Hyundai will once again flaunt its recently acquired riches by running not one, but two Super Bowl ads this year.
First up, it's Brett Favre, looking quite fresh and relaxed after throwing away the NFC championship game. Then, it's on to the paint shop. Here Hyundai shows off the paint procedure for the new 2011 Sonata, which it says is better than the Mercedes-Benz CLS. And what constitutes "better" paint? Uh....
Continue reading Hyundai Releases Two New Super Bowl Ads.
Official pricing for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata was released today and none of it seems all that surprising. Base models start at $19,195 for a manual-equipped four-cylinder while the top-of-the-range Limited with navigation tops out at $27,395.
Don't forget, all 2011 Sonatas feature a roughly 200-horsepower four-cylinder engine. The turbocharged model will be added next year.
2009 L.A. Auto Show: 2011 Hyundai Sonata
#NAIAS
Help! The braintrust of Inside Line is sitting here trying to decide in which disparaging way we should describe this bowling trophy of a hood ornament on the nose of the big, ol' Hyundai Equus sedan.
Here are a few:
Pedestrian Spleen Splitter
Drive-Through Speculum
The Spirit of Evisceration
Somali pirates recorded their first major hijacking of 2010, capturing a ship carrying 2,388 Hyundais and Kias on January 1. The ship, "Asian Glory," was hijacked 1,000 miles off the coast of Somalia as it approached the Suez Canal on its way to Saudi Arabia.
Even if the ship is never recovered, Hyundai will suffer no financial losses on the cars, which had evidently already been purchased by the company's regional distributor.
"As soon as the vessel embarks, all risks related to the vessel are the responsibility of the distributor," Hyundai advised Bloomberg. "All payments for the cars have been made, while the cars are also insured."
Hyundai has issued a plea via the ship's owner, Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd., for the safe return of the 25 crew members.
Although we have our eyes on the Detroit show, the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is next week in Vegas, and one of the big announcements there will be Kia's UVO voice control system -- the first serious challenge to Ford's Sync technology.
Very likely, the UVO user experience will be similar to Sync. Both systems were developed with Microsoft. Hyundai-Kia formed its partnership with Microsoft in May 2008, and at the end of that year, Ford's exclusive development contract with Gates and Co. expired.
Kia hasn't announced which model in its current lineup will get UVO first, but we'd be very surprised if it wasn't a Forte.
Automotive News (sub.req), Autoblog
Remember when we gave you the scoop on the 2012 Hyundai Veloster coupe about six months ago? Well, now what looks to be the first spy photo of a prototype has surfaced. Just look at that sloping roofline and tiny footprint, what else could it be?
Seems about right given that we were told that the production coupe would be "Accent-sized" and come powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 140-horsepower. Compared to the concept, the only noticeable difference is the addition of a B-pillar compared to the concept's hardtop.
Production is still two years away, so expect to see many more spy shots of the 2012 Hyundai Veloster, or whatever they decide to call it, over the next 24 months.
Toyota recalled nearly 4.9 million vehicles in 2009 -- the most of any automaker in the U.S., the Detroit Free Press reports. This is the first time Toyota has ever led in annual recalls, and of course this milestone is the result of the floor mat debacle during which 4.3 million vehicles were recalled.
Free Press writers crunched the numbers on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site. Ford came up second with 4.5 million recalled vehicles -- most of them covered by recalls for cruise control switches that can catch fire, a chronic defect in older Fords.
Next up was GM was 2.2 million recalled vehicles, followed by Hyundai with just over 1 million and Nissan with 700,000+. Chrysler rounded out the top five with 590,000.
You can see the full list in the Free Press article.
This semi-regular column is written (in his own blood) by an automotive sage and noted malcontent, known as The Mechanic. Mercilessly beaten as a child with rolled-up back issues of old car magazines, our free-spoken hero developed a unique "for your own good" take on cars and the auto industry, along with an unfortunate habit of setting himself ablaze. Later, after a distinguished career as an automotive journalist and magazine editor, he cast off the reins of his musty oppressors, carved out his superego with a plastic spork and became The Mechanic.
As 2009 hits the Great Dumpster of Memory, I've decided to binge on the wife's hard egg nog, reflect on what I've learned over the last 12 months and tell you what it all means for our future. Your future. Now self-reflection doesn't come easily to me, so when I do reflect I don't get nostalgic or weepy. I usually just get pissed off all over again.
Not that 2010 isn't going to be a great year. It is. But it ain't all going to be beers on the beach either. In fact, the auto industry has a critical 365 days ahead of it. It's sink or swim time for everybody.
Anyway, here's what I see clogging our automotive sewer line over the next 12 months. Happy New Year.
Continue reading The Mechanic's Fearless Forecast for 2010.
Midsize sedans are known for their predictability, but rarely have two come along that match up as perfectly as the 2011 Buick Regal and 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Both will start out with a direct-injected, 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine. Both are slated to get a higher-performance, turbocharged, D.I. 2.0-liter inline-4. Neither will offer a V6. Both offer a level of style never witnessed in their immediate predecessors. And when you starting looking at interior and exterior dimensions, they're awfully close there, too.
We driven the 2011 Regal, but it will be a few weeks before we get some quality time in the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, which just debuted at the LA Auto Show. In the interim, we bring you this side-by-side comparison of the specs we know so far. Enjoy.
2011 Buick Regal 2011 Hyundai Sonata
Drive Type: Front-wheel drive
Engine Type: Normally aspirated, direct-injected inline-4
Displacement (liters/cc/cu-in): 2.4/2384 /145 2.4/2,359/144
Redline (rpm): 7,000 ?
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 182 @ 6,700 198 @ 6,300 (190 hp PZEV)
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 172 @ 4,900 184 @ 4,250
Transmissions: 6AT 6MT, 6AT
Estimated Fuel Economy: 20/30 23/34 (6MT), 23/35 (6AT)
--> Lots more numbers after the jump.
Continue reading 2011 Buick Regal vs. 2011 Hyundai Sonata: We Compare the Specs.
Ward's has published its annual top 10 list of engines, with awards to be given at next month's 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
In determining the winners, six Wards' editors tested 34 vehicles, evaluating each engine "based on horsepower, torque, refinement, technical relevance and comparative data." To even be part of the field, the engine had to be an all-new or significantly revised offering or be a returning 2009 winner. And here's the list:
-- 2.0L TFSI Turbocharged DOHC Inline-4 (Audi A4)
-- 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V6 (Audi S4)
-- 3.0L DOHC Inline-6 Turbodiesel (BMW 335d)
-- 2.5L DOHC Inline-4 Hybrid (Ford Fusion Hybrid)
-- 3.5L EcoBoost Turbocharged DOHC V6 (Ford Taurus SHO)
-- 2.4L Ecotec DOHC Inline-4 (Chevrolet Equinox)
-- 4.6L Tau DOHC V8 (Hyundai Genesis)
-- 2.5L Turbocharged DOHC Horizontally-Opposed-4 (Subaru Legacy 2.5GT)
-- 1.8L DOHC Inline-4 Hybrid (Toyota Prius)
-- 2.0L SOHC Inline-4 Turbodiesel (Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI)
Updated
Hyundai announced today that the front-wheel-drive 2011 Hyundai Tucson GLS model will come in at $18,995 ($19,490 with the $795 destination charge included) with the standard 176-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission.
Add the new six-speed automatic and the price of the GLS goes up to $20,790 with destination. The redesigned Tucson goes on sale in GLS and Limited trim levels next month.
Adding all-wheel drive ($1,500) requires both the six-speed automatic and the $1,700 Popular Equiment package (17-inch wheels, telescoping wheel, leatherette upholstery, cruise control and Bluetooth) and, in all, takes your 2011 Tucson GLS up to $23,990. Splurge on a navigation system with rearview camera ($2,000) and you're up to $25,990.
Limited models have 18-inch wheels, the six-speed automatic and leather upholstery as standard, and start at $25,140. For another $2,850, you can have the Premium package with the nav system and a panoramic sunroof. So an AWD Tucson Limited Premium costs $29,490.
For now, the 2.4-liter engine will be the only power plant, but for the 2011 model year, a more efficient 2.0-liter engine will be added in the a fuel economy-minded Tucson Blue model. And later on in the model cycle, you can expect that engine to get the direct-injection technology that debuts on the 2011 Sonata.
Hyundai has been one of the few sales success stories of 2009, and the company is pushing ahead with a fairly aggressive product inititative. The redesigned 2011 Tucson goes on sale this month, followed by the 2011 Sonata in the January-February time frame. Later in 2010, we'll see the 2011 Equus, which is Hyundai's no-holds-barred attempt at competing with the S-Class, or at least the Lexus LS.
And today, Hyundai officials confirmed once more that the 2012 Hyundai Veloster (or whatever Hyundai decides to call the sporty, Accent-sized, front-drive coupe that replaces the Tiburon) is on track for 2011. This tiny four-seater will use a direct-injected 1.6-liter four-cylinder to deliver feisty performance along with 40 mpg.
Also in 2011, we'll see redesigned versions of the Accent, Elantra and Santa Fe.
Hyundai's head of product planning, Scott Margason, wore a genuine smile as he launched into the specifics of the Korean automaker's new 2010 Tucson crossover.
And with good reason. As Margason points out, the Tucson has "packed up its original boxy shape," and replaced it with a "longer, lower silhouette." Its new "fluidic sculpture" follows the same look of the 2011 Sonata that debuted yesterday at the L.A. auto show, and that's good news all around.
Add in the 2010 Tucson's 23/31 mpg rating, raft of standard equipment (both safety and comfort features) and the Tucson should find some serious buyers, pretty quickly.
On sale this month, Hyundai says the Tucson will be priced "well under $20,000."
Merry Christmas, indeed.
-- Kelly Toepke, News Editor
Continue reading 2010 Hyundai Tucson Debuts at 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.
We're a bit late with our quick-take review of November sales (full analysis available on Auto Observer), but the short answer is that, at 746,544, they were flat compared to November 2008. But not everyone was flat.
Hyundai-Kia was up 33.8 percent over Nov. 2008, and the company is 6.2 percent overall for the year. The new models in the Kia line helped, but even the Sonata, about to be replaced by the visually arresting 2011 model, was up 52 percent.
Subaru sales increased 24 percent for its best November ever, and the company is up an impressive 14 percent for the year. Every model posted gains, except for the Tribeca, arguably Subaru's weakest offering in the U.S.
Nissan was up 21 percent, even as its incentive spending dropped. Maxima sales climbed 84 percent to 4,995.
Mercedes-Benz was up 19 percent, and virtually all the credit goes to the E-Class -- 4,824 examples of the midsize Benz sedan found homes, up a staggering 113 percent year over year.
Auto Observer: Automakers See Glass Half-Full After Flat November Sales
Graphic courtesy of Bob Holland
Continue reading November Sales in Review: GM, Ford Flat, But Hyundai, Subaru, Mercedes Climb.
Back in July, Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik told us that the 2011 Hyundai Sonata would be revealed at the Detroit auto show in January 2010. But Hyundai pulled its auto show plans forward because the 2011 Sonata will start rolling off the line in Alabama in mid-December -- less than two weeks from today.
That's soon enough that a few lucky dealers might just get their hands on a 2011 Sonata or two as the Detroit show gets underway in mid-January; all dealers should have 2011 Sonatas by February 2010.
And that's why we're standing here looking at the 2011 Hyundai Sonata at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show, and the looking is good. This is most definitely not a conservatively styled family sedan, but it's not over the top, either. Hyundai's so-called "Fluidic Sculpture" design (don't say language, don't say language) ...er, dialect vaults the Sonata out of the nondescript sedan backwaters to the head of a very competitive pack.
But there's more here than meets the eye, for enthusiasts and penny-pinchers alike.
Continue reading 2011 Hyundai Sonata Revealed at the L.A. Auto Show.
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