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Hundreds of Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been stolen this year due to popular social media videos showing how easy it is to commandeer certain models that use a traditional key and do not have an engine immobilizer.The new security kit will be available starting today for $170. It’s expected Hyundai owners will be expected to pay for installation too, which could cost up to $500. Kia is not offering a similar security kit but is offering free steering wheel locks.Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed about the issue, which started gaining popularity in Milwaukee late last year.Hyundai has developed a $170 solution for anyone who hasn’t had their vehicle stolen. Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been targets of car thieves in recent months because it’s incredibly easy to do so, and thieves are sharing how-to videos on social media. The raft of thefts is so bad that an average of six Hyundai vehicles are stolen each day just in Milwaukee, according to local news station WTMJ.More about the ProblemThe nationwide rash of thefts has gotten so bad that Hyundai has finally come up with a solution. A new anti-theft security kit Hyundai developed in partnership with Compustar is now available. The kit includes both a kill switch and an alarm. Hyundai told Automotive News that the kit will be available at all of its 820 dealers in the U.S. and will take around two and a half hours to install. Hyundai is also working on a software fix for this issue.Software Update Is in the Works TooHyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel described the system as a “glass break sensor security kit that targets the method of entry used by thieves to break into these vehicles.” He said customers can get them at Hyundai dealerships or at Compustar’s authorized installers in the U.S. He also said Hyundai’s update to software “to further secure these targeted vehicles” should be available for some Hyundai vehicles in the first half of 2023 with others to follow later. Vehicle owners will be expected to pay for the installation of the kit, which could cost up to $500, according to a lawyer working on one of many class action lawsuits against Hyundai over the issue. Automotive News said 15 different suits have been filed in 14 states. The lawsuits ask for monetary damages and for Hyundai to recall the affected models because the automaker did not install engine immobilizers as standard equipment until November 2021. For the past decade, Hyundai has offered stolen vehicle services for cars equipped with Bluelink. The connected technology can locate, slow down, or immobilize a stolen vehicle, but it does not make the vehicle less easy to steal in the first place.Huge Spikes in Car TheftsThe trend of stealing Kias and Hyundais started in Milwaukee in December 2021 but has spread across the country. One law firm working on one of the class action suits is MLG, which said that there has been a 346 percent increase in thefts of both brands in Charlotte, North Carolina, and that, according to the police in Saint Petersburg, Florida,more than 40 percent of all car thefts there have been Kia and Hyundai models. All 2011 to 2021 Kia vehicles and 2015 to 2021 Hyundai vehicles (like the 2016 Accent pictured at top) equipped with standard key ignitions that lack an engine immobilizer are vulnerable to theft. Vehicles with a push-button start are not affected.Kia is not yet offering an anti-theft kit but is giving out free steering wheel locks to owners. Hyundai is also handing out some free locks. Owners who want to buy the new system should be able to get it via dealerships after today (October 1) or, Hyundai says, they can contact Hyundai’s Consumer Assistance line at 800–633–5151.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Citroën has refreshed its famous double-chevron badge for just the 10th time in 103 years, moving away from its current free-standing silver chevrons after 13 years and one major refresh. The new badge sets the chevrons inside a circle, just as company founder André Citroën did in 1919. The company’s topically named Global Brand Designer, Alexandre Revert, calls it a return to the founder’s original vision, “the genuine promise of affordable and innovative mobility for all.”Citroën Citroën is also introducing a new “corporate brand identity program” called “Nothing Moves Us Like Citroën.” That’s unrelated to the company’s part in the wave of Stellantis-wide electrification slogans introduced last year, “Citroën Electric: Well-Being for All.” However, the new “brand signature” has the same basic goal: Introduce the company’s push toward electrification with a new tone. Like all Stellantis brands, Citroën will be focusing on electrification in the immediate future. That electrified future is not expected to include the United States market any time soon, but drivers who absolutely need to get their hands on an electrified Citroën can rent the Ami city car in a third-party, Washington D.C.-only ride share program announced last year.The brand says the new logo will debut on a “significant” concept later this month, marking this next era of Citroëns with unique and distinctive new branding. Given that there are just four days left in the month, that concept should be coming very soon.A Taste of FranceThis content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The State of New York adopted a plan to phase out sales of gas- and diesel-engined cars and light trucks by 2035, following efforts by California and Washington.New York is implementing interim targets to reach goal of ZEV-only sales, with a 35 percent target by 2026.EV adoption rates in many states, especially between the two coasts, currently lag behind the announced targets, and could create vastly different car sales environments in different neighboring states. The State of New York has joined Washington and California in introducing efforts that will phase out the sale of new gas and diesel-engined cars and light trucks in the coming years. New York Governor Kathy Hochul directed the State Department of Environmental Conservation to take steps that will gradually phase out the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by the year 2035, with a number of interim targets between now and the target year.The governor’s initiative essentially directs a state administrative agency to adopt rules through rulemaking procedures, similar to an effort first announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom two years ago. However, it was California’s adoption of Advanced Clean Cars II last month that has opened the door to New York state to adopt the same goal.According to the plan, the rules will require that 35% of light vehicle sales in the state be of zero-emission vehicles by 2026—identical to California’s interim targets promulgated by CARB—moving up to 68 percent by 2030. By 2035, all 100% of light vehicle sales will be mandated to be ZEV.Some critics of California’s efforts in this regard argue that the plans don’t actually go far enough, neglecting to add more stringent requirements to internal combustion vehicles.”Both the Advanced Clean Trucks and Advanced Clean Cars II rules would provide the needed regulatory certainty to support a stable market for long-term vehicle purchasing decisions and the development of ZEV charging infrastructure,” the governor’s office said in a statement.Meanwhile in CaliforniaBy 2026, the state is investing over $1 billion in zero emissions vehicles, which includes various purchase rebate programs, including a point-of-sale rebate that could take up to $2000 off the purchase price of a zero-emission vehicle by private buyers within the state, adding to the revamped federal rebate program. “New York is a national climate leader and an economic powerhouse, and we’re using our strength to help spur innovation and implementation of zero-emission vehicles on a grand scale,” Governor Hochul said in announcing the plan.Still, New York’s plan is more conservative than that of the state of Washington, which is working toward a phase-out of the sales of internal combustion engine cars and light trucks by 2030 according to legislation that was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee earlier this year. Washington has a head start on many other US states for a number of reasons, including current EV adoption rates, but will still have to take significant steps to bring about a 2030 ICE vehicle sales ban.While New York state’s planned 2035 phase-out may appear distant enough to be plausible, the interim 35% ZEV target by 2026 perhaps appears less so. It would require nearly double-digit EV sales growth, on average, every year between now and the end of 2026. It is also worth noting that many automakers themselves are not forecasting such growth for EVs in the US by the start of 2026, and a few have indicated that 30% would be optimistic by the year 2030. “With sustained state and federal investments, our actions are incentivizing New Yorkers, local governments, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles,” Governor Hochul added. “We’re driving New York’s transition to clean transportation forward, and today’s announcement will benefit our climate and the health of our communities for generations to come.” This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More