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Pros and cons*
Pros
Great ergonomics, extremely stylish, decent fuel economy, affordable price, generous warranty and numerous standard features are the many attractive drawing cards of this sedan.

Cons
We can criticize its low rear-seat headroom, rear torsion-bar suspension that limits handling, a feeble engine, ordinary fit and finish, vague steering and soft suspension that is tuned towards comfort.

Price
The manual transmission Elantra L Sedan starts at $15,949.
The automatic transmission version has a MSRP of $17,199.

The GL has a base price of $18,349. An extra $1,250 is required for the automatic transmission.

The manual transmission GLS has a starting price of $20,049 ($21,229 for the automatic).

The Limited automatic starts at $ 3,299.

The Limited automatic with Navigation has a starting price of $25,299.

Photo: Hyundai

Fuel Economy
When equipped with the manual transmission, the Elantra consumes 7.1 L/100 km city. The automatic will burn 0.1 L/100 km more fuel.

The Elantra consumes 5.2 L/100 km highway, no matter which transmission is selected. Combined ratings are in the 6.3 L/100 km range.

Exterior Styling
The 2013 Elantra distinguishes itself from the rest of the compact field. Its fluid, clean design is counterbalanced by a sporty, racy look. The wraparound tail lights and muscular rear end add to the overall elegance of this unique sedan.

Drivetrain
Its 1.8 litre 4-cylinder engine produces 148 hp and 131 lb-ft torque.
Both manual and automatic transmission choices are of the 6-speed variety.

Cargo Capacity
The 2013 Hyundai Elantra has 420 litres of available trunk space, which is more than most of its rivals.

Safety
Six airbags and a variety of active safety systems protect the occupants in this sedan.

Comparable Models
Chevrolet Cruze, Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Kia Forte, Mazda3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Impreza, Suzuki SX4, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta

*References
Laguë, Philippe, L'Annuel de l'automobile 2013, Montréal, Transcontinental, 2012, p. 296
Desjardins, Guy, Le Guide de l'auto 2013, Montréal, Les Éditions de l'Homme, 2012, p. 314
hyundaicanada.com

From Hyundai Motorsport

Hyundai Motorsport GmbH has inaugurated its new headquarters in Alzenau, Germany.

Representatives of Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Motorsport GmbH participated in the ceremony, welcoming guests for a first glimpse of the new facility.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

Visitors from Hyundai Motor Headquarters in Korea and from subsidiaries around the world along with local Bavarian authorities, stakeholders and partners were given a comprehensive tour of the building where the team is preparing for Hyundai's return to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2014.

The company was officially registered on December 19 2012 and started full operation at the beginning of 2013, now employing 50 rally specialists from 11 nations.

The Hyundai Motorsport facility, which underlines Hyundai Motor's commitment to Europe, is ideally located in Alzenau which benefits from the transportation links of the Frankfurt Rhine Main region.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

The 8,200 m² building is within a 50km radius of the Hyundai European Technical and Design Centre at Russelsheim and Hyundai Motor Europe in Offenbach. Later this year the Hyundai Motor vehicle test centre at the Nürburgring will also be opening close by.

Using an EV as a power source in case of emergency? What if the V2H became part of your emergency survival kit?

Talking cars is tantamount to talking energy. If finding the necessary energy to get around town wasn't much of an issue in the Flintstone era, it's a huge issue in the real world. Are we wasting our money on fossil fuels, and what are the different resources available to supply the Canadian market?

What is V2H?
V2H, or Vehicle to Home, is a way to use the energy accumulated in your rechargeable EV's batteries.

This futuristic technology is already being tested in Japan. It's important to know that worldwide, electricity rates vary tremendously. One way of curbing demand at peak hours in certain countries is to raise the rates during these peaks. In such cases, the V2H could provide an alternative power source during expensive peak hours, while taking advantage of the cheaper non-peak rates to re-charge the batteries.

In Canada, the system could become a major asset during power outages. A 24 kWh battery, similar to the one found in the Nissan LEAF, can provide a couple of days of power if used parsimoniously. After all, the average refrigerator consumes only 1.5 kWh per day.

"The Nissan LEAF can provide a couple of days of power" (Photo: Nissan)

Abundant Canadian energy
Hydro-Quebec has calculated that the daily power consumption of one million electric vehicles would amount to 3 TWh of electricity annually. For those who like zeros, the number is 3 000 000 000 kWh. This big round number amounts to the entire yearly Eastmain-1 hydroelectric dam output. Therefore, existing infrastructures could easily accommodate a massive influx of EV's.

The latest online Canadian power production data shows a total of 479 hydroelectric facilities, 375 thermal power plants, 7 nuclear production facilities and 54 wind farms. This 2007 data does not take into account the closure of the only Quebec nuclear plant or the massive wind-power investments of these last few years.

This energy helps us recharge our EV's for about half the cost of recharging in most American cities. Let's compare Vancouver rates for its 603 500 citizens, at 8.78 ¢/kWh with another island, let's say San Francisco, whose 812 800 citizens pay 22.26 ¢/kWh . I must admit that these are extremes. But, as we know, supply and demand dictate price, so it's safe to assume that we are not even close to being short of supply.

Canada imports more than 23 billion dollars' worth of fuel annually, including 12 billion for Quebec, so imagine the effect on our GDP if we kept most of this money instead of sending it overseas.

The one million EV's and their 3 TWh of power consumption would add $ 210 million to our coffers, instead of spending 3 billion dollars on fuel, while lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 3.6 million metric tons.

Ford Focus Electric (Photo: Ford)

Sources:
www.nrcan.gc.ca
www.hydroquebec.com
www.sfenvironment.org
www.indexmundi.com
www.bchydro.com

From Ferrari

There was an incredibly large crowd for the second and final day of the Jerusalem Peace Road Show, the event organised under the aegis of the City Council of Jerusalem, with support from Kaspersky Lab, one of Scuderia Ferrari's most important partners.

Giancarlo Fisichella, Ferrari F60 (Photo: Ferrari)

Over 180,000 spectators turned out this morning on what is a holiday or pre-holiday for the majority of inhabitants of this historic city, lining the 2,800-metre long route.

The crowd was enthusiastic and in party mood and got into the spirit of the theme of this event, which was to bring a series of motor sport symbols both two and four-wheeled to the fans and to the people who live in a country where motor sport was actually banned up until two years ago.

Giancarlo Fisichella, Ferrari F60 (Photo: Ferrari)

Jews, Christians, Muslims and foreign tourists were all gathered together today to see this event for themselves, which not by chance has the word “Peace” in its official title.

Naturally enough, the star attraction of the event was Ferrari, the first team to fire up a Formula 1 car and run it through the streets of Jerusalem. At the wheel of the F60 for a dozen or so laps was Giancarlo Fisichella.

Giancarlo Fisichella, Ferrari F60 (Photo: Ferrari)

Frenchman Simon Pagenaud, whose career has been supported by Honda for many years, will drive a very unusual Honda Odyssey minivan at the Pikes Peak hill climb event later in June.

Pagenaud is a Honda protégé since he raced for the Japanese car manufacturer in the American Le Mans series alongside Gil de Ferran a few years ago. The genuine Frenchman has now graduated to the IZOD IndyCar series, and captured his maiden win a few weeks ago in Detroit.

Photo: Simon Pagenaud

Pagenaud says his Odyssey is “Honda's Monster Family Van.”. It's exactly that, as under the hood sits a 532- horsepower Honda V8 IndyCar engine!

“I like to say that this minivan was created for all the mothers taking their kids to soccer, ‘soccer moms' as they're called here in America,”, said Pagenaud to Auto Hebdo.

Photo: Simon Pagenaud

“However, there's power underneath the hood. The ‘Honda Monster Family Van' sits seven passengers and has 530 horsepower. Plenty enough to smoke the rear tires at every traffic light!” he added.

Renault created a similar monstrous vehicle some 15 years ago; bolting a Renault V10 Formula 1 engine in an Espace minivan.

Final approval of Toyota's $1.1 billion settlement of claims that recalls for unintended acceleration hurt the value of U.S. customers' vehicles will be delayed, a judge said.

Toyota and lawyers suing the company were given more time to win final approval of a $1.1 billion settlement of claims that recalls related to unintended acceleration hurt the value of customers' vehicles in the United States.

Software vendor DealerTrack and its holding company are facing a federal lawsuit for alleged race discrimination filed by two former employees. DealerTrack wrote in a statement that it believes the defendants' claims do not have merit.

Ford may develop new models for Lincoln in fast-growing vehicle segments as part of the automaker's latest attempt to revive the struggling luxury brand and boost its profits. The company did not specify which vehicle segments it was targeting.

Fiat-Chrysler could move into 2016 without the Dodge brand, according to a report from Wards Automotive.

Consumers Reports recommended a recall on the

The base 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan will cost $46,025 when it goes on sale this fall.

Britain may overtake France as Europe's second largest automotive producer within the next five years if UK car sales and exports maintain current strong growth, industry executives said.

2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe at Circuit of the Americas

Awesome track. Impressive car.

The time-space continuum seems to compress as the 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe thunders down the long back straight at Circuit of the Americas. With all of the twin-turbo V-8's 560 horses in full lather, I see rapidly rising miles-per-hour numbers winking on the heads-up display -- 139, 143, 147, 150. Meanwhile, the numbers on the brake markers to my right are dwindling at an even-more-disconcerting pace -- 300 feet, 250, 200.

Photo Gallery: 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe at Circuit of the Americas - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe at Circuit of the Americas - Automobile Magazine

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Old Studebakers wagons don't have quite dramatic looks of, say, Mopar wagons of the era -- or the modern following -- but we still think they're pretty cool in their own way.

The redesigned 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan's sticker price is $6,035 higher than the outgoing CTS. Cadillac said today that the 2014 CTS will start at $46,025, including a $925 destination charge.

Apollo Tyres' $2.5 billion offer to buy Cooper Tire and Rubber, announced this week, wasn't the first time the Indian company tried to acquire the American tire producer.

News 13 Jun, 2013

Suzuki has revealed plans to launch five all-new models, including a rival for the Nissan Juke

Mercedes-Benz says it will launch not only an "S-Class Coupe" but also "three new models" in addition to the short wheelbase and extended wheelbase variants of the new S-Class sedan.

2013 Buick Regal

Although it’s not yet Buick’s best-selling model, the 2013 Buick Regal has become the center of gravity for the brand. It sits at the heart of the lineup and has the widest range of variants.

New For 2013

The base 182-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine has been dropped. The formerly optional 2.4-liter with eAssist—a battery-powered electric motor that acts like a hybrid to improve fuel economy—is now the base powerplant. The turbocharged 220-hp, 2.0-liter four is the next step up. The GS, with a 270-hp version of the same turbo four, remains at the top and is now available with an automatic or a manual transmission.

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