Hyundai Accent

Integrated blind-spot mirrors are hardly a luxury item, but they're one of the simplest yet most welcome equipment developments we've seen in some time, and we're glad to see them beginning to spread throughout the industry's offerings. The 2014 Hyundai Accent is the latest car to get them, along with a host of other new features.

Hyundai has just revealed the new i10, the sub-Accent five-door sold in Europe. The diminutive city car first went on sale in 2007, but received a light facelift in 2011, to bring it more in line with Hyundai's then-new styling theme. The new model is an even more style-conscious offering, with a gaping front fascia, integrated LED running lights (because, why not?), and a stylish side strakes integrated into the doors.

In what is likely the largest recall campaign for Hyundai and Kia, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall of more than 1.6 million models due to a faulty brake switch. This is in addition to almost 700,000 Hyundai and Kia models recalled for the same problem back in 2009.

Rhys Millen Racing has put a few interesting vehicles up for sale. Buyers can now get their hands on both of Millen's 2011 Hyundai Veloster Global RallyCross racers. Both cars competed in the 2011 and 2012 Global RallyCross championships as well as the X-Games. Expect to find a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a 45mm restrictor, and both cars come with a spate of spares to get you racing and keep you there. Both of those machines will be for sale staring January 1, 2013. No prici

Hyundai (and sister company Kia) found itself in a bit of hot water recently over false fuel economy estimates on the window stickers of its cars. To remedy this, the automakers will be compensating some 900,000 owners based on their vehicles' odometer readings, and the companies will add an additional 15 percent over the dollar value. In simple terms, this means that for someone who has driven 15,000 miles, a 1-mpg fuel economy reduction would result in a reimbursement of $88.

Summarizing the results of research carried out by Edmunds, Reuters reports that consumers' are less inclined to purchase cars from Hyundai and Kia due to the company's recent snafu over inflated mileage claims. The Edmunds metric of "purchase intent" declined by 1.9 percent for the Kia Soul (pictured), meaning that the largest drop in consideration coincided with the model that suffered the biggest drop in mileage ratings. Consideration dropped .4 percent for the Hyundai Elantra, and purchasing

The 2013 Ford Fusion is probably the latest, greatest example of a completely redesigned car that has evoked widespread calls of "Look at that!" Above its buzzworthy looks, though, Ford will be concerned about how the 2013 Fusion sells and by how much – if at all – it beats sales of the previous version. Cars.com has run the sales numbers on 61 models that have been redesigned in the past four years, ranking them as Winners, Underperformers and Losers depending on how a new-generatio

Chevrolet can't be too happy with the EPA numbers for its tiny Spark. Equipped with the 1.2-liter engine and five-speed manual, the smallest Chevy in history gets 32 miles per gallon in the city, 38 on the highway for a combined EPA number of 34 mpg. Not bad, but not what we and, presumably, Chevy, were hoping for. Add the optional automatic transmission, and the numbers drop to 28 city, 37 highway and a combined number of 32 mpg.

Chevrolet can't be too happy with the EPA numbers for its tiny Spark. Equipped with the 1.2-liter engine and five-speed manual, the smallest Chevy in history gets 32 miles per gallon in the city, 38 on the highway for a combined EPA number of 34 mpg. Not bad, but not what we and, presumably, Chevy, were hoping for. Add the optional automatic transmission, and the numbers drop to 28 city, 37 highway and a combined number of 32 mpg.

Hyundai has released the official details on its 2013 model year Accent, and there are a host of new standard features to speak of. Good thing, too, since the Accent's base price has now been raised to $14,545 – an increase of $2,000 versus last year.

Always looking for ways to one-up its Japanese competitors, Hyundai has announced that a brake override system will be standard equipment on its full line of vehicles, starting this month.

Consumer Reports has just wrapped up an evaluation of subcompact sedans, and the Kia Rio EX has rolled out ahead of the class. The four-door beat out its corporate clone, the Hyundai Accent and the Chevrolet Sonic to take the top spot. Evaluators pointed to the sharp handling and well-optioned interior in the Rio as reasons for the vehicle's win. The newly redesigned Nissan Versa and unloved Toyota Yaris filled out the top five sedans. And what of the baby hatchbacks? CR once again credited the

Geneva Motor Show Recap

It's that time of year, folks. No, we're not referring to the oodles of time spent shopping for the holidays, we're talking about end-of-the-year lists. Kicking things off in the automotive spectrum is industry stalwart Ward's Auto, which has just released its annual 10 Best Engines list.

Cloth, leather, Alcantara and that weird netting on the dashboards of some Chevrolet Cruze sedans are all examples of the varied materials employed to build the interior spaces of modern automobiles. Hyundai is exploring new ways to bring the passenger cabin together, and the newest item at the Korean automaker's disposal is volcanic rock.

Serving Notice To The Subcompact Segment

As you've likely noticed, new cars aren't getting cheaper. Pack enough options onto a new C-segment hatchback or sedan, and it's not difficult to elevate the MSRP to $25,000 or more. At the same time, there are still plenty of B-segment and C-segment vehicles that can be had for $16,000 or less, and the base Nissan Versa can still be snagged for $9,990; albeit with zero options and no radio. The same goes for the cheapest Hyundai Accent, which starts at $9,985.