A Hyundai Accent was disassembled with brute force in a TikTok video uploaded by the Singaporean border control agency, ultimately revealing hundreds of illegal cigarette packs stashed throughout the vehicle.
When Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers assessed a Malaysian-registered car for additional checks on June 12, 2023, at Woodlands Checkpoint, they discovered cigarette packets concealed not just beneath the bonnet but also behind the front and rear bumpers, in the door panels, and underneath the seats. Ultimately, 222 cartons, 2,710 packets, and 35 sticks of duty-unpaid cigarettes were found, according to ICA, after their checks.
The Hyundai Creta has been formally introduced in Malaysia by Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM). The feature-rich SUV, which is only available in the Plus trim, enters the crowded B-segment with a modern aesthetic, practical connectivity, and extensive active safety.
Exterior
The Creta is somewhat longer and features a bold-looking front end that resembles Mitsubishi Motors’ Dynamic Shield face, although being around the same size as the more recognisable Kona. The ‘Parametric Jewel’ radiator grille, which is present in the most recent models as well, is a distinctly Hyundai aesthetic element.
Hyundai has a wide range of models, covering virtually every segment of the market. Some models are sold in every market while a few are offered only in certain markets. For some markets, special attention is given as they are big (eg China and India) and justify ‘customising’ models to a small extent.
India gets such attention from some of the global players, especially the Korean ones. There are models which Korean carmakers have developed with the Indian market in mind, and then adapted for other markets.
Soon, Hyundai will add another new model to its range for the sub-continent. Not surprisingly, it is a crossover and it is known as the Exter. At this time, Hyundai has not provided technical details but has released just one sketch of the model which is expected to be launched later this year.
The B-segment SUV market in Malaysia gets another contender soon with the addition of the Hyundai Creta later this month. The model, which has been part of the Hyundai range for developing and emerging markets, was first introduced in 2014.
It is now in its second generation which was launched in China (as the iX25) in 2019 and in ASEAN (Indonesia) early last year.
Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 6 has won the 2023 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) title, as well as the World Car Design of the Year and World Electric Vehicle awards. The Hyundai Motor Group also collected another award for the Kia EV6 GT which won the World Performance Car title.
The IONIQ 6 – also known as the ‘Electric Streamliner’ – beat the other finalists which included the BMW X1/iX1 and the Kia Niro for the overall title. The IONIQ 6 was one of 21 original vehicles that were in contention for the 2023 WCOTY awards in the 19th year of the event.
This is the second consecutive triple win for the Hyundai Motor Group as the IONIQ 5 was last year’s winner in the same three categories.
At one time, when mention was made of an ‘electric vehicle’, the perception was that it was going to be boring to drive. This was because decades ago, EV technology was still not developed enough and performance was not a priority. There were many other issues to overcome – like range anxiety – in order to make EVs more widely accepted.
But over the past 10 years, perceptions have changed and many carmakers have developed – and even started selling – EVs with sportscar performance. With the inherent peak torque generated almost from standstill, an EV can accelerate a lot quicker than a car with a combustion engine, and sportscar makers have exploited this character.
While the early Hyundai Sonatas had a formal design language as it was largely presented as an executive sedan, the sixth generation onwards from 2009 saw a transformation of its image with the ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design language. From this more advanced look, the Sonata has evolved to become a bigger car too and by the eighth generation, ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language (first previewed in the Le Fil Rouge concept) was adopted.
The eighth generation is still in production, having made its debut in 2019 (October 2020 in Malaysia), and although there are rumours that it will be discontinued, Hyundai Motor has still one more facelift to go through before ending the model line.
One of the most annoying things to have ever graced modern cars are haptic buttons. In an effort to reduce cost and increase profits, car makers seemingly do not understand that what most people want are easily accessible controls and functions. Buttons are simple and easily accessible but are costly for manufacturers.
Although haptic buttons offer a clean layout and may look visually pleasing to the eyes, it can be on the dangerous side.
There have been cars released recently that do not have a user friendly interface and requires a two step process or more to change simple things like volume/climate control.
So thank goodness then for Hyundai. When Hyundai designs their cars, besides creating gorgeous cars they keep in mind these safety concerns.
“We have used the physical buttons quite significantly the last few years. For me, the safety-related buttons have to be a hard key,” said Sang Yup Lee, Hyundai’s head of design at the introduction of the new Hyundai Kona.
When you’re driving and it requires you to access menus on a touchscreen, it can be distracting as you have to take your eyes off the road which is why Hyundai had the common sense to keep the buttons and knobs as it is easy to just feel and sense the button that you want.
This is why the Hyundai Kona uses physical buttons and dials for its media controls and HVAC system.
“When it comes to Level 4 autonomous driving, then we’ll have everything soft key,” said Lee. This was him hinting that Hyundai might go heavy on the touch controls when autonomous driving becomes a common thing in the future where drivers would not have to take their eyes off the road.
Carmakers are making the switch to touchscreen control not because they are better but because they are cheaper. It’s slightly more complex when it comes to buttons due to the fact that each button is wired for different usage whereas the touch display is just on one big screen and cheaper to engineer.
With the technology available nowadays, voice recognition/command should be a common feature in all modern cars today to assist drivers with these simple tasks which is one of the features that the Kona has.
It allows you to activate and control features like climate settings, infotainment controls and side mirror heating as well as steering wheel heating via voice command.
We look forward to the return of buttons but know that is a long shot.
After a 6-year production run in its first generation, the Hyundai Kona starts its second generation today with a global world premiere. The Korean carmaker presents it as an ‘upscaled multiplayer in the B-SUV segment’, with the claim of offering one of the most comprehensive product packages in the segment, including the widest range of powertrains.
As before and like the original IONIQ, the Kona is available with three different types of powertrains – combustion engine one, hybrid and battery electric (BEV). This will allow it to be marketed in more regions around the world, including those where the pace of electrification is slower.
Nevertheless, for this new generation, Hyundai Motor started development as a battery electric vehicle (BEV) first. It signifies the company’s accelerated electrification strategy that aims to bring 11 new Hyundai EVs to market by 2030.
Hyundai’s largest model – the Palisade – arrived in Malaysia in December 2021, three years after it made its global debut. Just three months later, in New York, the updated version was unveiled but Malaysia continued with the pre-facelift model throughout 2022. Today sees the updated Palisade being launched by Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) In Malaysia with four variants to choose from.
For the 2023 model, the features and equipment have been commonised so, apart from the powertrains and a few items, all four variants are similar. Incidentally, HSDM is importing the European model which probably best matches Malaysian Type Approval requirements.
