Author: easyfilo

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson)

Hyundai and Kia have issued a recall for nearly 485,000 SUVs (and a handful of sedans) due to the risk of engine bay fires, warning owners to park the vehicles outside until the repair work has been completed.

The problem affects 126,747 Kias—certain K900 sedans from model years 2016–2018 and all Sportage SUVs from model years 2014–2016.

Hyundai has a bigger task, as it’s recalling 357,830 vehicles split between the Santa Fe (model years 2016–2018, not equipped with smart cruise control), the Santa Fe Sport (model years 2017-2018, not equipped with smart cruise control), the Santa Fe XL (model-year 2019, not equipped with smart cruise control), and the Tucson (model years 2014–2015).

Enlarge / The Tonale proudly wears Alfa Romeo’s signature trefoil grille. And the triple headlamps are a visual reference to the SZ sports car. (credit: Alfa Romeo)

On Tuesday, Alfa Romeo revealed its next model, called the Tonale. This attractive new crossover will come to the US in a couple of different powertrain options, with one of them being the brand’s first-ever plug-in hybrid. But most of the news you’ll read about the Tonale will probably focus on the vehicle’s included non-fungible token, which will apparently use the blockchain to keep track of servicing records and accident history.

The Tonale is a smaller car than the Stelvio SUV, but it’s clearly part of the same family, thanks to the characteristic Alfa “trefoil” grille. Alfa namechecks the diminutive Giulia GT Junior as an inspiration for the line that runs down the side of the car, although I’m not sure I see it. I do get the reference to the SZ, a composite-bodied sports car that Alfa Romeo built from 1989 to 1991, in the triple headlights.

The Tonale fits below the Stelvio in the Alfa lineup. (credit: Alfa Romeo)

The plug-in hybrid Tonale combines a gasoline engine that drives the front wheels (via a six-speed automatic transmission) with an electric motor that drives the rear wheels. The engine is a 1.3 L turbocharged MultiAir four-cylinder that generates 180 hp (134 kW), with the electric motor contributing another 120 hp (90 kW) to la festa. Total power output is 272 hp (203 kW), and the 15.5 kWh lithium-ion traction battery has an electric-only range of 30 miles (48 km), Alfa says.