Automotive

2020 Hyundai Venue Review: How Does This City Slicker Stack Up?

2020 Hyundai Venue Review: How Does This City Slicker Stack Up? 2020 Hyundai Venue In Our Opinion: The 2020 Hyundai Venue is an affordable SUV that's easy to maneuver and drive in the city. Extra packages provide nice amenities, like navigation, heated seats, and a sunroof. We don't care for the exterior styling, but can overlook that given the Venue's other strong attributes. Exterior Styling 68Interior Layout 90Driving Dynamics85Safety & Tech Features 75Everyday Functionality91ProsAffordable Fuel Economy Nimble & Maneuverable ConsHard Plastic Interior Engine Power (at times)False Positives on Safety Features 82The 2020 Hyundai Venue is the smallest crayon in what has become a colorful box for the automaker. Hyundai has spent considerable time beefing up their SUV and crossover portfolio, the 2020 Venue being the latest addition. Hyundai offers five SUVs and/or crossovers for 2020: Palisade, Santa Fe, Tucson, Kona (which has an EV variant), Nexo Fuel Cell, and now the Venue.

Earlier this year, we drove the larger Palisade for a week around Detroit. All things considered, we think the three-row SUV has a lot to offer. Now we move to other end of the spectrum, spending a week with the smallest in Hyundai’s SUV lineup: the Venue.

Our press vehicle was a 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL in ceramic white with a gray interior.

Hyundai Venue: What’s New For 2020

The small SUV made its debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show. “The all-new Venue might be small in size, but it’s big on practicality and personality,” said Mike O’Brien at the time, Vice President of Product, Corporate and Digital Planning, Hyundai Motor America.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue enters a crowded party, and consumers have plenty of choices when it comes to smaller SUVs. Comparable vehicles include the Chevy Trax, Fiat 500X, Ford Ecosport, Honda HR-V, Nissan Kicks, and Toyota C-HR.

There are three trim levels for the 2020 Hyundai Venue: SE, SEL, and Denim. The Denim trim includes the Denim exterior color and interior theme, with a contrasting white roof.

2020 Hyundai Venue in Denim. 2020 Hyundai Venue: Standard Features

Our 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL press vehicle was nicely equipped from the factory. The Advanced Safety Technology package included forward collision warning; lane keeping asssit; electronic stability and traction control; driver attention warning; tire pressure monitoring system; front and side curtain airbags; and a reverse camera.

The Comfort and Convenience package gave us an eight-inch touchscreen compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; smartphone, USB, and auxiliary input jacks; climate control; tilt and telescopic steering wheel; keyless entry; compact spare tire; and a handy two-stage rear cargo floor.

Related: An in-depth look at the 2020 Hyundai Venue. 2020 Hyundai Venue: Optional Features

Our Venue SEL press vehicle had the Convenience package ($1,150), which included a power sunroof, sliding armrest storage box, blind-spot monitor, and rear cross-traffic alert. The Premium package (1,750) included LED headlights and taillights; daytime running lamps; heated front seats and side mirrors; push-button start; navigation; and carpet floor mats. Hyundai’s Blue Link services come complimentary for three years as part of the Premium package.

2020 Hyundai Venue interior layout. How Much Is The 2020 Hyundai Venue?

Base price for our Venue SEL press vehicle was $19,250. With the added Convenience and Premium packages, and the destination change of $1,120, total MSRP came to $23,405. By comparison, the Venue SE starts at $17,350 while the Denim begins at $22,050.

One of the most attractive things about the Venue is the price point. According to Cox Automotive, the average payment on a new vehicle exceeded $530 in 2018 or about 10 percent of the median household income. SUVs and crossovers, even compact ones like the Venue, are expected to rise 18 percent by 2025.

As it stands, almost any new vehicle today is an expensive proposition, but the Hyundai Venue lands on the lower side of that scale. The Venue would be ideal for newly weds, single parents, young professionals, and retirees who want to downsize.

Window sticker of our 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL press vehicle. Interior Highlights: Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

Given the price point, we can’t expect luxury or premium treatments, but our press vehicle wasn’t completely spartan either. We still had navigation, heated seats, and cool tech features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That said, simplicity is definitely a strong point here. While there are a handful of buttons, mostly on the steering wheel and just under the eight-inch central screen, they don’t appear busy, confusing or vaguely marked.

Though I have been in the automotive industry most of my professional life, I still get overwhelmed when I see multiple screens, touch points, and buttons. I liked how most everything I needed was contained to the Venue’s eight-inch central display. Once I got onto that (and you will quickly) I was good to go.

The climate buttons are slightly larger knobs with the auxiliary ports just below. Again, nothing is vaguely marked or confusing, a strong point as vehicles today are often filled with “technology.”

The eight-inch touchscreen inside the 2020 Hyundai Venue. Navigation is part of the Premium package. Interior Highlights: Passenger & Cargo Space

The front seats are comfortable enough for the jaunts we took around Detroit. On a longer trip, we could imagine some fatigue and discomfort setting in, but for a daily commute, the 2020 Hyundai Venue will do just fine. Total interior volume is 110.6 cubic feet, with total passenger volume coming in at 91.9 cubic feet.

Rear cargo capacity is 18.7 cubic feet with the seats up, extending to 31.9 cubic feet with them down. The cargo area includes a cover for privacy and a dual-level floor for additional flexibility. We tossed in a red roller bag (like the kind you fly with) and a duffel bag and everything fit alright. As long as you don’t haul the kitchen sink, the Venue’s cargo space should be enough.

2020 Hyundai Venue: Engine & Powertrain

Under the hood is Hyundai’s new Smartstream engine, a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that creates 121 horsepower (6,300 rpm) and 113 lb-ft. of torque (4,500 rpm). The engine is connected to an Intelligent Variable automatic that sends power to the front wheels, a transmission Hyundai developed in-house.

The Venue offers three different drive modes. Normal is what the name implies and best for everyday driving. Sport mode makes the throttle and steering response more energetic, although it’s really more bark than bite. The most practical is Snow mode, which sends torque between the left and right front wheels when the weather gets bad.

Related: What does a Hyundai warranty cover and do you need more?Is The 2020 Hyundai Venue All-Wheel Drive?

No, only front-wheel drive is available, and that’s okay. All-wheel drive would add to the vehicle’s MSRP and long-term fuel consumption anyway. The Snow mode is solid if you are concerned about traction, and if you are trying to keep costs down, front-wheel drive is a better option.

Does The 2020 Hyundai Venue Have a Manual?

Sure does! Opt for the entry-level SE and you can have a six-speed manual. Our press vehicle had the automatic, but a manual would be fun in something like the Venue.

2020 Hyundai Venue.Gas Mileage of the 2020 Hyundai Venue

Hyundai focused extensively on fuel economy while developing the Venue’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder. Both the Exhaust Gas Recirculation and Dual Port Fuel Injection systems were refined (more optimized “spray targeting” for the injectors Hyundai says). It worked because the 2020 Venue holds its own against the competition.

EPA ratings with the automatic are 30/34 city/highway and 32 combined. The manual transmission comes in at 27/35 city/highway and 30 combined. Fuel tank capacity is 11.9 gallons.

How Does The 2020 Hyundai Venue Drive?

The Venue will shine in a large and bustling city, as is the case with our beloved home of Detroit. The Venue might best be described as “zippy,” or at least that’s what stuck in our mind as we navigated Jefferson, Congress, and Woodward in downtown Detroit. Because the Venue is smaller, you feel more agile, especially as other commuters are going about their day, or as that truck ahead stops to make a delivery, or that construction vehicle needs to back out.

In so many words, the Hyundai Venue can manage the average day in the typical American city. It gets great gas mileage, turns on a dime, and if you had to, you could park it in a shoe box or broom closet. When downtown parking is at a premium, the Hyundai Venue is your ticket.

Better For Daily Driving

Acceleration is solid considering the smaller 1.6-liter engine. It will make some noise when you are initially on the throttle, but things will quiet down once on the highway. The blind-spot monitor did register a few false positives for us, so make sure to always double check the mirrors when changing lanes, especially during rush hour traffic.

Our only concern would be driving the Venue on a longer trip. While we are 100 percent confident in the Venue’s mechanical abilities, we would likely opt for the larger Santa Fe if extensive travel were part of our normal schedule. The Venue’s smaller footprint serves it well in the city, although drivers may eventually feel cramped and uncomfortable as the miles on the open road pile up.

Should I Buy a 2020 Hyundai Venue?

We don’t particularly care for the exterior styling, but given the affordability, that can be overlooked. For what is an entirely new vehicle for Hyundai, they did a good job first time out of the gate. If you currently need something new, and consider car shopping a strictly practical and pragmatic affair, then it’s hard to go wrong with the 2020 Hyundai Venue.

Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association and the Society of Automotive Historians. He serves on the board of directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, is a past president of Detroit Working Writers, and a loyal Detroit Lions fan.

2020 Hyundai Venue Gallery

Photos: Hyundai Motor America.

Original article: 2020 Hyundai Venue Review: How Does This City Slicker Stack Up?

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Bricks And Bones: Chapter 7: Speedway Legends

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 7: Speedway Legends Tony Borroz attended the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.
Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard here.

I have a friend, Bill Healey, and in so many ways, all this is his fault. I met him over a decade ago when he was starting up a Motorsports sponsorship company and needed a writer. At that time, I was only a writer when it was needed. I worked on corporate communications and designing computer games and stuff like that. But, I did know how write, and I did grow up in a car and racing family, so why not give it a try?
And that’s how Bill and I became friends.
Under The Bridge
For years Bill, a native of Speedway, Indiana who has attended the 500 every year of his life, was haranguing me to come out and see the race. This year I was finally able to do it, but one of the large measures of charm and fascination was being around the track and Speedway and Indianapolis with Bill. And yeah, sure, the racing conversation was flying fast at almost every hour of the day, but it was the constant running commentary about everything else that supported racing here in Speedway that was so fascinating.
On Thursday before the race, we were driving around the track in Bill’s car, and he was keeping up a running commentary, only about 10% of which I expected.
“Right here,” Bill said, pointing to a nondescript portion of the back stretch. “This is where that walk-over pedestrian bridge was. That’s right where Vuky (the old timers’ nickname for Bill Vukovich, two-time 500 winner) died. He got thrown off the track and ran into the abutment for the bridge . . . that was right in front of me.”
Bill Vukovich in the #4 Hopkins Special (KK500C/Offy) at the 1955 Indianapolis 500. Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Fond Memories
“See all the turn three stands? There used to be a big grove of oak trees there. Me and my brother-in-law and so and so used to know the farmer that owned the land. It was great squirrel and rabbit hunting there. But then they built up the stands there and tore out all the treas. Damn race track,” Bill said with a laugh.
He loves racing more than anything and would gladly give up squirrel hunting for it.
Driving around the town of Speedway was much the same. It was a constant stream of stories from high school: “I dated so and so that lived in that house. She was really cute, great kisser too,” he said with a gleam in his eye that only a 70 year-old-man with a fond memory could have. “That’s where Clint Brawner lived. He used to park the race cars in his front yard before the race,” or “I saw George Bignotti filling up his car, a brand new Buick, at that old gas station.”
It was that growing sense of background radiation this town has, and that Healey conveyed that makes Speedway so enthralling. For a race fan like me, it must be like living in Cocoa Beach, Florida for a space exploration fan. Every where you look is something, big or small, that you either directly know about or influenced stuff you heard about as a racing fan. For example, Bill and I were driving down Georgetown Road (Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located at the corner of 16th and Georgetown Roads) and he was pointing to the empty stretch of fields now bordering the track: “That was the Johnson house, and right there was Long’s, and that was my grandparents’ house,” pointing to a spot in a field, now a parking lot every Memorial Day weekend.
“That was the house they sold to Mario?” I asked.
“Well, Clint Brawner, yeah, but he got it for Mario.”
Mario Andretti in the #2, STP Oil Treatment, Hawk III, Ford is pictured at the Indianapolis 500 in 1969. Andretti would later go on to win the race. Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

With Every Fiber
Brawner was an old school car builder/team honcho. He used to wrench for the great A.J. Watson, but then struck out on his own and ran teams at the 500. In 1965, Brawner hooked up with this new hot-shoe from Nazareth, Pennsylvania named Mario Andretti. Mario and Bill met when he was moving to his new house, and they’ve been friends ever since.
That’s how it is here, seemingly for everyone, but Bill is a little bit more emblematic than most. This is all personal. Famous racer so and so lives right around the corner. The kid that delivers your newspaper (people still get newspapers on their doorstep around here) also delivers it for a team owner. Your nephew is on the same basketball team with a chief mechanic’s kid . . . it is literally never ending. The Indy 500 isn’t what these people do in May every year, it’s who they are.
This was no better illustrated than when Bill and I were walking through the paddock of the historic Indy car race. There were several dozen old Indy race cars all lined up, waiting to be driven around the track on show laps for the fans. Pre-war Millers and big roadsters from the 50s up to the modern day. As we walked the rows, taking them all in, Bill didn’t mention the races they were in or who drove them. He already knew that by heart. Bill’s information was much more personal:
“Oh yeah. That’s Agabashian’s car. I used to cut his grass when I was in 4th grade. That guy’s mechanic had a kid sister that everybody in high school wanted to date. My friend John drove over his mailbox one Saturday night.”
Car after car, known today as only blurry photos and statistics, Bill Healy knows, and now I do too, as catalysts for things much more personal, much more immediate, and much more lasting.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Bricks And Bones: Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 6: The Fearless Spaniard Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.
Chapter 5: Female Perspective here.

He is calm and quiet. Precise in his movements, both in and out of the arena. Fernando Alonso gives the impression of being unwavering and brave. He was all the rage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, having chosen to forgo running at Monte Carlo in a sadly noncompetitive car, and having a tilt at the Indy 500. He’s never run on an oval, let alone raced on one. Yet he managed to be at or near the top of the time sheets for every session he ran and managed to qualify fifth. He has outpaced such Indy luminaries as Juan Pablo Montoya and Marco Andretti.
The international press, lead by a throng of Spanish reporters, were mobbed around him everywhere he went. Last year, there were two Spanish reporters at the track. This year there were 25. Alonso was gracious with the press and even thanked them in a post-race conference.
Concise & Precise
Alonso is twice a World Driving Champion. At the time of his first, he became the youngest ever at only 24. He is quick and methodical, fearless and precise on the track. To win his first championship he took apart The Great One, Michael Schumacher, piece by piece, corner by corner, race by race. A seasoned professional at 24.
In Speedway, Indiana, he carried on in the same manner. He showed no signs of rashness or impulsiveness. Smooth and mistake-free from the moment he rolled onto the track. Comfortable even at the immense speeds this track brings, his style was easy to see during practice: closer, ever closer to the car in front, whether chasing a veteran or an impetuous young gun. Trail them down the main straight. On the rear wing through one. Closer still in the short chute and out accelerating his opponent exiting two. Leaving him as if he had been doing it for years.
Alonso skipped the Monaco Grand Prix in favor of the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Although engine troubles would ultimately put him in 24th, the two-time F1 world champion was praised for his driving at Indinapolis Motor Speedway, despite never racing there before. Photo: Fernando Alonso Official Facebook Page.
The Bullfighter
He is the new Belmonte. His suit of lights is fireproof and adorned with the names of corporations. His feet never waiver or shake in the ring. Each corner is a faena. Each pass an estocada. He is unwavering and true. If he can remain unwavering and true he will attain new heights. No Spaniard has ever won the Indianapolis 500, and although this year wasn’t his year, if there is to be a Spaniard to drink milk on this scared track, it will be him.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: Fernando Alonso Official Facebook Page.

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Automoblog Book Garage: Porsche

Automoblog Book Garage: Porsche

Even as a child, Ferdinand Porsche displayed an unmatched engineering genius and mechanical aptitude. He was born in the northern Bohemian town of Maffersdorf in 1875, and other than attending a few one-off classes, Porsche did not receive a formal engineering education. Growing up with him would have been interesting, and it’s possible he was the one in the group you designate to go far in life; the one who is later successful to the disbelief of nobody.
Sports Car Showcase
This weekend’s entry in our Book Garage series was published a few years ago, but it’s still relevant today. The title is short, but rather fitting: Porsche, a book full of sports cars, box specs, and fascinating facts, opens the doors a little bit more for fans of the iconic brand.
The book details the Mercedes-Benz Kompressor and Typ S models Porsche originally developed. The pages move through 1938, when Porsche began designing the Typ 64, the catalyst to a lineage of great race cars. The mid-engine Boxster and Cayman, and all the front-engine cars including the 928, 944, 968, and Cayenne are included. Fans of the 911 should know they are in for a treat with this book as well.
Essentially, Porsche is a showcase to one of the world’s most noted and sought after namesakes.
Author

Peter Morgan has a degree in mechanical engineering and is well versed on the automotive industry. He has written since his teens and has established himself as a Porsche authority. He was the Technical Editor of Porsche Post starting 1981, later becoming Editor in 1991. His first Porsche book, Porsche 911 – Purchase and DIY Restoration was published in 1987. To date, he has written 20 titles on all aspects involving Porsche.
Photographer
John Colley’s photography has appeared in car magazines all over the world. Having trained as an industrial photographer with Rolls-Royce aero engines, he made his name initially as a freelance motor racing photographer. Porsche 911s are a passion of his.
Porsche is available through Amazon and Motorbooks.
Porsche Gallery

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2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 5: On The Fly – Before The Green Flag

2018 Indy 500 Notebook: Part 5: On The Fly – Before The Green Flag Tony Borroz opens up what has been dubbed “The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook” for an unedited look at The Greatest Spectacle In Racing. This new series will span the days leading up to and after the 102nd Indianapolis 500. The 2018 Indy 500 Notebook is an unfiltered look and what makes the Indy 500 so alluring in the first place.
The prologue can be found here.
Part 2: “Hey Hinchcliffe, Wanna Race? Then Go Faster!” here.
Part 3: “Carb Day” here.
Part 4: “By This Time Tomorrow” here.
It is time to speak of what goes on just before The Indy 500 actually takes place. Only the Super Bowl has more hype and run up before the event itself. As I recall, the pregame show takes about 12 hours and then the “before kickoff” junk lasts another hour on top of that. Indy, in its own way, is like that, only with the pre-race stuff taking about two hours, and the in-between – the stuff between “Start your engines” and the fall of the green flag – taking a matter of minutes.
But that pre-race stuff, at least from the perspective of television, is a never-ending pageant of over-produced, over-budgeted filler that should come with a Surgeon General’s warning and its own supply of insulin. An excruciating procession of puff pieces on the driver’s wives. An interminable exhibit of the “driver’s inner lives.” A lamentable carnival of what these speed demons of daring do are like, really and truly like, on the inside.
Calling All Curs
If you’re one of those people that absolutely cannot miss Dancing with the Stars, then The Indy 500 Pre-Race Activities are your cup of tea. And I don’t just mean this year, I mean it has been like this since I’ve watched The 500 on TV. If you’re one of those people that watch 50 seconds of this stuff and think, “Why can’t I stream this?” then you my friend, you are reason #415,690,227,310th that television has a market shrinking faster than the polar caps.And this year, the pre-race show was just as bad as I thought it would be. It was just like the last one I saw (in 2016, since I was covering The 500 last year in person and writing my book), only a little bit more. More saccharine. More faux-patriotic. More uncomfortable and deeply troubling in a way that a wide swath of America is worryingly oblivious to. Oh well, we’ll get it, all of us, eventually.
On TV, the coverage is lead by Allen Bestwick, Eddie Cheever, and Scott Goodyear, aka “The Three Stooges.” I have absolutely no mercy for any of these guys, and it’s down to two reasons:
Racing coverage has always sucked in America, these clowns are no different, and
I worked in television for a number of decades, and a fair chunk of that included sports broadcasting.
Photo: IMS LLC.
Captain Obvious
So look, I get it. I know the producers meet with you and say “We want you to hit these four points over and over and really stress this: Alan G. Strongjaw is a true American hero!” And producer involvement can explain a lot of the continual and continued dumbing down of race coverage. Think about how many times during this one race, the booth crew will explain why you have to change tires. How would a typical NFL fan take it if every third down they would explain “If they don’t make it, they will have to punt the ball next down . . . and we should explain to you what a punt, or ‘punting‘ is . . .”
So I get it, I really do, but that is no excuse. No excuse at all. You have to start treating the audience better, and by better, I mean like intelligent adults who know what they’re watching. So when Larry, Moe, and Curly pause after watching a pre-packaged feature on Roger Penske and one of them sums it up by saying “Roger wants to win,” I can only slowly shake my head and wish a vengeful and angry Kali to visit these lack-wits as soon as she can fit it into her schedule.
Roger wants to win? What’re you going to enlighten me with next? Ted Nugent enjoys gun ownership?
And that was just the first segment. Next the TV machine launches into another pre-packaged piece about how Josef Newgarden (who still looks like a comic book hero) and Simon Pagenaud have an ongoing “rivalry” about autographing the other’s stuff. This has all the bad signs of some PR hack telling Roger Penske to show some “personality” and he agreed with them. Yes, Roger is an uptight guy, but this sort of thing looks as made up as all the other “reality TV” out there. Watch, people probably really liked that segment. Made up rivalry crap is grating, sorry.
Roger Penske. Photo: IMS LLC.
Pomp & Circumstance
The first commercial break hits, and it couldn’t have come soon enough. Think about that: looking at commercials as a relief. If people in “traditional” media (i.e. television, print, etc.) want to know why revenue is down, watch crap like this. It does everything a medium is not supposed to do: treat the audience like idiots and be overly simplistic. Then again, it was nothing in comparison to the commercials. The crap they’re advertising makes me fear for the human race.
There were seven commercials making for a four minute break (including bumpers). The commercials were for cars (natch), candy (makes sense), Amex credit services (everybody is broke, so why not?), Danica/Godaddy (strike while the iron is hot), Aussie artery death company (an alleged restaurant named “Outback Steakhouse”), Criminal Justice Porn – White Mom Edition, an upcoming ABC show about a white mother railroaded by the justice system, and a horrid network cross-promotion for a fish-out-of-water/pretty-but-failing-actress-turns-into-private-eye (they might as well have called it “The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Detective Agency”).
If these ads appeal to you, or, even worse, all of these ads seem to describe you or your demographic: Change your life!
March of Madness
Now there’s a medium blond woman with medium colored eyes and medium skin tone dressed in white on my TV. She is Nicole Briscoe. Who is Nicole Briscoe? Why is she on my TV screen? More pre-packaged rah rah that sucks. There’s too much leeway in the marketing department. An entire red yarn conspiracy theory set to show how complex racing is. Then they make a big introduction for the guy reading the driver introductions. Ah, driver introductions. A bit of pre-race razz-ma-tazz that has the potential to be informative. They parade the drivers up on stage, one row at a time, and introduce them. Potentially you can see who is looking confidant and who is not.
Sadly, my first impression is to nearly convulse on seeing how Graham Rahal is dressed: like Evel Knievel. An incalculable fashion mistake. Another driver uses an infant as prop, you stay classy. Whoa, Stefan Wilson is huge for a race car driver. Wickens looks at ease, Sato looks comfortable at home, like overlooking his front yard. Oh no, Ryan Hunter Reay is improvising. Not to be outdone by one child, RHR suddenly lunges to his left and goes for the late child grab, then another! THEN ANOTHER!!!! One at a time he pulls his entire progeny onto the stage with him.
The entirety of Row Four – Kanaan, Matheus Leist, and Marco Andretti – looks scary fast, scary mellow, like a bunch of pros waiting to get to work. Watch these guys. Dixon seems resigned, Hélio edgy, Danica standoffish. Bourdais brings on three marketing props: two children and a can of sugar-water-energy-drink that he painfully turns to face front at the last minute.
Will Power, looking uncomfortable as always, Simon Pagenaud smiling and Carpenter looks like he’s brought the entire Osmond family with him, a passel of tow-head chilluns and his wife and the whole Hee Haw gang.
With his victory this year, Will Power became the first Australian to win the Indianapolis 500. Photo: IMS LLC.
But Wait . . . There’s More . . .
And now you think they’re going to get into their cars, turn them over, and we’ll get this show on the road? Sadly, no. Before that happens we have to sit through:
Drivers reading mean tweets (oh no).
The Whitest Name in The World(tm): Beccy Hunter-Reay.
An obligatory history piece VO’d by . . . Paul Page? Paul Page? No, just . . . no. It’s a solid B- effort even though Page said family more times than Dominic Toretto and someone actually wrote the phrase “ruthlessly rip out your heart” and it was really nice seeing Jimmy and Mark back to back there; crash crash checker spin checker milk.
AJ is going to kiss Kanaan if he wins? This I gotta see!
Nicole Briscoe? Still? Still.
John McLaughlin has seriously sold out since disbanding The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Oh wait, this is a different Jon John McLaughlin.
Historical puff piece #2. The theme: dead soldiers!
Anthem sung by Generic Woman.
And then, and I am not making this up, an extended ad for what we’re already watching.
Back to live, and here’s animatronic Tony George, with the new v3.2.6 control software, looking much more lifelike this time around. He gives the command to start the engines and now we can finally race.
Part 6: On The Fly – Everything That Matters is forthcoming.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.

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Hyundai Announces Major Investments In Alabama For New Engine Manufacturing

Hyundai Announces Major Investments In Alabama For New Engine Manufacturing Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) is receiving nearly $400 million from Hyundai to support new engine production. The monies will be used to construct a plant dedicated to engine head manufacturing, but also to enhance existing operations and support production of the new Sonata and Elantra.
HMMA, which opened in May 2005, is the River Region’s largest private manufacturer with 2,700 full-time and 500 part-time employees. With this latest investment, 50 new jobs are expected.
Upward Expansion
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey joined HMMA for the announcement.
“Hyundai is an important member of Alabama’s dynamic auto industry, and this expansion at its Montgomery manufacturing facility will power the global automaker’s drive for future growth in the U.S.,” she said. “Hyundai’s significant new investment is a strong testament to the company’s confidence in its Alabama operation and in its highly skilled workforce.”
“With our latest expansion, HMMA continues to show its strong commitment to the people of Montgomery and the people of Alabama,” added Hyundai President and CEO Dong Ryeol Choi. “Hyundai is continuing its track record of investing in new manufacturing technologies to ensure the long-term success of our Alabama assembly plant.”
2018 Hyundai Elantra GT. Photo: Hyundai Motor America.
Construction & Capacity
Officials say it will cost approximately $40 million to construct the 260,000-square-foot building that will house the head machining equipment. Construction is expected to be finished by November, with the facility operational by mid-2019.
“We are so very honored that Hyundai has once again chosen to significantly invest in Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama,” said Judge Charles Price, 2018 chairman of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. “As home to Hyundai’s only North American manufacturing facility, the Montgomery community pledges to continue our enormously successful 16 year partnership for this new expansion and beyond.”
HMMA produces engines for the Sonata, Elantra, and Santa Fe, with the capacity to produce 700,000 engines per year to support operations at both HMMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia in West Point, Georgia.
The Automoblog Staff contributed to this report and can be reached anytime.
Photos & Source: Hyundai Motor America.

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Jaguar Land Rover Takes Autonomous Vehicles Off-Road

Jaguar Land Rover Takes Autonomous Vehicles Off-Road When normal streets are not enough, Jaguar Land Rover wants an autonomous off-road vehicle that can canvass any terrain in any condition. The project, called “CORTEX” (which sounds like a patented insulation material for gloves), will take automation into the dirt, rain, ice, snow, and fog. Jaguar Land Rover is developing off-road self-driving SUVs under the program which serves as a performance benchmark.
“It’s important that we develop our self-driving vehicles with the same capability and performance customers expect from all Jaguars and Land Rovers,” said Chris Holmes, Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Research Manager, Jaguar Land Rover.
Pushing Boundaries
Under CORTEX, a “5D technique” is being engineered, or one that combines acoustic, video, distance sensing, radar, and LiDAR data in real-time to give the vehicle an increased awareness of its surroundings. Machine learning will also help the driverless vehicles navigate a variety of terrains and conditions. Ultimately, Jaguar Land Rover wants both full and semi-automated vehicles for customers, offering them a choice as to which level of automation they would like.
“Self-driving is an inevitability for the automotive industry and ensuring that our autonomous offering is the most enjoyable, capable, and safe is what drives us to explore the boundaries of innovation,” Holmes said. “CORTEX gives us the opportunity to work with some fantastic partners whose expertise will help us realize this vision in the near future.”
CORTEX was announced as part of Innovate UK’s third round of Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Funding in March.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.
Photo & Source: Jaguar Land Rover.

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Bricks And Bones: Chapter 5: Female Perspective

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 5: Female Perspective Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.
Chapter 4: Hang Ten here.

Dale Coyne stands in stark contrast to the wisdom of Leo Durocher. He is as nice and personable as nine out of ten Midwesterners you meet, but he rarely finishes last. He is tall and perpetually grinning, seeming tubbier on TV than he is in person. He has a big round Irish face dominated by a huge smile and frequent nodding when he listens. He listens a lot, intently, to whomever is talking to him, whether it’s some awestruck kid or upset racer in his employ.
He comes across as the just the sort of boss you’d want: Fair as the day is long, but tough as an anvil.
Coyne is from Minooka, Illinois, and no, that’s not a joke name. It’s sort of south and west of Chicago, kind of by Joliet (ancestral home of Jake Blues). Minooka is, by sheer coincidence, the home of Nick Offerman, the actor that plays Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation. In some odd way, Dale seems as if he could be Ron Swanson’s fun friend; the jovial Yin to Swanson’s brooding Yang.
Steadfast Vision
Dale Coyne has been racing since the early 80s and has that air about him of forgetting more about racing than you will ever know. He is, to accurately use the term, a fixture in the series. Dale can do more with a nickel than Chip Ganassi can do with a Ben Franklin. And that is yet another charming facet of Dale Coyne, the racer.
He always can put a team together. He’s money conscious, yes, but no more so than any other team owner. I recall him saying one of the reasons he got out of the first gen IRL, and back into CART, is that at the time, the IRL was all ovals. “There are no small wrecks on ovals,” he said. “Whenever one of my guys wreck, the entire car is totaled, gone, a complete write-off. I just can’t afford to wreck that many cars.”
Another thing Dale has a knack for that everyone in the series admires: He’s a fantastic talent scout. He has this funny ability to find drivers, seemingly out of nowhere and largely unsung, that turn out to be either great talents or fantastic journeymen teammates. Dominic Dobson, Randy Lewis, Buddy Lazier, Paul Tracy, Roberto Moreno, Memo Gidley, Alex Barron, Ryan Dalziel, Cristiano da Matta, Katherine Legge, Bruno Junqueira, Justin Wilson, and Conor Daly all got their start in big time American racing with Dale Coyne. He’s like Sam Phillips at Sun Records, minus Elvis Presley but plus Paul Tracy.
Sebastien Bourdais. Photo: INDYCAR.

Female Touch
This year he’s running Sebastien Bourdais (who sadly crashed out in qualifying), James Davidson (Bourdais replacement), Ed Jones, and Pippa Mann. Davidson is some sort of crazed miracle worker, jumping into Bourdais car with only half an hour of practice under his seat before starting the 500. Ed Jones is, like 86% of Dale’s past drivers, a young up and comer. Pippa Mann, on the other hand, is no stranger to the speedway. She shows up every year and beats about a third of the field in qualifying with little to no practice.
This delights me to no end because it upsets the sclerotic old dinosaurs who grumble out horse manure about “women can’t” and other such chauvinistic crap that should have ended decades ago. My fondest wish is to be sitting in the stands when a woman finally wins the 500, and be sitting right next to one of these dingbats. Watching him faint will be the cherry on top.
Pippa Mann. Photo: INDYCAR.
Calm & Collected
Dale is married to, and I am not making this up, Gail Coyne. She’s as sweet as he is. Short, blond, nods while listening and, even better, is responsible for Sonny’s Barbeque (Dale’s main sponsor for most of this season). I’m not sure if she owns it, runs it, bought or whatever, but she understands barbecue, that’s for sure.
“Have you ever been to Florida,” she asks rhetorically. “Barbecue is like a religion to those people.”
“Like a religion to those people,” I jokingly respond, “shoot, it’s like a religion to me!”
She laughs as we dive deep into the sociology of soul food and barbecue specifically.
Whenever she talks, Dale listens attentively, and vice versa. They make a great couple, Dale and Gail do. They both radiate the same vibe: comfort and confidence. It must be a huge tension reliever to be a driver in that environment. No matter how tense things get, there’s Dale, all calm and cool with a seemingly bottomless well of experience. Even the way he stands seems to say, “don’t worry, I can handle this.”
Dale seems happy and content, because, in a certain way, he already “won.” He’s doing what he loves, has a great life, and Gail by his side. If that’s not winning, I don’t know what is, Leo Durocher’s opinion not withstanding.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: INDYCAR.

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Bricks And Bones: Chapter 4: Hang Ten

Bricks And Bones: Chapter 4: Hang Ten Tony Borroz is attending the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 28th, 2017. This series, Bricks And Bones, explores the cultural significance, endearing legacy, and the nitty-gritty phenomenon of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
The prologue of this series here.
Chapter 1: Real Wrong here.
Chapter 2: St. Elmo’s Fire here.
Chapter 3: The Quiet Racer here.

To me, there are three high holy days on the racing calendar. The first is the Italian Grand Prix. Much like Eskimos having many words for snow, the Italians have their own singular word for racing fan: TIfosi. And Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix, is our cathedral where we worship.
The greatest drivers in the world have raced here, and every year the grand prix is a fine Italian opera played out at over 200 miles an hour.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is next. Held close to the summer solstice every year, it started out as a twice around the clock endurance grind, but now is more like a sprint race for maniacs. This is where sports car racing was perfected. This is where, up until the late 60s, street legal two seaters from Jaguar and Ferrari and Ford and Porsche slugged it out to see who was best over public roads, come rain or shine, day or night, every year.
The last high holy day is the Indy 500. The race is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway located in the small Midwestern town of Speedway, Indiana. It seems rather simple at first. The track resembles an enormous cafeteria tray, essentially a rounded off rectangle. It is very wide, very smooth, and slightly banked. There are only four turns and all of them are left handers, how hard can it be? As it were, it is very hard largely due to one thing: Speed.
Aerial view of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Hurricane Force
A modern Formula 1 car, trimmed out and on a high-speed track like Spa or Monza can hit a top speed of 215 or so. A modern sports prototype at Le Mans can do about the same. A modern Indy car averages over 225 during the race. Averages. The corner entry speeds this year were flickering into the high 230s. The best analogy I have for high speed oval racing – a thing, bizarrely enough, invented by the Italians (okay, Romans) and made famous in the movie Ben Hur – is, curiously, big wave surfing.
Think of surfing, and most people see a place like Banzai Pipeline or Oahu’s North Shore. Pipeline is very Grand Prix like. Technical and fast, with waves in the 20 foot range, breaking directly over a bed of razor sharp coral. Getting it wrong means getting munched in a very spectacular and public way. Racing at Indy is like Waimea Bay. The waves are huge and powerful. Easily over 30 feet and as any surfer will tell you, the bigger the wave is, the faster it travels. If you even catch the wave at Waimea, which means enduring a fear inducing 20 foot elevator drop; you then have to make the bottom turn; a simple graceful arc to your right, or you get eaten alive by literally tons of ocean that cleans you off your board and, if you’re lucky, drives you straight down into the bottom and rolls and tumbles and smashes you for, potentially, the last 50 yards of your life.
Brian Kalama, full-blooded Hawaiian, son of the great Buffalo Kalama, lifeguard at Makaha, and famed big wave surfer put it this way: “the problem with big wave surfing is that when something goes wrong, it goes real wrong, real fast.” And that, in a nutshell, from a completely different walk of life, in 18 words, is racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “the problem with racing at Indy is that when something goes wrong, it goes real wrong, real fast.”
Photo: INDYCAR.

Risky Roulette
The corner entry speeds, not to mention the cornering speeds themselves, are so high, the smallest mistake – being off line by inches, say, or brushing a competitor no harder than two shopping carts bumping – can lead to appalling consequences. Sebastien Bourdais, who I mentioned in an earlier chapter, was off by no more than 18 inches, the distance between your knife and fork on the dinner table, and that was enough to send him into the outside wall like a horizontally thrown lawn dart at 230 miles per hour.
Racing at Indy is so simple, it should be easy, but the speeds are so high that making a 90 degree left turn is like rolling the dice against the devil himself. Now add 32 other speed-crazed mutants with a competitive streak that would make a test pilot blush, very large right feet, and even larger, er, attachments, and the equation of simply keeping up, let alone winning, is magnified ten-thousand fold.
Head Case
This is all done in cars with open wheels and open cockpits whose main structural components are cloth and glue. The buffeting from the wind in traffic is enough to spin you halfway to Oz and back. The levels of grip at the limit are only slightly better than those found on roads outside Anchorage in February. And all the while your head – you know, the part where your brain is kept, the part where all that is you is; all thoughts, all hopes, all dreams, all memories; where all of your fondest desires and deepest fears live – are hanging out in a 230+ mile an hour breeze just waiting to get clocked by someone else’s wheel or tire or shrapnel from a crash that never even involved you in the first place.
That is the Indy 500.
2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, Alexander Rossi. Photo: INDYCAR.
Raw & Relentless
That is just what is at stake, and it will go on for two-hundred laps, turn after turn, for over three hours without respite or let up. There are no time outs. There is no halftime break. There is only the green flag then 500 miles between you and fame and victory and a long drink of cold milk on a fine May afternoon in the middle of Indiana farmland. It is a simple stage with simple rules where all that is True and Good in us vie against all that is False and Poor. This is the Indy 500. And it is Pure and it is Righteous. Hallelujah!
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.
*To be continued. Bricks And Bones is an Automoblog original series with forthcoming installments during the days leading up to, and following the Indianapolis 500.
Cover Photo: INDYCAR.

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