Savannah, Ga. — U.S. immigration authorities on Thursday raided the sprawling site where Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles in southeast Georgia, conducting a search that shut down construction on an adjacent factory being built to produce EV batteries.
In a post on X, the Atlanta office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it “joined HSI, FBI, DEA, ICE, GSP and other agencies in a major immigration enforcement operation at the Hyundai mega site battery plant in Bryan County, GA, leading to the apprehension of 450 unlawful aliens, emphasizing our commitment to community safety.”
The operation targeted one of Georgia’s largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, touted by the governor and other officials as the biggest economic development project in the state’s history. Hyundai Motor Group began manufacturing EVs a year ago at the $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,200 people.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Lindsay Williams confirmed that federal authorities were conducting an enforcement operation at the 3,000-acre site west of Savannah. He said agents were focused on the construction site for the battery plant.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”
The South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that, “The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations.
“We are actively responding to this incident by dispatching the Consul General of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and the Consulate General in Atlanta to the site and instructing the formation of an on-site response team centered around the local embassy.
“In Seoul, we also conveyed our concerns and regrets today through the U.S. Embassy in Korea and urged them to exercise extreme caution to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of Korean citizens are not infringed upon.”
Georgia State Patrol troopers blocked roads to the Hyundai site. The Georgia Department of Public Safety confirmed they were dispatched to assist federal authorities.
Video posted to social media Thursday showed workers in yellow safety vests lined up as a man wearing a face mask and a tactical vest with the letters HSI, which stands for Homeland Security Investigations, tells them: “We’re Homeland Security. We have a search warrant for the whole site.”
“We need construction to cease immediately,” the man says. “We need all work to end on the site right now.”
The Trump administration has undertaken sweeping ICE operations as part of a mass deportation agenda. Immigration officers have raided farms, construction sites, restaurants and auto repair shops.
The Pew Research Center, citing preliminary Census Bureau data, says the U.S. labor force lost more than 1.2 million immigrants from January through July. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents.
In addition to making electric vehicles at the site facing Interstate 16 in Bryan County, Hyundai has also partnered with LG Energy Solution to build the battery plant. It’s slated to open sometime next year.
The joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, “is cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities,” the company said in a statement. “To assist their work, we have paused construction.”
But LG Energy Solution Ltd. in South Korea declined to comment on the raid to CBS News.
Operations at Hyundai’s EV manufacturing plant weren’t interrupted, said plant spokesperson Bianca Johnson.
“This did not impact people getting to work,” Johnson said in an email. “Production and normal office hours had already begun for the day” when authorities shut down access.
The Industry’s First High-Volume Class-8 Hydrogen Refueling Station in the United States
POOLER, Ga., April 28, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– HydroFleet, Inc. (“HydroFleet“) is excited to announce the construction of its new hydrogen production and refueling station at the new HTWO Energy Savannah site in Pooler, Georgia. This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant investment in clean energy and sustainable transportation solutions, aimed at servicing zero-emission FCEV heavy trucks. This investment will significantly enhance the region’s clean energy infrastructure, supporting zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and other clean energy vehicles, including port applications and nearby rail, while contributing to a sustainable future.
“Pooler is an ideal location for HydroFleet’s facility due to the proximity to major interstates, the Port of Savannah, and prospective fleet customers,” said Scott Moe, President and CEO, HydroFleet, expressing his enthusiasm for the project. “We know customers want zero-emission fleets but have struggled to source the entire hydrogen ecosystem at a competitive price. Through strategic partnerships and proven, safe technology, HydroFleet solves this challenging industry problem. We look forward to partnering with Pooler to lead the clean energy transition to cost-effective, emission-free heavy truck fleets here in Georgia and across the U.S.”
HydroFleet’s investment in Pooler is expected to bring significant economic benefits to the area, creating jobs and positioning Pooler, and the greater Savannah, GA, area, as a leader in clean energy solutions. The facility will utilize advanced hydrogen production and distribution technology to reduce emissions and noise pollution, contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future for the community.
“HTWO Energy Savannah is a breakthrough hydrogen production and refueling station for the heavy-duty trucking industry, allowing zero-emissions trucks to quickly and easily refuel at a single convenient location in the Savannah region,” said Jim Park, SVP, commercial vehicle and hydrogen fuel cell business, Hyundai Motor North America. “The HTWO Energy Savannah hydrogen station will also truly fulfill our vision for Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (“HMGMA“) Clean Logistics, allowing our innovative new electric vehicle plant to transport plant shipments within a clean, zero-emissions ecosystem.”
“This marks a significant step forward in the decarbonization of emissions-intensive port operations and major logistics corridors,” said Jonathan Choi, CEO, HTWO Logistics. “HTWO Energy Savannah provides hydrogen fuel for our Hyundai XCIENT hydrogen-powered class 8 truck fleet, which provides clean logistics for Hyundai’s new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America.”
John Porter, CEO of Capital Development Partners, the property owner and project developer, added, “We are thrilled to collaborate with HydroFleet on this groundbreaking project. This hydrogen production station will not only enhance the local economy but also establish Pooler as a leader in clean energy solutions. Our commitment to sustainable development aligns perfectly with HydroFleet’s vision for a greener future.”
Seth Greengrass, Director, Origination of Axpo, the global energy contract provider for the project, commented, “Axpo is proud to support HydroFleet’s innovative hydrogen production facility. Our expertise in energy trading and risk management ensures a reliable and efficient supply of feedstock, contributing to the success of this environmentally friendly initiative.”
HydroFleet also partnered with the Savannah Economic Development Authority (“SEDA“) and the Southeast Hydrogen Energy Alliance (“SHEA“) in development of the cutting-edge hydrogen facility. The collaboration encompassed comprehensive planning, strategic site selection, meticulous permitting processes, and robust public education initiatives, ensuring the project’s success and community engagement.
The deal was completed with legal assistance from Jennifer Surprenant and Raffael Fiumara, both shareholders of Greenberg Traurig LLP. HydroFleet was advised by Lazard, Inc.
For more details, please contact:
Leam Nelson Chief Business Officer, HydroFleet Email: info@hydrofleet.com Phone: (833) 493-7635
HydroFleet is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, spearheading the transition to hydrogen-powered mobility and adoption of green technology. We equip industries and fleets with an evolving range of streamlined solutions that maximize operational efficiency and profitability. HydroFleet’s versatile hydrogen solutions fuel an increasing range of hydrogen applications, making the transition to a sustainable fleet effortless. HydroFleet, Power to make a difference®. Visit www.hydrofleet.com.
Frieze Art Week has officially kicked off in London with its first openings, as the local community and international visitors gear up for the launch of Frieze London and Frieze Masters tomorrow (October 9). Despite the buzz that some global collectors might skip London in favor of Paris due to the challenge of committing to a full two-week marathon of fairs, the city’s art scene—through its galleries and institutions—has once again curated an impressive lineup that makes a stop in the British capital worthwhile, even if just for a few extra days before heading to the next art week or fair. To help you navigate this year’s Frieze offerings, Observer has compiled a list of the top show openings to check out in London.
Mire Lee’s Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern
Visceral and uncanny, Mire Lee’s art probes the boundaries between the technological and the human. Selected for the prestigious annual Hyundai Commission at Tate Modern, she has transformed the Turbine Hall into a surreal landscape of hanging fabric sculptures and epic mechanical installations, reimagining the space as a living factory populated by alien forms and mysterious processes.
Drawing on the building’s history as a power station, Lee reflects on its monumental scale and how it mirrors humanity’s relentless drive for dominance and control over nature. She has reconfigured the hall into an industrial womb—an environment where human desires and ambitions echo through sprawling mechanical systems. Crafted from industrial materials like silicone, chains, and eerie fluids, her “skin” installations stir a complex interplay of emotions, provoking awe and disgust, desire and repulsion. The work explores horror not merely as fear, but as a gateway to alternative possibilities and future potentialities, as once theorized by Foucault. As Lee expressed in a statement, “Ultimately, I am interested in how behind all human actions there is something soft and vulnerable, such as sincerity, hope, compassion, love and wanting to be loved.”
Exploring a non-human concept of the body, the Korean artist’s intricate installations challenge the technological illusion of solidity and permanence, confronting viewers with the inevitable decay and deformation of all subjects over time. By staging this perpetual state of transformation and metamorphosis within a post-apocalyptic setting, the artist engages with a new notion of hybridity—one that blurs the line between the products of the Anthropocene and the unknown entities and processes that will ultimately supersede them.
Mire Lee’s “Open Wound” opens tomorrow (October 9) and is on view at Tate Modern through March 16.
“Hockney and Piero: A Longer Look” at the National Gallery
Detail from David Hockney’s My Parents (1977). Courtesy London’s National Gallery
Don’t miss this rare conversation at the National Gallery, which explores the inspiration David Hockney drew from the enigmatic paintings of Renaissance master Piero Della Francesca. This one-room capsule project creates a space for slow contemplation, juxtaposing two of Hockney’s works—one portraying his mother and father, and the other depicting his friend, curator Henry Geldzahler, alongside the thread that connects them: Piero della Francesca’s The Baptism of Christ. Part of the National Gallery’s Bicentenary celebrations, the project illuminates the connections that weave through art history, highlighting how it’s been a continuous journey of confrontations, inspirations and exchanges, where artists revisit and reinterpret recurring themes and archetypes according to the aesthetics and sensibilities of their own era.
Opening just ahead of Frieze Art Week, Whitechapel Gallery has set up a compelling dialogue between two artists who, despite distinct geographical and cultural backgrounds, have similarly sought to redefine the relationship between artist and audience by fostering greater interaction and a more participatory approach.
Brazilian artist Lygia Clark, a pioneer of the “Neo-Concrete Movement” (1959-1961), anticipated the notion of Relational Art by developing a new, organic concept of the artwork—one that could fluidly respond to the phenomenological space of the senses. Her creations evolved into “social sculptures” designed to engage and transform through direct interaction, unfolding within the temporal space of community and social cohesion. “Lygia Clark: The I and the You” traces her artistic journey from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, exploring how her radical approach emerged in response to a turbulent period in Brazil’s history.
In parallel, Venice Golden Lion-winner Sonia Boyce explores similar themes of manipulation and inhabitation, inviting viewers to engage, touch and experience her work in unscripted, immersive ways. “Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation” is conceived specifically to resonate with Lygia Clark’s exhibition, showcasing the strong synergies between the British and Brazilian artists’ experiential, participatory practices.
George Rouy’s debut solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth London, “The Bleed, Part I.” Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Following the announcement of his representation just a few months ago, the highly sought-after George Rouy is making his debut with Hauser & Wirth in London. The painter’s meteoric rise stems from his ability to resonate with a new generation of collectors, offering a visual language that captures the tensions and contradictions of the body and psyche as they navigate the physical and digital realms.
“The Bleed, Part I” showcases Rouy’s latest body of work, where he delves further into themes of collective mass, multiplicities, and human movement across different modes of existence. Playing between the “void,” where the psyche expands and projects itself, and the “surrounding,” where the physical body is in constant negotiation with external forces, Rouy’s paintings depict the push-and-pull between these realms, producing figures that are simultaneously fragmented and whole. This tension suggests the potential for a new hybrid human experience, oscillating between the linear constraints of the body and the quantum possibilities it can access.
The exhibition will continue with “Part II” at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, launching during Frieze L.A. and underscoring the gallery’s commitment to positioning Rouy as “a leading figure of the new generation of painters.”
George Rouy’s “The Bleed, Part 1” is on view at Hauser & Wirth London through December 21.
Suspended between a dreamlike world, a sentimental dimension, and a poetic space of literary references, Dominic Chambers’s paintings capture moments of joy, leisure, love, and life. His vibrant canvases are defined by intentionally surreal palettes that heighten the emotions and atmosphere of each scene. Since graduating from Yale, the young artist has swiftly risen to prominence, making his debut at Lehmann Maupin in New York soon after. Now, for his first solo show at the gallery’s London location—his U.K. debut—Chambers presents an expansive new body of work, including paintings, works on paper and color studies. His visual language has already evolved into something more allegorical, shifting from human-centered scenes to lyrical or oneiric landscapes where figures often float, yet the mood and feeling remain the true protagonists.
Drawing its title from the Greek word meraki, meaning “to pour one’s soul into one’s work,” the exhibition takes this notion as a springboard to explore how the concept of the soul—or one’s interiority—intersects with devotion and creativity. Rich in both art historical and religious references, the works tap into a more spiritual dimension, expanding beyond the sentimental intimacy that defined his earlier pieces. Deeply influenced by Magic Realism, Chambers’s paintings detach themselves from material reality, moving fluidly between inner, outer and otherworldly realms, exploring symbols, signals and intermediaries that guide us in navigating the layers of human experience.
Dominic Chambers’s “Meraki” is on view at Lehmann Maupin through November 9.
Rirkrit Tiravanija at Pilar Corrias
“A MILLION RABBIT HOLES” marks Rirkrit Tiravanija’s fourth solo exhibition with the gallery. Courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias
As a pioneer of Relational Art, Rirkrit Tiravanija’s work carries an inherently political charge, as demonstrated by his latest show at Pilar Corrias London. In “A MILLION RABBIT HOLES,” Tiravanija explores the deepening polarization and disillusionment surrounding the U.S. election, touching on globally pervasive sentiments as the world’s balance grows increasingly fragile. Transforming the gallery walls with forest-like wallpaper, he creates an immersive environment reflecting the charged atmosphere of American politics in the lead-up to the election, inspired by his experiences in Upstate New York.
Known for his groundbreaking installations centered around cooking and communal sharing, Tiravanija’s practice emphasizes human connections over traditional notions of art as static objects. His works often subvert societal hierarchies and behavioral norms, inviting audiences to participate actively—whether through interactions with others or through the artist’s facilitation. In his London exhibition, visitors are plunged into a world of paradoxical propaganda, surrounded by an intentionally illusory, pastoral setting that underscores the fiction of contemporary politics and the false promises of a better future.
Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “A MILLION RABBIT HOLES” is on view at Pilar Corrias, London, through November 9.
Tracey Emin at White Cube
Tracey Emin’s “I followed you to the end” at White Cube, London. Courtesy of teh Artist and White Cube.
Since her rise to fame as the queen of the Young British Artists with her unforgettable My Bed (1998), Tracey Emin has captivated international audiences with her provocatively raw yet deeply human art, addressing the peaks and valleys of existence—love, desire, grief and loss—with an unflinching honesty. Her autobiographical approach has laid bare the intensely personal yet universal experience of being a woman, capturing everything from the awakening of sexual desire and the claiming of one’s pleasure to the visceral trials of violence, shame, illness, abortion and menopause. This turbulent inner world of emotions, passions, and sensations is instinctively translated onto Emin’s canvases through bold, unplanned strokes that channel her emotional energy directly onto the surface.
Emin has never hesitated to confront the most profound physical and psychological challenges, chronicling the unique struggles of the female condition in today’s world. Her latest show in London continues the journey she began with her recent exhibition at White Cube New York last year, presenting a powerful new series of paintings and sculptures that delve into themes of love and loss, mortality and rebirth.
Every time Anna Weyant stages an exhibition, it becomes evident that beneath the buzz surrounding her private life, there’s an undeniable technical mastery that continues to evolve while remaining deeply engaged in a dialogue with art history. Drawing as much from the refined elegance of Flemish portraiture as from the dramatic chiaroscuro of Caravaggio, Weyant’s paintings are not only visually captivating but also deeply intriguing. They meticulously uphold the Western canons of beauty and “good painting”—executed with precision—but simultaneously disrupt this perfection with uncanny elements that provoke the viewer to question these very ideals.
Rendered in somber tones and pale hues, her figures often play tragicomic roles, suspended in a dreamlike, timeless space. These doll-like girls move through her canvases with a fierce presence, yet subtly reveal a concealed inner struggle—suggesting a fragile, unspoken vulnerability. They project an image of strength, wielding their allure with confidence, but betray an underlying trauma or insecurity that compels them to seek validation and admiration externally. This tension resonates perfectly with the exhibition’s title, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” Marking her London debut, the show makes these dynamics of concealment and performance even more apparent. The feminine attributes of her meticulously rendered classical bodies are only glimpsed through small windows, partially obscured by a fabric blind or a newspaper—introducing a fresh psychological layer to her latest body of work.
“Calder: Extreme Cantilever” at Ben Brown London. Courtesy of Ben Brown.
Opening on Frieze Masters Night at Ben Brown Fine Arts, this exhibition reunites Alexander Calder’s three unique cantilever sculptures for the first time, presented alongside a curated selection of oil paintings, works on paper and historically significant artifacts. The centerpiece sculptures—Extreme Cantilever, More Extreme Cantilever and Extrême porte à faux III—are on loan from the Calder Foundation and distinguished private collections, showcasing the artist’s boundless imagination and intuitive genius that firmly position him as one of the 20th Century’s leading innovators. More importantly, this grouping captures a pivotal evolution in Calder’s formal and conceptual approach to spatial abstraction, shaped by the seismic impact of the Second World War. Confronted with a world grappling with collective trauma, Calder responded with sculptures that became strikingly evocative, featuring increasingly complex forms that seem to encapsulate the anxieties of an era—a resonance that remains poignant amid today’s renewed geopolitical uncertainties.
“Calder: Extreme Cantilever” opens tomorrow (October 9) and runs on November 22 at Ben Brown Fine Arts in London.
“Enchanted Alchemies: Magic, Mysticism, and the Occult in Art” at Lévy Gorvy Dayan
Geltrude Abercrombie, Lady with Black Braid; Oil on Masonite, 8 × 10 inches (20.3 × 25.4 cm). Courtesy of Lévi Gorvy Dayan
As interest in Surrealism, now 100 years old, continues to rise, Lévy Gorvy Dayan’s latest exhibition in London delves into themes of magic, mysticism, and the occult through a collection of masterpieces primarily by Surrealist women artists such as Gertrude Abercrombie, Eileen Agar, Leonora Carrington, Elda Cerrato, Ithell Colquhoun, Leonor Fini and Monica Sjöö, placed in dialogue with contemporary figures like Francesco Clemente, Chitra Ganesh, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Bharti Kher, Linder and Goshka Macuga. Blurring the boundaries between spirituality, mysticism, and hallucination, the show provides a sweeping exploration of the human imagination across cultures and eras.
Organized into three thematic chapters—“Occultism and Dreams,” “Magic and Mysticism” and “Alchemy: Enchantment and Transformations”—the exhibition examines how artists over the past century have engaged with occult and esoteric traditions to shape and reshape their personal, cultural and historical narratives. The timing feels particularly relevant as society experiences a renewed fascination with alternative knowledge and spirituality in an era that has “killed its idols” yet still searches for new belief systems amid a pervasive sense of irrationality and uncertainty.
Soon you could see Waymo self-driving tech in Hyundai cars. The autonomous driving tech developer Waymo said this week that it would partner with the Korean automaker Hyundai to equip a fleet of its electric vehicles with self-driving technology. The vehicles, modified Ioniq 5s, will hit the road as part of Waymo’s self-driving ride-hail service in late 2025, the companies said.
In a statement, Hyundai Motor Company president and global COO José Muñoz called the agreement a “first step” in the two firms’ partnership. “We are actively exploring additional opportunities for collaboration,” he said—opening up the possibility that Waymo self-driving tech could one day be installed on Hyundai passenger vehicles.
However, the multinational partnership is the latest to prompt questions about how Waymo, arguably the world’s most successful autonomous-driving company, will handle a global realignment of the automotive industry.
The US Commerce Department also last month proposed a rule that would ban some Chinese- and Russian-made automotive hardware and software from the US, with an emphasis on technology that enables autonomy. Just this week, the European Union voted to hike tariffs against Chinese-made electric vehicles.
Interestingly, Waymo insists that a partnership with Chinese-owned automaker Zeekr is still on. The deal, announced in late 2021, has seen Zeekr purpose-build roomier autonomous minivans for the Alphabet subsidiary that are also less expensive to manufacture. The Zeekr vehicle officially made its debut in San Francisco in June, though Waymo says it’s still in testing and is not yet part of its public ride-hail fleet.
Zeekr is owned by Chinese automaker Geely, though its design center and one of its research and development facilities are in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Swedish city is also the headquarters of majority Geely-owned automakers Volvo and Polestar, an all-electric premium automaker.
In an email on Friday, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli wrote that the Hyundai Ioniq 5s “will not replace any of our other vehicle platforms,” and said the company is “hard at work validating” the latest version of Waymo’s tech on the Zeekr platform.
In proposing new rules targeting Chinese-made auto software and hardware, the US government argued that such tech installed on US vehicles could create a long-term national security issue. “Imagine if there were thousands or hundreds of thousands of Chinese-connected vehicles on American roads that could be immediately and simultaneously disabled by somebody in Beijing,” US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said earlier this year.
But in public comments submitted to the Commerce Department in April, Waymo representatives insisted that, despite its partnership with the Chinese automaker, China has nothing to do with the vital tech of the Zeekr-made robotaxi. “The AV-ready base vehicles being provided to Waymo have no driving automation or telematics capabilities built into them,” the company wrote, saying that only US-based Waymo personnel install autonomous technology onto vehicles at an American factory. The company said that, once operating in the US, the vehicles cannot remotely communicate with the vehicle’s manufacturer—Zeekr.
Just when we sang praises for the 2023 Sante Fe SUV, Hyundai steps their game up again. This year’s version flaunts a completely redesigned frame, with a more stylish interior, longer wheelbase, and an overall rebirth that will have heads turning whenever it’s driven. This SUV is already one of top recommendations in the segment, and with eight trims—yes, eight—to choose from, it will be very difficult to not find a version to suit whatever needs are desired.
The frame is consistent with all the Santa Fe variations for 2024, and for good reason: The square body is now a welcomed boxy look that rivals numerous upscale SUVs found in especially Europe, complete with roof rails, a power liftgate with an expanded opening for optimal tailgating, and an LED lighting package like no other from front to rear. The actual layout of these lights, fenders, dashboard, and even vents are in the shape of an “H” which I assume boasts the carmaker’s name; don’t worry, it looks innovative, yet not forced.
Photos courtesy of Hyundai
Specifically addressing the XRT 2.5T, it flexes a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 277 horsepower, 311 lb.-ft. of torque, eight-speed transmission, paddle shifters, and a towing capacity of 4,500 pounds, opposed to the standard 3,500 for other trims. It’s also the most rugged of the family, presented with 18-inch, all-terrain wheels clearing 1.3-inch more ground clearance, and all-wheel drive (HTRAC). Ideally crafted for a family to transport up to seven passengers (smaller legroom is present in the third row’s two seats for the kiddies), with all seating lined with H-Tex material for that leather-like feel, and an interior maxing out at 79.6 cubic feet of space. The front provides heated seats (including an eight-way, power-adjustable seat for the driver) enhanced with numerous bells and whistles. Hyundai’s signature Bluelink connectivity; hands-free Bluetooth; wireless Android/Apple CarPlay compatibility; the Hyundai Digital Key 2; and a 12.3-touchscreen with navigation paired with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster to complement the curvaceous, panoramic dash. Everyone will appreciate the110-volt power outlet, sliding sunroof with cover, dual-zone climate control, four high-power USB charging ports, and clever bi-directional center console providing access for the second row.
Photos courtesy of Hyundai
Safety gets high marks, with generous inclusions of everything from front-and-back collision-avoidance assistance, a surround-view monitor, and rear-passenger alert to name a few of seemingly countless features to ease the mind.
And rest assured, Hyundai maintains their industry-leading warranties, including a 5-year/60,000-mile New Vehicle Warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile Powertrain Warranty, plus more.
Overall, just when things looked great in 2023’s Sante Fe family, the fifth generation unveiled in 2024 takes it up an impressive notch especially with its new body starting at a generous $40K. While we look forward to seeing what the other trims present, there is certainty none will disappoint.
As the welcomed trend of all-electric automobiles continues to build, so does the innovation to make them more exciting, powerful, and attractive. The 2025 Ioniq 5 N Hyundai checks all the boxes and then some.
When the “N” badge is associated with the trim for any of this carmaker’s models, the auto industry is alerted that power and a thrilling ride follow with the goal to wow especially racing enthusiasts. The bonus is this model still maintains the comfort and roominess of the more practical Ioniq 5 from the 2022 generation’s launch; the N just possesses a demon under the hood.
While the cubic body, futuristic lighting, 21-inch alloy wheels, and “Soultronic” orange will collectively turn heads, let’s get straight to the excitement hiding behind the wheel. Minus the roars of what traditional gas-guzzling muscle cars produce, this EV is a silent assassin. Powered by dual high-performance electric motors, the Ioniq goes 0 to 60 mph in just over three seconds, plus a mind-boggling 601 horsepower and 545 lb-ft. of torque. And as if that’s not enough, the steering wheel has the automaker’s signature boost button, taking this SUV to a reportedly 641 mph. With all this power—plus paddle shifters, metal pedals, and shift-by-wire gear selection to make things even more interesting—the handling is enhanced with all-wheel drive and electronically controlled suspension. The driving range is 221 miles and takes about 8.7 hours to charge.
Credit: Photos courtesy of Hyundai
There are plenty of perks Hyundai provides with their automobiles, and the Ionic 5 continues the applauded tradition. Besides terrorizing the road, the packages in this review model are highly recommended, from safety to the 2025-and-beyond technology bundled in one. The amenities are plentiful, including Alcantara with Hi-Tex seating, sport bucket front seats, and an overall spacious cabin to fit up to five adults comfortably lit up with ambient lighting. Mastering the art of minimalism, the user-friendly controls activate the vibrant 12.3-inch digital cluster, surround view monitor with a bird’s eye perspective, digital rearview mirror, eight-speaker BOSE sound system, WiFi, Apple/Android connectivity, and long list of standard features you must go to the website to explore. Note that the Hyundai’s Bluelink app provides even more advantageous functions to activate remotely. Of course, Hyundai’s industry leading warranties—5 years/60,000 miles (new vehicle) and 10 years /100,000 miles (EV System) ease the mind as well.
Going electric is one thing. Experiencing an electrifying drive no matter the journey is another. If potential buyers are looking for both qualities, go all the way in with this N trim. The future awaits.
Fuel Economy: In MPGe, 84 city/72 highway/78 combined
Price: The 2025 IONIQ 5 N is $67,685 including options, handling, processing and delivery as reviewed.
You can receive a software update for your car and a steering wheel lock to help prevent it from being stolen.
Thefts of Hyundai vehicles have spiked in the county and around the nation following the rise of a 2022 social media trend showing how to easily steel the vehicles.
The event is for Hyundai vehicles manufactured between 2011 and 2021. The clinic will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 4.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been changed to reflect the correct years Hyundai vehicles must have been manufactured to qualify for the software update.
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HOUSTON – Have you ever had your car in the repair shop, and it just seems like it’s taking forever?
For one Houston woman, it actually has taken forever.
Helen Schilling has been without her wheels for nearly nine weeks.
“It’s been almost a nine-week saga,” she said.
Back in February, her Genesis sedan was giving her trouble. It turned out the battery, which she says was just replaced in November, had died.
She had the car towed to Steele South Loop Hyundai, where she also needed some other recall work done.
“I have two recall issues and there’s something wrong. The battery’s dead, and there’s something wrong with the electrical system,” Schilling said. “And they said, no problem.”
Weeks went by with zero communication from the dealership. That’s when she started picking up the phone and calling the dealership.
“It’s a virtual fortress, and you cannot speak to anyone. It’s only voicemail and texting,” Schilling said.
Helen had enough. She called the Genesis corporate office, which is owned by Hyundai. There a claims representative told her they would gladly tow her car to the Genesis dealer in town.
All they had to do was call and arrange it.
“The case manager assigned to me said the problem was communication, and they were very difficult to communicate with. And I told her I certainly understood that,” Schilling said.
STATEMENT FROM GENESIS:
“At Genesis, the customer is at the center of every decision we make, and we aim to deliver a seamless and elevated experience at every touchpoint. In this case, Ms. Schilling’s experience fell short of our high standards for customer care, and we are working with our retail partners to continually improve and exceed customer expectations. While this matter is still ongoing, it has now been escalated to our national consumer affairs team and we aim to deliver a satisfactory resolution as swiftly as possible.”
That’s when she asked KPRC 2 for help. We picked her up to take her down to the dealership for answers.
There we met General Manager Bert Brocker.
“I completely understand the frustration of you trying to call in,” he said. “You can’t get a hold of somebody that’s no good for nobody. So I do sincerely apologize for that.”
Brocker agreed to an interview after his service team agreed to foot the bill for the tow truck which was on its way.
It’s then we learned why Helen was having such a tough time getting answers.
“I think the big thing is we took over, first of March,” Brocker said. “We have been having phone issues. I don’t deny that we’re working on it. This is not how we do business. This is not how I want to continue. We absolutely have blame. I’m not running from it. I accept full responsibility and will work on the parts I can correct.”
He admits there are other cars, like Helen’s, that have been sitting on the lot for a while.
But at least now, there’s one less car here and one more going to get fixed.
To Helen, that’s a win worth smiling about.
If you find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place with your vehicle and a repair shop, there are some things you can do.
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says you should always:
Check your warranty
Do your homework before you choose a mechanic or repair facility
Get everything in writing, and always keep a copy
Watch for scams
Know your rights
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You don’t need to have been petrified by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Skynet-commissioned cyborg assassin in 1984’s The Terminator to fret that super-strong, all-terrain, bipedal humanoid robots sprinting up steps, pulling backflips, and righting themselves could be programmed to break our necks on sight. (And laser guns, never give them laser guns.)
With the Old Atlas, we could comfort ourselves with the notion that clever editing meant Atlas wasn’t as self-righting over rough ground as the original viral videos portrayed. The pratfalls in the retirement video prove that hunch was correct. However, today’s video might well resurrect any robot overlord fears you may have since suppressed. This thing is scary, and not just because it has a ringlight for a face. (Who had “Robot YouTube influencer” on their 2024 bingo card?)
It was nice knowing you, Old Atlas—you awesome, pratfalling, parkouring, metal man machine.
Scary, too, if you’re an Amazon warehouse worker, because the New Atlas could do that job with one three-fingered hand tied behind its matte gray robotic back. More likely, however, is that Hyundai—which bought Boston Dynamics in 2020, valuing it at $1 billion—could soon set Atlas to work in its car factories. The “journey will start with Hyundai,” confirmed Boston Dynamics in a statement announcing the All New Atlas launch.
Again, no details have been released, but we can surmise that the new Atlas will be given dull, repetitive tasks in the Korean company’s factories rather than, say, laser welding. (Remember, keep lasers away from robot butlers.)
Hyundai isn’t the only company planning to use humanoid robots as workers. Beating Tesla’s still-in-development Optimus line of humanoid robots, Sanctuary AI of Canada announced on April 11 that it would be delivering a humanoid robot to Magna, an Austrian automotive firm that assembles cars for Mercedes, Jaguar, and BMW.
And Californian robotics startup Figure announced in February that it had raised $675 million from investors such as Nvidia, Microsoft, and Amazon to work with OpenAI on generative artificial intelligence for humanoid robots.
A general-purpose humanoid robot that can learn on the fly. What could possibly go wrong with that?
CLEVELAND (WJW) – As the Kia and Hyundai crime wave continues to roll through Northeast Ohio, one automaker is hosting a free community clinic to help cut car thefts in Cleveland.
“It’s a start. I’m glad they are doing something,” said Cleveland Councilman Kris Harsh.
Over the past couple years, Kia and Hyundai car thefts have skyrocketed in Northeast Ohio, particularly in Ward 13.
“Old Brooklyn had one of the highest Kia and Hyundai theft rates in the entire city,” said Harsh.
To address the problem, Kia USA is holding a free event this weekend at the Cleveland Aquarium where Kia owners can get anti-theft software upgrades.
“We went to our research teams and found a way to deter theft is a software based solution that basically acts as an immobilizer in the vehicle,” said James Bell, a spokesman for Kia USA.
Bell said Kia has already been doing upgrades at dealerships, but this gives drivers another option.
“We are hoping to speak to people who own 2011 to 2021 Kias that use a steel key to start,” said Bell.
“I think it’s important that we keep pushing these companies that are clearly sending defective vehicles into our neighborhood,” said Harsh, who authored legislation calling on the city to file a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai last spring.
The city of Parma also filed suit.
Meanwhile, Bell said people do not need to make an appointment this weekend. Once the upgrade is done, drivers will get a window decal to discourage any theft.
“Besides having the software done and a sticker on the window, we are happy to provide a steering wheel lock,” said Bell.
“It’s still a continuing problem. We had one stolen the other day. Someone went inside their house and when they came out, their car was gone,” said Harsh.
The event is from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
In 2023, more than one million vehicles were stolen across the country. The District and Maryland each saw a drastic rise in thefts when compared to the previous year, with theft percentage increases of over 60%.
Vehicle thefts have been surging nationwide, but D.C. and Maryland top the list in percentage increases, according to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization that tracks crime and fraud.
In 2023, more than one million vehicles were stolen across the country. The District and Maryland each saw a drastic rise in thefts when compared to the previous year, with theft percentage increases of 64% and 63%, respectively.
Coming in third was Connecticut, which had an increase of 33%.
“Some of our community members have told us that their vehicle has been stolen more than once,” said Cpt. Lovita Bryant with Prince George’s County police.
Bryant said a lot of the thefts stemmed from certain models of Hyundai and Kia vehicles being frequently targeted.
“Last year and in 2022, it was definitely a big spike, but it seems to be calming down a little bit,” Bryant said.
The vehicles are not equipped with immobilizing anti-theft devices, which has allowed thieves to easily steal them using household supplies. Immobilizers are meant to prevent a vehicle from starting when someone tries to use a key or key fob that doesn’t match the car.
The wave of Hyundai and Kia thefts began in 2021 and spread nationally, with a spike last summer fueled by instructional videos posted on social media.
“The Hyundais and Kias have been hurting us pretty bad,” said Bryant. “It unfortunately went viral on TikTok a couple of years ago, so that is one of the biggest trends that we’ve seen.”
Bryant said many of the thieves are just going for “joy rides,” as police tend to eventually recover the stolen vehicles.
Police have urged owners of the vulnerable vehicles to get software upgrades whenever they’re available and to use anti-theft devices, such as steering wheel locks.
“We’ve been working with Hyundai and Kia to get more vehicle wheel locks out there,” said Prince George’s County police Cpt. Koby Wiles. “We’ve been trying to provide knowledge to the public in as many ways possible.”
Theft increases have been more pronounced in urban centers with densely populated areas, according to the NICB report.
“I’m not surprised by it, especially with the higher population that we have around here,” Wiles said. “In the D.C. region, you’re going to see those higher numbers because we have a higher population.”
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Hyundai Motor Company has released a campaign film showing the all-electric, self-driving IONIQ 5 robotaxi completing a process similar to a U.S. driver’s license test.
Created to convey the safety and trustworthiness of the IONIQ 5 robotaxi’s autonomous technology, the video features the IONIQ 5 robotaxi completing a series of public-level driving tests, including road driving in Las Vegas, U.S., demonstrating outstanding performance. This achievement underscores the IONIQ 5 robotaxi’s reliability as well as the inclusivity of its autonomous vehicle technology, highlighting its potential to safely provide freedom of mobility to all.
The film starts with an interview with Pearl Outlaw, a visually impaired American woman, and her mother, Ruth. Pearl faces mobility limitations due to her condition, called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which hinders her from obtaining a driver’s license — an essential symbol of independence and freedom for many people.
Pearl’s story highlights everyday mobility challenges for the physically impaired, emphasizing the significance of autonomous driving technology in providing independence. The IONIQ 5 robotaxi promises to fulfill her dream of independent mobility while offering the freedom to explore without reliance on others.
“I’m a DMV Certified Driving Examiner with 25 years of experience. In that time, I’ve failed thousands and thousands of students in the interest of public safety,” said Kandice Jones, the examiner who tested the IONIQ 5 robotaxi. “It’s going to be the same criteria — just like testing a human. We’ll be monitoring the speed, lane changes. I’m going to grade maneuvers, making a complete stop, left turns, maintaining the lane, and of course reaction time.”
In the driving test, conducted by the highly experienced professional examiner, the IONIQ 5 robotaxi excelled, impressing with its speed control, lane changes and maneuvering, its ability to accurately stop at a stop sign, perform left turns, and its reaction time to developing hazards.
Captured in the video, the self-driving robotaxi effortlessly navigated the Las Vegas Strip, as well as the city’s suburban areas.
The IONIQ 5 robotaxi is the embodiment of transformative technologies in mobility coming together in one vehicle. It signifies the extensive collaboration between Hyundai Motor Group and autonomous driving technology developer Motional, spanning years of development and rigorous testing of advanced automotive platforms and self-driving technology. The IONIQ 5 robotaxi achieves consistent driving performance in various driving environments thanks to its suite of advanced sensors, combining LiDAR, radar, and cameras.
“As a company that pursues freedom of mobility, we at Hyundai aim to exhibit the safety and trustworthiness of the IONIQ 5 robotaxi through this campaign,” said Sungwon Jee, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Hyundai Motor Company. “We will continue our efforts to communicate our AI-based autonomous driving technology, which is set to provide positive changes to our customers’ everyday lives.”
The film ‘Hyundai gets its driver’s license’ can be seen on Hyundai Motor Company’s official YouTube channel.
**Note: the driver’s license in the film and photo is not an actual license.
Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. (HMPH) has teamed up with streaming provider Viu, alongside ABS-CBN Studios and Dreamscape Entertainment, for the Philippine adaptation of the romantic-comedy series “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”. An official press conference, at the Quantum Skyview of the Gateway 2 Mall in Cubao, last March 9, confirmed the brand’s involvement as the official mobility partner.
The rest of the cast members are in attendance & live on Facebook.
The South Korean television hit, which first aired in 2018, starred Park Seo-joon as vice chairman Lee Young-joon and Park Min-young as secretary Kim Mi-so. Esteemed local actors Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu will portray these notable characters. Together with them is a mix of veteran and young talents in Jake Cuenca, Janice De Belen, Romnick Sarmenta, Angeline Quinto, and Pepe Herrera.
“It brings us great pride to have partnered with Hyundai, a well-established multinational Korean automotive manufacturer, for our Viu Original Adaptation of the popular K-Drama What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim starring Paulo Avelino and Kim Chiu. Filipinos have embraced and grown to love the Korean culture and we hope that viewers of the show will enjoy the Filipino flavor injected in the series. We’re very grateful to Hyundai for their support of the show and look forward to more partnerships with them in the future,” says Vinchi Sy-Quia, country manager of Viu Philippines.
HMPH’s range of innovative and sustainable models will be featured throughout the episodes. This includes the just launched All-New Santa Fe, alongside other SUVs such as the Palisade, Tucson, and Creta, and MPVs consisting of the Austin, Staria, and Stargazer. Hyundai’s award-winning flagship electric vehicles, the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, are also showcased. Nameplates such as the Accent, Reina, and Starex, will also be making appearances.
Mr. Lee addressed the guests during the press conference.
“To those who are fans of this well-loved K-Drama, we are excited to share that you can catch your favorite Hyundai cars starting today in Viu! Not only that, please look forward to seeing Ms. Kim Chiu and Mr. Paulo Avelino as they put their own spin as leads. Both have recently become our newest brand ambassadors, adding a special touch to this partnership. Moreover, we are excited to be creating meaningful memories with our Filipino customers, as we altogether watch and fall in love once more with this highly acclaimed series,” according to HMPH president Dongwook Lee.
Viewers can expect this version to infuse Filipino references while maintaining the charm and essence of the original script. For HMPH, it serves as one of its initiatives in celebration of the 75th Friendship Anniversary between the Philippines and Korea. There will be a series of themed activations from the brand, starting March until June, highlighting the commonalities in lifestyle interests and cultural experiences of the two countries that have and continue to strengthen the ties of the two countries.
The show aired its pilot episode last March 18, and will exclusively be available on Viu. More news and announcements can be found in the brand’s official website and social media pages, @HyundaiMotorPhilippines, in Facebook and Instagram.
Hyundai Motor Philippines Inc. (HMPH) is inviting owners to bring and treat their out-of-warranty Hyundai cars to complimentary services at an authorized Hyundai dealership. An aftersales promotion, starting February 15 until April 15, 2024, will offer customers free labor, oil filters, and drain plug washers, for their vehicles due to change oil. At the same time, Hyundai-certified technicians shall provide a 23-point inspection with a GDS scan and car wash, free of charge as well.
“As the year started for us, we have been exerting extra effort to ensure that we are fulfilling our ‘Hyundai Customer Promise’. This comes from Hyundai’s commitment to innovate ways on how it can be more present in the lives of Filipino customers. So in addition to the new generation of vehicles we have been introducing to the market, we are striving to better serve and satisfy our current base of owners,” notes HMPH managing director Cecil Capacete.
This out-of-warranty special is available nationwide for the following vehicles sold before 2018:
i10 Eon
Accent (Gas and Diesel)
Elantra
Tucson (Gas and Diesel)
Grand Starex
Sonata
Veloster
H-100
Santa Fe
Customers may book an appointment at the Hyundai Motor Philippines website or through their preferred Hyundai outlet. They may also avail of other offerings at their servicing dealer together with this out-of-warranty promo. The full terms and conditions can be found on the Hyundai website.
Hyundai’s India subsidiary has fixed a bug that exposed its customers’ personal information in the South Asian market.
TechCrunch reviewed a portion of the exposed data that included the registered owner name, mailing address, email address, and phone number of Hyundai Motor India customers who have serviced their vehicles at any company’s authorized service stations across India. The bug also disclosed vehicle details, including the registration number, color, engine number, and mileage covered.
In a phone conversation on Thursday, Hyundai Motor India spokesperson Siddhartha P. Saikia said the company would provide a statement. When shared by email, the statement said:
“We understand the importance of safeguarding the data of our customers and accordingly strive to create robust systems and processes. Further, these systems get periodically reviewed and updated based on needs. The Repair Order/Invoice link is shared only on the mobile number registered by the customer, once they have opted in to receive such updates. These are system-generated links without any human involvement. Hyundai assures continued efforts to safeguard the interest of the customers.”
Hyundai Motor India did not answer questions about whether it had the technical means, such as logs, to determine any improper access to a customer’s records, nor would the company say if any bad actors exploited the issue.
Security researcher Ashutosh, who preferred not to be named in full, shared the details about the simple bug with TechCrunch. The bug exposed the customer’s personal information through the web links Hyundai Motor India shared with customers over WhatsApp after receiving their vehicles for servicing at an authorized service station.
The web links that redirected customers to the repair orders and invoices in PDF files contained the customer’s phone number. A malicious actor could expose the information of other customers by changing the phone number in the link.
TechCrunch confirmed the researcher’s findings and emailed Hyundai Motor India on December 29. The company responded on January 4. TechCrunch shared the details of the bug with Hyundai Motor India on the same day, and requested Hyundai Motor India fix the bug within seven days due to its simplicity and severity. Hyundai Motor India fixed the bug on Thursday.
Upon receiving the company’s response, TechCrunch confirmed the bug was fixed, and the links in concern were no longer active — redirected to a page giving an error message.
Established in 1996, Hyundai Motor India is among the top three carmakers in the country, alongside Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors. Hyundai Motor India has a network of over 1,500 service stations in the country. In May, the carmaker announced an investment of $2.45 billion (200 billion Indian rupees) over the next 10 years in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu to bolster its plans for electric vehicles.
Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen are illegally trying to intimidate workers organizing with the United Auto Workers at three U.S. manufacturing plants, the labor union said Monday in announcing that it has filed a complaint accusing the car makers of unfair labor practices.
Honda workers are being targeted and surveilled by management for pro-union activity at the company’s plant in Greensburg, Indiana, while VW executives have confiscated and destroyed pro-union materials at the company’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, according to the UAW. At Hyundai’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama, managers have unlawfully banned pro-union materials in non-work areas outside of normal working hours, the union claims.
“These companies are breaking the law in an attempt to get autoworkers to sit down and shut up instead of fighting for their fair share,” UAW President Shawn Fain, who was scheduled to livestream an update to non-union autoworkers Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern, said in a statement.
Volkswagen said it takes such claims seriously and that it would investigate accordingly. “We are committed to providing clear, transparent and timely information that helps educate our employees and managers on their legal rights and obligations,” a spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch in an email.
“We are filing an unfair labor practice charge against Honda because of management illegally telling us to remove union stickers from our hats, and for basically threatening us with write-ups,” Honda worker Josh Cupit said in a video released by More Perfect Union, a labor advocacy group.
Honda and Hyundai did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The companies are among 10 foreign automakers the UAW said in November it would seek to unionize after the labor group reached contract agreements with Detroit’s Big Three automakers. Although the trio are based overseas, the automakers — as well as BMW, Nissan, Mazda, Mercedes, Subaru, Toyota and Volvo — have manufacturing plants in the U.S. The UAW said its union drive would largely focus on factories in the South, where its recruiting efforts have so far yielded little success.
The United Auto Workers union said its next target is to unionize factory workers at Lucid, Rivian, Tesla and 10 foreign automakers, a move that comes after it garnered new employment contracts from Detroit’s Big Three automakers.
BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda, Mercedes, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo are based overseas but all have manufacturing operations in the U.S. Because these companies have brought in billions of dollars in profit over the past decade, their hourly factory workers deserve to make more money, UAW President Shawn Fain said in a video Wednesday.
Also on the union’s list are U.S. factories run by electric vehicle sales leader Tesla, as well as EV startups Rivian and Lucid. All three are U.S.-based companies.
“To all the autoworkers out there working without the benefits of a union, now it’s your turn,” he said, urging autoworkers to join the UAW’s membership drive campaign.
Tesla and other dozen automakers targeted by the UAW have long used non-unionized workers at their plants. The UAW said its drive will focus largely on factories in the South, where the union has had little success in recruiting new members. Currently, the UAW has about 146,000 members.
Still, Fain said thousands of non-unionized workers have contacted the UAW and asked to join the organization ever since the union ratified pay raises for employees at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram).
The union said that Toyota’s 7,800-worker assembly complex in Georgetown, Kentucky, is among factories with the strongest interest in the union. A Toyota spokesman declined to comment.
The organizing drive comes after a six-week series of strikes at factories run by Ford, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis that ended with new contracts. Under the contracts, top assembly plant worker pay will rise 33% by the time the deals expire in April of 2028.
The new contracts also ended some lower tiers of wages, gave raises to temporary workers and shortened the time it takes for full-time workers to get to the top of the pay scale.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. He previously worked as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald, Newsday and the Florida Times-Union. His reporting primarily focuses on the U.S. housing market, the business of sports and bankruptcy.
Starting in 2024, people in the market for a car for the first time will be able to buy a vehicle on Amazon, the e-commerce giant and Hyundai Motor Co. announced on Thursday.
Dealerships will be able to sell the Korean company’s vehicles directly to customers on Amazon’s website, which currently lets people pick a vehicle from multiple manufacturers but not actually make the purchase. Customers who buy a Hyundai on Amazon will have the choice of picking their vehicle up at a nearby dealership or having it delivered.
“This new shopping experience will create another way for dealers to build awareness of their selection and offer convenience to their customers,” Amazon and Hyundai said in a blog post.
Under the partnership, Amazon will effectively serve as the middleman between the buyer and the dealership, as car manufacturers are limited or prohibited from selling vehicles directly to consumers in nearly all 50 states.
Tesla has skirted those rules by selling its cars directly through its website, prompting lawsuits against the company by dealerships in numerous states.
In addition to virtual showrooms, Amazon’s site already offers car parts and other related products, including tires.
In his race to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy away from black gold, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just won a major victory.
Starting as early as 2026, Hyundai expects to begin local production of up to 50,000 combustion engine and electric vehicle cars annually with the help of an investment estimated to exceed half a billion dollars.
The new commercial joint venture will be 70% majority owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, while the South Korean automaker will control the remaining minority stake.
“We are excited about the potential of this venture to drive significant advancements in vehicle production, fostering a sustainable and eco-friendly automotive future in the region,” Hyundai CEO Jaehoon Chang said in a statement.
Hyundai did not elaborate as to whether it would invest its own money into the project or whether its 30% stake reflects a non-cash contribution in kind, for example through the planned transfer of knowledge and expertise. No location was named, but the country’s economic hub Jeddah would be a leading candidate.
Fast-growing economy
Saudi Arabia was the fastest growing G20 nation in the world last year, thanks in no small part to the gains its flagship state-owned oil producer Aramco got from soaring energy prices sparked by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,.
Adopting a similar strategy to China, bin Salman wants to introduce economic reforms without political ones that may pose a risk to the House of Saud’s continued reign. To realize his Vision 2030 strategy to modernize the Saudi economy, he will need to convince companies to look past its human rights abuses and other controversies such as the 2018 murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi by government agents.
Attracting car manufacturers and their supplier parks would be a major victory. The industry traditionally plays a key role among developing countries in driving prosperity, since it sits atop the economic pyramid. That’s because it sources parts from virtually every sector beneath it, including steel and aluminum for the body, chemicals for paint and plastics and, increasingly, high-tech electronics.
Only last month luxury EV manufacturer Lucid opened the monarchy’s first ever automotive facility in King Abdullah Economic City, near Jeddah, with a capacity to build 5,000 cars annually using what are called semi knocked-down (SKD) kits.
This kind of low value-added work, in which only final assembly is performed, is a common risk-mitigation strategy in the industry when expanding into new markets. Yet Lucid, which counts PIF as its anchor shareholder, aims to add full-scale manufacturing of roughly 150,000 cars by the middle of the decade.
In two years, Lucid could be joined by Ceer Motors, the first Saudi EV brand that is a joint venture between PIF and Taiwan’s Apple iPhone contract manufacturer Foxconn. A new National Automotive and Mobility Investment Company called Tasaru, launched earlier this month, aims to furthermore situate suppliers in the country.
Peak demand expected for 2026
But it will take more to develop Jeddah into the kind of competitive automotive cluster found in parts of Germany, Japan and the United States. It would be almost impossible to accomplish this through two small challenger brands facing uncertain outlooks and operating plants that likely would not have gotten off the ground without hefty government support.
The Saudis need to reach a critical threshold in scale for the effort to be self-sustaining, and winning a trusted partner like an industry incumbent definitely helps.
“Partnering with Hyundai is another significant milestone for PIF […], aligning closely with our existing stakes in Lucid and Ceer Motors, and amplifying the breadth of Saudi Arabia’s automotive and mobility value chain,” said Yazeed Al-Humied, deputy governor at PIF and head of its Middle East and North Africa investments.
Hyundai’s follow-up investment could be the proof point other companies need before they too are willing to invest in the local economy.
One reason is that skilled labor, a key criteria for auto execs when selecting sites, is hard to find in Saudi Arabia, since Riyadh has traditionally relied on importing both white collar employees and menial labor from abroad. Roughly two-thirds of all Saudi nationals collect government paychecks, which ensures a level of dependency on the continued rule of the royal dynasty.
The House of Saud faces a broader shift away from fossil fuels that threatens its strategic value to key allies like the United States.
In a June report, the International Energy Agency predicted the world’s collective appetite for oil is “set to slow almost to a halt” in the coming years amid projections that the increase in annual demand will “shrivel” from 2.4 million barrels per day to just 400,000 in 2028.
The chief culprit for this is transport fuels. The next three years of growth are expected to mark the last before a rising tide of electric vehicles usher in an era of steady decline for crude distillates like gasoline. This may be behind the recent wave of consolidation in the oil industry.
“The shift to a clean energy economy is picking up pace, with a peak in global oil demand in sight before the end of this decade,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “Oil producers need to pay careful attention to the gathering pace of change and calibrate their investment decisions to ensure an orderly transition.”
While this technocratic recommendation is phrased innocuously, Birol is warning petrodollar states lacking democratic legitimacy that they could face widescale disruption to their economies should they not diversify. This poses a risk to the stability repressive regimes prize.
Developing a small but thriving auto industry could go a long way in insulating the monarchy from domestic unrest.
Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are recalling 3.3 million used vehicles because they can catch fire while parked or while driving due to issues with the antilock brake system.
Hyundai models being recalled include sedans such as the Accent, Azera, Elantra, Genesis Coupe and Sonata along with the Tuscon SUV. Recalled Kia models include its Optima and Soul sedans and Sportage SUV. The affected vehicles are from the model years 2010 to 2019.
The antilock brake system in the vehicle could leak brake fluid and create an electrical short which could then increase the risk of an engine compartment fire, federal safety officials said. The automakers said an O-ring in the antilock brake motor shaft can lose sealing strength over time due to the presence of moisture, dirt and dissolved metals in the brake fluid, causing leaks.
Owners of these car models should park the vehicle outside and away from structures until repairs can be made, according to the recall announcement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Hyundai reported 21 fires in the affected vehicles in the U.S., and another 22 “thermal incidents” including smoke, burning and melting of parts, according to recall documents. Kia reported 10 fires and melting incidents.
Dealers will replace the antilock brake fuse at no cost to owners. Kia said in documents that it will send notification letters to owners starting Nov. 14. For Hyundai the date is Nov. 21.
Hyundai said in a statement that owners can continue to drive the vehicles and that no crashes or injuries have been reported. Hyundai owners are advised to take their vehicle to a local dealership and have the brake system’s module fuse replaced. Kia is still working on a fix for its models.
“Why not fix the problem”?
Michael Brooks, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, questioned why the automakers aren’t fixing leak problems and why they are waiting so long to send notify owners. The remedy is replacing one fuse with another, but brake fluid can still leak, potentially causing a safety problem, Brooks said.
“Why not fix the problem?” he asked. “What you’re not doing here is fixing the O-ring and the leak that’s causing the problem in the first place. You’re combatting a symptom or part of the problem without actually fixing the underlying design issue.”
Brooks also questioned why NHTSA is allowing the companies to only replace a fuse, and why owners aren’t being sent interim letters immediately warning them of a serious problem.
“You would think that you should be notifying those owners right now that they shouldn’t be parking in their garages or their house could catch fire,” he said.
Which models are being recalled?
The recalled vehicles are:
Hyundai
2012-2015 Accent
2012-2015 Azera
2011-2015 Elantra
2013-2015 Elantra Coupe
2014-2015 Equus
2011-2015 Genesis Coupe
2013-2015 Santa Fe
2013 Santa Fe Sport
2011-2015 Sonata HEV
2010-2013 Tucson
2015 Tucson Fuel Cell
2012-2015 Veloster
2010-2012 Veracruz
Kia
2014-2016 Cadenza
2011-2013 Forte/Forte Koup
2015-2017 K900
2010-2015 Optima
2011-2013 Optima Hybrid
2011-2017 Rio
2010 Rondo
2011-2014 Sorento
2011-2013 Soul
2010-2013 Sportage
The antilock brake recall comes one month after the automakers also recalled 92,000 vehicles because an electronic controller in their oil pumps could overheat and cause a fire. That recall covers some 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades, some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Konas as well as Kia’s 2023 Soul, Sportage and Seltos.
Rise in thefts
Kia has also drawn unwanted attention this year over a surge in thefts linked to a TikTok challenge that urged people to hot-wire the vehicles using a screwdriver and a USB cable. The thefts have been linked to at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities, according to NHTSA. About 9 million vehicles have been impacted by the rash of thefts, including Hyundai Elantras and Sonatas as well as Kia Fortes and Souls.
The rise in thefts and accidents prompted attorneys general in 17 states to urge the federal government to recall millions of Kia and Hyundai vehicles. The automakers snubbed pleas for a recall and instead opted to provide free software updates aimed at thwarting thieves. Hyundai and Kia paid $200 million earlier this year to settle a class-action lawsuit from owners who had their vehicles stolen in the nationwide rash of car thefts.
Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.
