3.3-liter direct-injection V6. The three engines can be combined with a six-speed automatic transmission and an optional all-wheel drive system.