Hyundai Genesis wins 2009 North American Car of the Year award

Coinciding with this week's 2009 Detroit Auto Show is the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards, and for this year's event the 2009 Hyundai Genesis took out the car award, while the 2009 Ford F-150 was picked as the top truck. Runners up for the car award were the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Ford Flex, while the F-150 beat out the redesigned Dodge Ram and Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec in the truck category. Some other important cars in this year's award included the BMW 1-series with its available twin-turbo six-cylinder engine, Nissan's GT-R - also featuring a twin-turbo six, and the supercharged V8 CTS-V, though the more every-day vehicles like the Mazda6 or the Pontiac G8 were also among the most popular vehicles in the event. Hyundai Genesis Sedan

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Report: Hyundai not considering convertible Genesis

Ever since the sleek new Genesis Coupe hit the scene, speculation about a possible convertible version has been brewing, but today Hyundai shut down all hopes, stating flatly that there are no plans for a drop-top Genesis. Miles Johnson, manager of product public relations for Hyundai Motor America explained the decision, reports Edmunds. "The coupe wasn't developed to be a convertible from the ground up," he said. "It was developed as a global car. The wind in your hair doesn't work in Korea, and there's not enough volume in the U.S." A simple and straightforward reason behind a final and authoritative decision. Hyundai Genesis Coupe

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New Introduction: Hyundai Will Introduce An Eight-Speed Transmission

Wow, Hyundai is becoming more like Lexus, Benz, BMW and the other luxury auto makers especially when they are set to release a new fuel-smart 8-speed transmission in 2010. This new transmission is supposed to greatly improve fuel economy according to Hyundai. The only other automakers offering such a transmission remains to be Lexus where BMW has plans to introduce one within the next two years. This is also a step towards meeting strict fuel economy guidelines in the years to come. Why not stay ahead of the game, that's exactly what Lexus did and look at their prestigious record and reputation in the automotive world. More than likely the new Hyundai Genesis sedan will get this new 8-speed transmission. If it is any other Hyundai or newly introduced Hyundai then we want to know about it!

 

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Hyundai releases teaser sketches for Equus flagship

New images of a large luxury saloon have leaked onto the Internet and are believed to be official sketches for Hyundai's upcoming Equus flagship. The new model is currently code-named as the 'VI' sedan and is scheduled to be launched in South Korea next month. Power will come from a range of V6 and V8 petrol engines, and there are currently no plans to export the car to North American or European markets. The current Hyundai Equus first entered production back in 1998 and has barely undergone any changes since then. Hyundai VI Equus replacement

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Hyundai launches Blue Drive initiative with unveiling of Sonata Hybrid study

Hyundai has used today's Los Angeles Auto Show to announce the expansion of its 'i-blue' environment conservation initiative, revealing that the eco-friendly brand will be expanded to include new petrol-electric hybrid models as well as future hydrogen fuel cell technology. The i-blue sub-brand is Hyundai's grouping of specially designed eco-friendly models, enhanced to offer improved fuel economy and lower emissions than their standard equivalents. At last month's Paris Motor Show, Hyundai showed off new i-blue versions of its i20 compact and before that it showcased an i-blue i30 model – both of which have been designed for the European market. For the North American market, Hyundai is calling the initiative 'Blue Drive' and with it the company plans to launch a new range of eco-friendly vehicles that will bring its fleet average fuel economy levels to the all-important 35mpg mark by as early as 2015. One of the first, unveiled today in Los Angeles, will be a new hybrid version of the Sonata sedan, which is due for launch in 2010. Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode at Geneva

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Comparo: 2009 Hyundai Elantra vs. 2009 Kia Spectra

In the last ten years or so, Hyundai decided it'd be fun to build things that resemble cars that people want to buy. In the process, the Korean automaker acquired struggling brother Kia. As you'd expect, the company offers the now-essential model in any current car range: the budget-priced, fuel-efficient compact car. In fact, American buyers hunting in that market segment can choose between Hyundai's Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Spectra. Is it a distinction without a difference, in the not-so-grand tradition of General Motors? Let's have a look to each model's respective brochures...

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Comparo: Lexus RX350 vs. Hyundai Veracruz

A note to TTAC's Best and Brightest: if this comparo sounds oddly familiar, that's because something stinks. But it's not the husky, malodorous adhesives wafting from the pleather-wrapped Hyundai Veracuz. Nor is it the you-gotta-be-kidding me popularity of a premium-priced Toyota Camry sitting on stilts. The funk comes from mentioning both in the same breath. But I swear on the effeminate grille of a B9 Tribeca that I've never read a certain Motor Trend review elucidating this very notion. Fair enough?

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Comparo: 2009 Hyundai Elantra vs. 2009 Kia Spectra

In the last ten years or so, Hyundai decided it'd be fun to build things that resemble cars that people want to buy. In the process, the Korean automaker acquired struggling brother Kia. As you'd expect, the company offers the now-essential model in any current car range: the budget-priced, fuel-efficient compact car. In fact, American buyers hunting in that market segment can choose between Hyundai's Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Spectra. Is it a distinction without a difference, in the not-so-grand tradition of General Motors? Let's have a look to each model's respective brochures...

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2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 Review

One of the cornerstones of TTAC's existence is reminding the auto industry that "those who don't learn from the mistakes of the past are destined to repeat them."  As a corollary we can say that learning from history's successes forms part of the recipe for a flat-out victory in today's highly segmented, price sensitive market.  We have seen almost two decades since the boring sheetmetal of the Lexus LS400 hit our shores, forever changing the way we think about luxury cars. Fast forwarding along that school of thought brings us to the new, V8-powered, Hyundai Genesis 4.6.

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2009 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 V6

In 2002, my friend Patrick threw a glass ashtray at me in a bar in Boston. "Berzerkowitz!" he barked, celebrating the successful hit right in the middle of my forehead. That's how he said hi. The next morning, once he sobered up, and my face still hurt like a sonofabitch, we went for a ride in the car he rented for the weekend. "It's the most generic car I have ever driven," Pat told me from the driver's seat of a Hyundai XG350L.

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Hyundai Elantra Review

Look in Hyundai's high school yearbook and you'll see "most improved." Almost every model the Korean automaker has sent stateside has been a quantum leap forward from its predecessor. The Elantra's roots stretch back to the Excel, which excelled at falling apart. The Elantra name survived; the model went from crap, to cheap, to "say that's not bad." Now we've got the fourth generation Elantra. Does the all-new iteration follow the Sonata and Santa Fe in Hyundai's relentless march from cars you buy because they're dirt cheap to cars you buy because why the Hell should I pay more?

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Hyundai Santa Fe Review

Back before gas prices scared SUV owners sensible, most CUV's were "cute utes." As the SUV exodus gathered pace, several abandoned truck makers figured SUV refugees were a bit half-assed not fully committed to downsizing. They built CUV's that are only slightly smaller than their SUV's, only without the towing capacity, off-road ability and, most importantly, extreme thirst. Never one to miss a trick, the transplants have been growing their CUV's to nibble away at the same market. Case in point: the Hyundai Santa Fe.

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Hyundai Accent Review

The Yugo and Excel are automotive nameplates synonymous with pistonhead schadenfreude. Yet both models sold well (at least initially). Their success proves two things: 1) you can flog just about anything if the price is low enough and 2) building a car for the lowest possible price does nothing to elevate the automotive arts. While the Yugo has gone to the place where forgettable cars are eventually forgotten (save by those who endured them), Hyundai's successor to the Excel, the Accent, still strives for, um, sales. After twenty years of evolution, is the Accent still a contender for a Forbes' best product?

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Hyundai Tiburon Tuscani Review

Tuscany. The name evokes images of dining al-fresco in pastel stucco courtyards watching sleek 12-cylinder convertibles cruise by, their impossibly chic passengers hiding behind oversized shades. Tuscani. The name evokes an automotive product that wants to proclaim Italian flare but doesn't have the necessary accent or copyright. To those who delight in unmasking fake Rolexes and other pretentious twaddle, the Tuscani is an instant classic: a car that pays homage to a Ferrari 456 GT made in South Korea.

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Hyundai Azera Limited Review

There are three basic markets for any car: price, value (price plus quality) and quality (price no object). Automobiles aimed at the top and bottom of the food chain are relatively easy to produce; price-oriented manufacturers can let things slide, quality-oriented carmakers can afford perfection. Value is a bitch. Automakers in this arena have got to do it all, do it right and do it at a price. One false step and competitors on either side of the financial divide reach down or reach up and snatch your bread and butter. In short, the new Hyundai Azera is something of a miracle: a car that hits the value bulls-eye with supernatural precision.

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Hyundai Sonata LX Review

You know what I love about the new Hyundai Sonata? Nothing. You know what I hate about it? Nothing. In other words, it's a hit. Out there in the real world-- away from the elitist, over-educated automotive palate of a professional car reviewer-- any vehicle that asks nothing whatsoever of its owner is guaranteed a place in the average American motorists' affections. If the automobile in question is cheap, reliable, comfortable and inoffensive, millions of people will buy it, love it and, eventually, buy another one. The new Hyundai Sonata is all that, and more. Not much more, but some… Aesthetically, you've got to credit Hyundai for their tireless pursuit of total inoffensiveness. Rather than stick with any one of the company's four previous schnozzes, the Sonata's designers opted for yet another round of plastic surgery. This one's a winner; it's vaguely Japanese, completely unobjectionable and utterly forgettable. The Sonata's front end is proof positive that it's easier to copy a copy (i.e. the Honda Accord) than it is to knock-off an original. The same principle holds true for the rest of the Sonata's sheet metal; it's a riff on the Ford 500's riff on the Audi A6. For people who can't afford the real deal, or even recognize it when they see it, the Sonata is a perfectly judged pastiche.

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