Hyundai will suspend all car production in South Korea because of the Coronavirus. It announced the stoppage will take place between 7 February and 11 February 2020 (at the latest).

The suspension has occurred because of the Coronavirus affecting Hyundai’s parts supply chain in China, specifically the production of wiring harnesses.  

The shutdown of production makes Hyundai the first car manufacturer outside of China to be affected by the outbreak of the disease. 

• 2019 Hyundai advert beats Apple for YouTube views

“Hyundai Motor has decided to suspend its production lines from operating at all of its plants in Korea,” the carmaker said in a statement.

“The company is reviewing various measures to minimise the disruption of its operations, including seeking alternative suppliers in other regions.”

Hyundai produces around 1.8 million vehicles in South Korea per year. For reference, its yearly sales top 4.4 million units. The company operates 13 production facilities across the globe, with seven in South Korea. 

• New Hyundai i10 city car priced from £12,495

• Toyota is making parts for the classic Supra again

The Coronavirus has caused business shutdowns across China, while airlines have suspended travel to the affected areas. It has resulted in more than 400 deaths so far, and has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation. 

It was also reported recently that Coronavirus would likely result in a drop in fuel prices in the UK. This has been put down to the severe reduction in China’s use of fuel, following the restrictions on travel.

Hyundai and Uber have unveiled a full-scale aircraft concept at CES Las Vegas.

It previews a future ride-sharing taxi – and it could take flight as early as 2023. Demonstrations are expected later this year.

Hyundai will develop, manufacture and deploy the air taxis, with Uber handling the airspace support, connections to ground transportation, and customer interfaces via a ride-sharing network.

The all-electric S-A1 on show at CES has a cruising speed of 180mph, a cruising altitude of around 1,000-2,000ft above ground, and can travel up to 60 miles.

During peak hours it will require about five to seven minutes for recharging and is designed for vertical take-off. Although it will be piloted initially, the plan is for the S-A1 to become autonomous.

Inside, there’s seating for four passengers, with room for a personal bag or backpack. Hyundai says it will ‘avoid the dreaded middle seat’.

Uber says a production version could travel at speeds of up to 200mph and that, after several years on the market, a ride in an air taxi will cost the same as an UberX trip of the same distance.

‘Vitalise urban communities’

Jaiwon Shin, executive vice president and head of Hyundai’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) division, said: “Our vision of UAM will transform the concept of urban transportation.

“We expect UAM to vitalise urban communities and provide more quality time to people. We are confident that Uber Elevate is the right partner to make this innovative product readily available to as many customers as possible.”

Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, added: ”Hyundai is our first vehicle partner with experience of manufacturing passenger cars on a global scale.

“We believe Hyundai has the potential to build Uber Air vehicles at rates unseen in the current aerospace industry, producing high quality, reliable aircraft at high volumes to drive down passenger costs per trip.

”Combining Hyundai’s manufacturing muscle with Uber’s technology platform represents a giant leap forward for launching a vibrant air taxi network in the coming years.”

Hyundai has released the first images of its new hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) truck concept.

Called the HDC-6 Neptune, the FCEV commercial truck will make its debut at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, Georgia.

Named after the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, the HDC-6 Neptune draws inspiration from the streamliner Art Deco high-speed trains of the 1930s and 1940s.

“We have cemented the fuel cell technology leadership position in the passenger vehicle sector with the world’s first commercially produced fuel cell EV and the second generation fuel cell EV, the Nexo,” said Edward Lee, head of commercial vehicle business division at Hyundai.

“With the introduction of HDC-6 Neptune, in addition to the road proven Xcient fuel cell truck, we expand our technology leadership into the commercial vehicle sector by unveiling our vision of how fuel cell electric trucks can resolve the environmental equations of widely used commercial vehicles and our commitment to create a decarbonised society.”

Earlier this month, Hyundai filed a trademark application for the Neptune name with Australian authorities. It references ‘hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in the nature of hydrogen fuelled cars’ in the description, while referencing ‘automobiles’ and ‘electrically powered trucks’.

This would suggest that Hyundai is throwing further weight behind a range of passenger and commercial fuel cell vehicles, possibly using Neptune as a sub-brand to distance hydrogen from electric.

Hyundai isn’t giving too much away ahead of the CV show on 29 October, but says the HDC-6 Neptune features advanced in-cab technology and unique construction.

The company will also debut an eco-friendly refrigerated trailer solution under its Translead banner. The company built 70,000 trailers in 2018, making it the market leader in the United States.

The North American Commercial Vehicle Show takes place at the Georgia World Congress Centre in Atlanta from 29 October 2019.

Dr. Jaiwon Shin has landed at Hyundai to head up its newly established Urban Air Mobility Division.

The aeronautics engineer is a former associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA, as well as a co-chair of the White House National Science and Technology Council’s Aeronautics Science and Technology Subcommittee.

As executive vice president and head of Hyundai’s air mobility division, Dr. Shin will lead the company into a “new era of developing smart mobility products within the aviation industry”.

Hyundai will leverage his expertise in airframe, engine, safety and air traffic management technologies to develop solutions for safe and efficient airborne travel.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Shin said: “Having worked on cutting-edge aviation research and development at NASA for 30 years, I am very excited and humbled by the opportunity to now shape urban air mobility strategy at Hyundai Motor Group.

“The new team at Hyundai will develop core technologies that will establish the company as a driving force in urban air mobility, a sector that is expected to grow into a market worth $1.5 trillion (£1.2 trillion) within the next 20 years.”

Last-mile parcels and air metros

Urban Air Mobility is expected to become a critically important part of a range of solutions designed to reduce traffic problems in the world’s mega cities.

Aerospace giant Airbus established an Urban Air Mobility division last year to “co-create an entire industry from scratch”.

Harini Kulatunga, head of unmanned aerial mobility solutions at Airbus, said: “By 2030, 60 percent of the world’s population will be urban. To help cities cope with this massive population growth, transport solutions need to safely and sustainably improve the way people get from A to B.

“Urban air mobility enhances the coverage and reach of the transportation system with minimal land impact [and] sustainable city development becomes possible.”

In November 2018, a report published by NASA found that a commercially viable market for last-mile parcel delivery and air metro could be in place by 2030.

However, the market for air taxis is likely to be limited to concentrated areas of high net worth individuals and businesses. An example would be an air taxi from Manhattan to the suburbs.

At the Global Urban Air Summit in Farnborough, Tim Johnson, policy director for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), argued that society has a “low tolerance [for risk] and high expectation of safety standards for air travel”.

Investment in the sector is expected to top $318 billion (£259 billion) from 2020 to 2040.