A centrally located proving ground features 34 different roads and over 70 types of road surfaces, including a 16-lane test road, steering pad and various handling tracks. We're invited to jump in and try a straight-line acceleration and braking test in either a Veloster or Tucson FCEV (hydrogen-powered vehicle).
This is a fairly pedestrian exercise – far more interesting is the line-up of heavily camouflaged vehicles along the back wall. Approaching these for a closer look produces a flurry of activity from the security staff and a warning shouted in Korean that transcended all language barriers.
Several of them appeared to be versions of the European i40, an elegant wagon slotted size-wise between the Sonata and Genesis. The others were Velosters, the camo again obscuring the rear end.
We didn't get a chance to see the hot and cold wind tunnels – which can actually manufacture snow and rain and create blizzard conditions on demand. Bummer.
In the 20 years since it established its first rudimentary R&D centre, Hyundai has come a long way. The last half-dozen years shows an extremely accelerated curve in quality and technology. Clearly, Hyundai's in-house technology prowess is the heart of their current success.
This is a fairly pedestrian exercise – far more interesting is the line-up of heavily camouflaged vehicles along the back wall. Approaching these for a closer look produces a flurry of activity from the security staff and a warning shouted in Korean that transcended all language barriers.
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| Photo: Lesley Wimbush/Auto123.com |
Several of them appeared to be versions of the European i40, an elegant wagon slotted size-wise between the Sonata and Genesis. The others were Velosters, the camo again obscuring the rear end.
We didn't get a chance to see the hot and cold wind tunnels – which can actually manufacture snow and rain and create blizzard conditions on demand. Bummer.
In the 20 years since it established its first rudimentary R&D centre, Hyundai has come a long way. The last half-dozen years shows an extremely accelerated curve in quality and technology. Clearly, Hyundai's in-house technology prowess is the heart of their current success.
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