Raphael Stevens

Hyundai Motor’s newest all-electric vehicle is the 2026 Ioniq 9 SUV – a three-row, up to seven-passenger SUV for the U.S. market.
The new vehicle is Hyundai’s largest EV entry to date, joining the smaller Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 all-electric vehicles in the carmaker’s growing fleet.
The Ioniq 9 is expected to arrive in U.S. dealerships in the spring.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV.

Hyundai Motor’s newest all-electric vehicle is the 2026 Ioniq 9 SUV — a three-row, up to seven-passenger SUV for the U.S. market.
The new vehicle is Hyundai’s largest EV entry to date, joining the smaller Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 all-electric vehicles in the carmaker’s growing fleet.

The Ioniq 9 is expected to arrive in U.S. dealerships in the spring. Hyundai said the vehicle will be capable of fast charging from 10% to 80% in 24 minutes, will have an estimated range of 335 miles on a single charge and will be able to achieve 0 to 60 miles per hour in as fast as 4.9 seconds.
Hyundai declined to disclose pricing for the new SUV until closer to its arrival in showrooms. The Kia EV9, from Hyundai’s sister brand and which is based on the same vehicle platform, currently starts at around $55,000.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV.

The Ioniq 9 features a notably different exterior design compared to the Kia EV9 and to its smaller Hyundai EV siblings.
Despite slower-than-expected adoption of EVs, Hyundai has stuck to its previously announced plans to offer a full range of EVs for the U.S., including a portfolio of 23 EV models by 2030.
Hyundai, including Kia, sold the second-highest volume of EVs in the U.S. through the third quarter of this year, trailing only domestic EV leader Tesla. Kia and Hyundai are owned by the same parent company but largely operate separately in the U.S.

The Ioniq 9 is expected to go on sale in Korea and the U.S. in the first half of 2025, with a rollout in Europe and other markets planned later.
The vehicle will be produced at a new multibillion-dollar plant in Georgia.

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV.

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McDonald’s is working on a new “McValue” approach for next year that involves keeping a $5 value meal offer on the menu for the first half of the year, along with introducing a “buy one add one” option, CNBC has learned.
While operators are still voting on the value offerings, the initiative looks likely to pass, two people familiar with the matter said.
In its most recent quarter, McDonald’s reported earnings and revenue that topped expectations, but saw its same-store sales fall globally by 1.5%.

A McDonald’s is seen in the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, on Oct. 23, 2024.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

McDonald’s is preparing 2025 value offerings in a bid to hang onto customers who are fed up with high costs at restaurants.
The company is working on a new “McValue” approach for next year that involves keeping the $5 value meal offer it launched this summer on the menu for the first half of the year, along with introducing a “buy one add one” option for $1 more, CNBC has learned. The “buy one add one” offer includes a double cheeseburger; McChicken sandwich; 6 piece chicken nuggets and small fry; or breakfast options of a Sausage McMuffin, sausage biscuit or sausage burrito and a hash brown, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Local value offerings have been on menus across the country and in the app as of late, including 10 piece nuggets for $1, among other deals, as a part of the broader value strategy.
While operators are still voting on the 2025 value offerings, the initiative looks likely to pass, two people familiar with the matter said.
In a statement to CNBC, McDonald’s said, “We and our franchisees have heard customers loud and clear when it comes to keeping prices as affordable as possible. From the popular $5 Meal Deal, to numerous local and in-App offers on the food they love – we went big on value this summer and fall, bringing fans even more ways to save when they visit McDonald’s. And as we look to 2025, we’re cooking up something even bigger. We can’t wait to share what’s in store.”
In its most recent quarter, McDonald’s reported earnings and revenue that topped expectations, but saw its same-store sales fall globally by 1.5%. Sales rose 0.3% in the U.S., slightly weaker than anticipated by analysts.
On the earnings call, executives said they were working to solidify a 2025 value platform to launch in the first quarter of the year.

“You need, at the foundation, to have a strong value proposition. And that’s been the focus for us in a number of our markets, either strengthening, adding to, adjusting our value programs so we have that good foundation,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said on a call with analysts.
“You need to then overlay on top of that food news that can excite the customer, and you have to have great marketing behind it. And when you do that with news and great marketing, you can get strong full margin check that goes along with some of those value programs,” he said.
But a recent outbreak of E. coli tied to McDonald’s slivered onions dented traffic in October, executives said, which will fall into the fourth-quarter earnings cycle.
The fast-food giant will invest more than $100 million to boost restaurant sales and speed up the recovery at affected franchisees, CNBC reported Friday.
Of that total, $65 million will be invested into supporting owners who have lost business, targeting those in the hardest-hit states. Approximately $35 million will be invested in traffic-driving programs, including marketing efforts, according to a memo to owners and employees viewed by CNBC. 

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Lots of uncertainty surrounds Comcast’s spinoff of its NBCUniversal cable portfolio.
Comcast may be proceeding with a transaction as a signal to the rest of the media industry that consolidation is necessary.
Comcast shares posted modest gains Wednesday.

Nikolas Kokovlis | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Comcast shares posted modest gains Wednesday after the company announced its plan to spin off all of NBCUniversal’s cable networks, except Bravo, into a separate publicly traded entity.
Investors’ initial shrug at the proposed transaction underscores the uncertainty of the maneuver.

The hope for Comcast is that by shedding declining assets, the company’s shares will rise. Cable networks are still profitable, but they’re hemorrhaging subscribers and revenue every year as Americans cancel traditional pay TV for streaming services. That may be an anchor on Comcast’s shares. Wall Street typically doesn’t like assets with slumping revenue and profit.
Still, there’s plenty of uncertainty around the spinoff. It’s unclear if Comcast investors will care that much. The NBCUniversal cable networks are relatively small assets, generating about $7 billion in revenue over the 12 months ended Sept. 30, according to a Comcast news release. For comparison, the rest of Comcast took in about $116 billion in revenue.
It’s also unclear if the spun-off company will flourish as a publicly traded entity. If Comcast is shedding cable networks because Wall Street doesn’t like them, why would shareholders want a company that consists of declining assets?
There’s a reason Disney decided not to spin its cable assets. The company considered it and ultimately decided the earnings lost from spinning profitable networks would trump any potential multiple expansion from a spin. Still, Disney’s cable networks, including FX and Disney Channel, are more integrated with its streaming platforms than NBCUniversal’s cable networks are with Peacock, the company’s subscription streaming service.
The new company, temporarily called “SpinCo,” will generate cash and could pay a healthy dividend to shareholders looking to invest in declining cash assets. But that’s usually more of a private equity strategy. That may ultimately be where cable networks are heading — to private ownership willing to harvest them for cash.

It’s also possible some of the cable networks could find new footing outside of NBCUniversal’s ownership. SpinCo’s CEO-to-be, Mark Lazarus, may be able to strike new licensing agreements with other streaming services now that the cable assets aren’t purely a marketing and content distribution tool for Peacock.
Profits for SpinCo can be reinvested into businesses, including CNBC and MSNBC, instead of being diverted toward Peacock and NBCUniversal’s theme parks.
Another possible path for the spinoff is as a rollup entity for other cable networks. Comcast is purposefully structuring SpinCo with low debt. Perhaps the company could take on some of Warner Bros. Discovery’s debt and its cable networks. The same could be said for Paramount Global.

The bigger motivation

With so much unknown, Comcast probably isn’t doing this because it’s sure the spin will be a slam dunk for investors. Instead, Comcast’s motivations may be a signal to the media industry that it’s time to enter a new phase.
“There’s simply not enough revenue in these businesses to cover the costs anymore,” Kevin Mayer, co-CEO of Candle Media and a former Disney executive, said in an interview. “There has to be consolidation now. It’s Econ 101.”
That’s a sentiment Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav addressed during his company’s earnings call earlier this month.
“This is an industry that really needs to meaningfully consolidate,” Zaslav said. “If the best content is going to win, there needs to be some consolidation in order to have these businesses be stronger and to have a better consumer experience.”
In other words, even if SpinCo flounders as a publicly traded company and Comcast doesn’t get any multiple expansion, simply signaling to the media world that it’s time for a change may be worthwhile. In the long run, perhaps trying something is better than trying nothing at all.
One more thing: If Comcast wants to attempt a large merger in a Donald Trump administration, such as buying U.S. cable company Charter or another telecommunications company, shedding MSNBC may not be a bad idea. The last time Trump was president, his Department of Justice blocked AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner — reportedly because Trump was not a fan of CNN.
Comcast shares closed up 1.5% on Wednesday.
Disclosure: Comcast’s NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC. More