Hyundai used “N-Day” in 2022 to show two N-flavored concepts. The first was the RN22e, an Ioniq 6 sedan turned into a rolling widebody testbed for features like performance-focused regenerative braking and N Sound+ synthetic audio effects. No one remembers it, because the second concept was the N Vision 74, a hydrogen-powered fancy that turned the original 1974 Pony Coupe Concept into a concentrated retro-modern sports car with classic, chiseled lines. The biggest question asked about it was, “Hydrogen?” The second-biggest question asked about it continues to be, “What will it take to build it?” Even Hyundai execs have publicly stated they want this car, it’s possible they’ve finally found a way to do it. The 7thMustang forum reports Hyundai applied to trademark the term “Hyundai N74” in Europe on September 20.

Does that mean there’s a hot silver flash of N coming soon? Not necessarily. But the step represents more serious intent than anything we’ve seen since the reveal. At the Canadian International Auto Show in February of this year, Till Wartenberg, Hyundai’s VP of N Brand management and Motorsport, told The Autopian, “My personal wish is to produce this vehicle. It’s at first probably an investment, but if we could see this vehicle really out there and people buying it, I would be very happy.” In May, Hyundai Group Chief Creative Officer Luc Donckerwolke told TopGear about the possibility of building the car, “Absolutely… We are serious about this. This could come into production. We have the platform — it’s a motorsport platform.” Otherwise, nothing.      

The patent category cited in the application covers “automobiles; sports cars; [and] electric vehicles,” among others. If something does hit the market, we suspect it will forgo hydrogen as an energy source but stick with batteries. Now that there’s a paper trail, we won’t be surprised to see a more production-ready concept shown in the months ahead. Our position on the matter hasn’t changed since May: “Pony up, Hyundai. Build the N Vision 74.” We’d only like to add: just price it right.

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MIAMI (AP) — The first big test of whether privately owned high-speed passenger train service can prosper in the United States will launch Friday when Florida’s Brightline begins running trains between Miami and Orlando, reaching speeds of 125 mph (200 kph).

It’s a $5 billion bet Brightline’s owner, Fortress Investment Group, is making, believing that eventually 8 million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235-mile (378-kilometer) trip between the state’s biggest tourist hubs — about 30 minutes less than the average drive between the two cities. The company is charging single riders $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first-class, with families and groups able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398. Thirty-two trains will run daily.

Brightline, which began running its neon-yellow trains the 70 miles (112 kilometers) between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, is the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century. It’s also building a line connecting Southern California and Las Vegas that it hopes to open in 2027 with trains that will reach 190 mph (305 kph). The only other U.S. high-speed line is Amtrak’s Acela service between Boston and Washington, D.C., which began in 2000. Amtrak is owned by the federal government.

“This is a pretty important moment, whether you’re thinking about it in the context of the state of Florida or what it might mean for these kinds of products as they develop elsewhere in the United States,” Brightline CEO Mike Reininger said in a recent interview. “The idea that my car is the only way for me to get where I need to go is being challenged by a new product. A new product that’s safer, that’s greener, that is a great value proposition (and) it’s fun.”

The Florida trains, which run on biodiesel, will travel up to 79 mph (127 kph) in urban areas, 110 mph (177 kph) in less-populated regions and 125 mph (200 kph) through central Florida’s farmland. Brightline plans possible extensions to Tampa and Jacksonville.

John Renne, director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions, said the Miami-Orlando corridor is a perfect spot for high-speed rail — about 40 million Floridians and visitors make the trip annually, with more than 90% of them driving.

If Brightline succeeds that could lead to more high-speed lines between major cities 200 to 300 miles (320 to 480 kilometers) apart, both by Brightline and competitors, he said.

“It is quite exciting for South Florida to kind of be a test bed for what could be seen as a new paradigm for transportation, particularly high-speed rail transportation, in the United States,” Renne said.

Because Brightline is privately owned and seeking a profit, it was more sensitive to getting the project completed quickly to save money. On the government side, Renne pointed to California’s effort to build a high-speed rail system. Approved by voters in 2008, it isn’t near fruition, has already cost billions more than expected and its prospects for completion are uncertain as finding a route through mountains is proving difficult and politicians added dubious side projects. Brightline began planning in 2012.

Brightline’s development has suffered setbacks, though. COVID-19 shut down the Miami-West Palm Beach line for 17 months. A 2018 partnership with Richard Branson’s Virgin Group to rebrand Brightline as Virgin Trains USA quickly soured. Brightline terminated the partnership in 2020 and Virgin sued in London. According to the lawsuit, Brightline says Virgin “ceased to constitute a brand of international high repute, largely because of matters related to the pandemic.” That case is pending.

Then there is the question of safety for residents near the tracks.

Brightline trains have the highest death rate in the U.S., fatally striking 98 people since Miami-West Palm operations began — about one death for every 32,000 miles (51,500 kilometers) its trains travel, according to an ongoing Associated Press analysis of federal data that began in 2019. The next-worst major railroad has a fatality every 130,000 miles (209,200 kilometers).

None of the deaths have been found to be Brightline’s fault — most have been suicides, drivers who go around crossing gates or pedestrians running across tracks. The company hasn’t had a fatality since June, its longest stretch except during the pandemic shutdown.

Still, the company’s fatality rate concerns officials in the extension area.

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said a Brightline official seemed callous during a recent meeting, saying he seemed more worried about explaining Brightline’s procedure for getting passengers to their destination after an accident than how it deals with deaths.

“They don’t seem to have any empathy for our community. We’re just in their way,” said Flowers, whose county includes Vero Beach. “It’s a cost of doing business for them that they’re going to run some people over.”

Brightline has taken steps its leaders believe enhance safety, including adding closed-circuit cameras near tracks, installing better crossing gates and pedestrian barriers and posting signage that includes the suicide prevention hotline.

“We have invested heavily in the infrastructure so that we have a safe corridor,” Reininger said. “We continue to operate literally every day with safety at top of mind.”

Reininger said most of Brightline’s Miami-Orlando passengers will come from those who drive the route regularly and others who stay home because they hate the drive. Prime targets are families headed to Orlando’s theme parks and travelers to South Florida’s nightlife, concerts, sports and cruises.

The drive between Miami and Orlando takes about four hours each way on Florida’s Turnpike with round-trip tolls costing between $40 and $60. Gas costs between $50 and $80, plus wear and tear on the vehicle.

Reininger said his company’s challenge is to convince travelers that its trains’ amenities make any extra cost worthwhile.

“It’s the value of your time,” Reininger said. The train “gives you the ability to use your time that you are dedicating to travel in any number of ways that you can’t do when you are behind the wheel.”

Robert Barr, who lives near Miami and publishes guides on rum and South Florida locales, has taken Brightline to West Palm Beach and looks forward to traveling the line to Orlando. He said Brightline’s accommodations “compare really well to some of the best trains” he’s taken in Europe, where high-speed rail between cities is common.

“You’ve got comfortable seats and a relatively quiet ride. It feels very modern,” said Barr.

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The teenager who police say intentionally struck and killed a retired police chief in Las Vegas said he would get a “slap on the wrist” after he was taken into custody, the 8newsnow.com Investigators have learned.

Jesus Ayala, 17 at the time, appeared to show no remorse while being taken into custody. Ayala, now 18, faces 18 counts — including murder — and has a lengthy criminal history in the juvenile system.

Las Vegas teens accused of killing bicyclist crashed stolen cars, attempted 2nd murder in 2-hour crime spree: sources

Ayala made comments to police after he was taken into custody:

“You think this juvenile [expletive] is gonna do some [expletive]? I’ll be out in 30 days, I’ll bet you.”

“It’s just ah, [expletive] ah, hit-and-run — slap on the wrist.”

Officers had not yet mentioned a hit-and-run to Ayala at that point in their conversation with him, sources said. They said he was being booked for a warrant and obstructing a peace officer.

Ayala’s comments were caught on a police body camera.

Police obtained Ayala’s cell phone and found a video of Andy Probst, 64, being fatally struck, along with a short clip showing another bicyclist being struck by a Kia Soul. The video had been recorded by Ayala, indicating that he was the passenger.

In the video, the sound of a car horn is heard, along with a voice saying “bump him” repeatedly. A cyclist riding on the far right side of the street can be seen wearing an orange shirt. Both suspects are heard laughing, along with the sound of the engine accelerating. That victim, a 72-year-old man, survived.

Jzamir Keys is accused of being the passenger and recording video as Andy Probst was apparently intentionally struck and killed while riding his bicycle. (KLAS)” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/PbARwWvjfYnIGarfJhyWgA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MA–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/klas_articles_549/946268b266bd5792b650c4b0f1a2c5cf” class=”caas-img”/>

Homicide detectives received information that the passenger in the crash that killed Probst, identified by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials as Jzamir Keys, 16, was in a fight on Sept. 14. Video of that incident was recorded and police said that his white tennis shoes matched the video from the Aug. 14 crime spree.

Keys recorded video as Probst was apparently intentionally struck and killed on Aug. 14. The collision followed an alleged crime spree that included at least three car thefts and three hit-and-runs. The teens are seen apparently striking another car on the road in the video.

Mothers of Las Vegas teens accused of intentionally hitting cyclist speak out, one teen faces 18 charges

The stolen car that Ayala and Keys allegedly used to murder Probst was found ditched near Craig Road and Jones Boulevard – less than 10 minutes from the crash site, sources told the 8 News Now Investigators.

The stolen vehicle was located with blood on its windshield, sources said.

Andreas “Andy” Probst, with his wife, Crystal. Probst died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on Aug. 14, 2023. (Credit: Probst family)” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sxLR2UH6AAcWLhAQdHZxew–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOQ–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/klas_articles_549/70a83310fb793f934860385b348f5b61″ class=”caas-img”/>

In the hours after Probst’s death, the teenagers allegedly stole two more cars in the area of Lake Mead Boulevard and Torrey Pines Drive, sources said. About an hour after allegedly hitting and killing Probst, the teenagers took the two stolen cars and crashed them into each other near a shopping plaza at Lake Mead and Rainbow boulevards, sources said.

Keys faces three charges, including murder. Both teens appeared in adult court for the first time on Thursday. David Westbrook, a Clark County public defender, represented Ayala. Keys is expected to be appointed a public defender.

They are next due in court on Sept. 26, when the issue of bail is likely to be addressed. Steve Wolfson, Clark County District Attorney, said that the teen suspects should remain in custody.

“The determination of whether somebody should remain in custody is based upon whether they’re a flight risk or a danger to the community,” Wolfson said. “I believe they’re potentially both. They have certainly proved that they are dangerous.”

As of Thursday, the teenagers are being held in the Clark County Detention Center in Downtown Las Vegas. In Nevada, an individual facing a murder charge who is 16 or 17 years old is automatically moved from the juvenile system to the adult criminal justice system.

As the 8 News Now Investigators reported in August, police did not have enough evidence in the weeks after the crash to charge Ayala with murder since the video did not surface for two weeks.

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