In its first annual “Top Scoring Car Awards,” Total Car Score, the most comprehensive automotive ranking and comparison website, recognized the 2012 Hyundai Sonata and 2012 Genesis as top scoring cars in their respective segments. Sonata received the top scoring position in the midsize sedan/wagon segment and Genesis won in the luxury sedan/wagon category. Additionally, Sonata was the second highest scoring vehicle overall among the 35 awarded vehicles, second only to the Lexus LS, an ultra-luxury car.
“Hyundai isn't just meeting industry benchmarks with cars like the Sonata and Genesis, they are setting it – and forcing other brands to play catch-up,” said Karl Brauer, CEO of Total Car Score.
The “Top Scoring Car Awards” cover all major vehicle categories for model year 2012. The best car awards are based on Total Car Score’s ranking formula, which offers a comprehensive evaluation of autos in every segment. A vehicle’s Total Car Score is its combination of scores from all the top automotive review and rating sites. These car reviews and ratings are translated into a single Total Car Score that allows visitors to quickly and easily compare cars.
“Since its introduction, Sonata continues to be the perfect mid-size sedan for families looking for quality and value with advanced standard safety features, three versatile powertrain choices and unrivaled interior convenience technologies,” said Scott Margason, director, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “And like Sonata has done in the mid-size category, the Hyundai Genesis reinvigorates the luxury segment for 2012 with the addition of a new 5.0-liter direct injection V8 engine.”
The award-winning Hyundai Sonata continues to be a huge hit thanks to its Fluidic Sculpture design, impressive fuel efficiency (24 mpg city/35 mpg estimated highway), advanced technology and overall value. For the 2012 model year, Sonata enters with even more safety, technology and convenience offerings including Blue Link®, HD Radio Technology and new seven-inch touch-screen navigation. Add it all up and there’s a reason why Sonata is one of the most shopped cars in the U.S.
Read More: http://www.hyundaiusa.com/about-hyundai/news/Corporate_2012_Top_Scoring_Car-20120523.aspx
Hyundai Dealers Chicago
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
HYUNDAI IMPLEMENTS THROTTLE OVERRIDE CAPABILITY IN ADVANCE OF PENDING GOVERNMENT MANDATE
Hyundai Bolsters Its Safety Leadership Record with all Models Providing Brake Pedal Throttle Override Capability
Hyundai continues its practice of providing critical safety technologies to its customers well before government mandates come into effect with all models now offering brake pedal electronic throttle override capability. With virtually all cars using electronic throttle control today, there remains the remote possibility for an unforeseen electronic throttle control malfunction, causing a vehicle to accelerate contrary to driver input. Although very unlikely due to various built-in electronic safety protocols, unforeseen circumstances could still exist that could cause this type of malfunction.
“With Hyundai’s brake pedal throttle override capability, any brake pedal input by the driver, even with a runaway throttle condition, completely overrides any throttle malfunction,” said Robert Babcock, director of certification and compliance affairs for Hyundai’s technical center. “It is no longer possible to have increasing engine power once the brake pedal is depressed by the driver. This adds a reassuring, incremental safeguard of control for Hyundai drivers.”
The government mandate for brake pedal throttle override capability, a component of FMVSS 124 (Accelerator Control Systems), has been under consideration by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) since April 16, 2012. However, its final approval and subsequent timing have yet to be determined. Hyundai development teams have been less concerned about final government mandate timing, focusing instead on the immediate safety and assurance of their customers.
Beginning with May production, fully 100 percent of all U.S. Hyundai models now provide the assuring safeguard of brake pedal throttle override capability. This advanced safety feature implementation by Hyundai remains many months and possibly years before the final government mandate, if approved.
Read More: http://www.hyundaiusa.com/about-hyundai/news/Corporate_2012_THROTTLE_OVERRIDE-20120502.aspx
Chicago Hyundai Dealers
The government mandate for brake pedal throttle override capability, a component of FMVSS 124 (Accelerator Control Systems), has been under consideration by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) since April 16, 2012. However, its final approval and subsequent timing have yet to be determined. Hyundai development teams have been less concerned about final government mandate timing, focusing instead on the immediate safety and assurance of their customers.
Beginning with May production, fully 100 percent of all U.S. Hyundai models now provide the assuring safeguard of brake pedal throttle override capability. This advanced safety feature implementation by Hyundai remains many months and possibly years before the final government mandate, if approved.
Read More: http://www.hyundaiusa.com/about-hyundai/news/Corporate_2012_THROTTLE_OVERRIDE-20120502.aspx
Chicago Hyundai Dealers
Friday, April 27, 2012
40-mpg Hyundai Elantra named one of the Best Green Cars
The 40 mpg Hyundai Elantra 2012 (Model Year) named to
Hyundai has spent the last few years forging a reputation as being the biggest up and comer in the automotive world, so they must have been delighted when their 2012 Hyundai Elantra was named as one of the 10 Best Green Cars of 2012 on the Kelley Blue Book website at kbb.com.
The timing of the announcement was perfect, coming as it did when gas prices were soaring and Earth Day was right around the corner. Fuel-efficiency was the number one consideration that the KBB editors took into account when making their decision.
The editors at kbb.com were quick to point out that the elusive 40 mpg mark was one that many non-hybrid cars simply couldn’t attain.
They went on to say that Hyundai Elantra 2012 was easily able to hit that mark, regardless of trim level, with the majority of that success being down to the fuel-efficient 1,8L 4-cylinder engine.
They also praised the overall look and price point of the 2012 Elantra, which also helped push it into the top 10. That lets the competition know that fuel-efficiency alone isn’t enough to catch their eye, and a top 10 car has to be more than just a gas sipper.
That 40 mpg mark is something that is extremely important to Hyundai, as they have set affordability and fuel-efficiency as the benchmarks they look to set with every vehicle in their line-up.
Read More: http://www.hyundai-blog.com/40-mpg-hyundai-elantra-named-one-of-the-best-green-cars
Hyundai Dealers Illinois
Hyundai has spent the last few years forging a reputation as being the biggest up and comer in the automotive world, so they must have been delighted when their 2012 Hyundai Elantra was named as one of the 10 Best Green Cars of 2012 on the Kelley Blue Book website at kbb.com.
The timing of the announcement was perfect, coming as it did when gas prices were soaring and Earth Day was right around the corner. Fuel-efficiency was the number one consideration that the KBB editors took into account when making their decision.
The editors at kbb.com were quick to point out that the elusive 40 mpg mark was one that many non-hybrid cars simply couldn’t attain.
They went on to say that Hyundai Elantra 2012 was easily able to hit that mark, regardless of trim level, with the majority of that success being down to the fuel-efficient 1,8L 4-cylinder engine.
They also praised the overall look and price point of the 2012 Elantra, which also helped push it into the top 10. That lets the competition know that fuel-efficiency alone isn’t enough to catch their eye, and a top 10 car has to be more than just a gas sipper.
That 40 mpg mark is something that is extremely important to Hyundai, as they have set affordability and fuel-efficiency as the benchmarks they look to set with every vehicle in their line-up.
Read More: http://www.hyundai-blog.com/40-mpg-hyundai-elantra-named-one-of-the-best-green-cars
Hyundai Dealers Illinois
Friday, April 13, 2012
Hyundai's U.S. sales could top 700,000 in 2012, Krafcik says
Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong-koo, who is credited with leading a focus on quality at the automaker since he took over in 2000, has capped production capacity globally, so plants will need to squeeze any added output from the current production schedule, said John Krafcik, head of Hyundai's North American operations.
Last year Hyundai sold 645,691 cars and SUVs in the United States, an increase of 20 percent from 2010.
"What (Chung) wants to do is assure we're all focused on quality," Krafcik said. "When he is satisfied that we've achieved this steady state from which we can grow, then we'll have some opportunity" for adding capacity.
Hyundai, which has capped annual global capacity at around 7 million vehicles, has a U.S. plant in Montgomery, Ala. Hyundai affiliate Kia Motors also builds Hyundai cars at its factory in West Point, Georgia.
Hyundai will continue to shift more sales from fleet customers, like car rental companies, to retail customers, Krafcik said.
Fleet sales, which are less profitable, accounted for 10 percent of U.S. sales last year, and Krafcik said the company plans to move that to as low as 5 percent, which could help shift as many as 100,000 sales to retail.
Fleet accounted for as much as 26 percent of the Korean automaker's U.S. sales in 2009.
Krafcik, at an event to show off the new Azera car and redesigned Genesis coupe, said he did not know what Chung's time frame might be for allowing capacity to start rising again.
The Hyundai brand ended the first quarter with a 4.7 percent share of the U.S. new-car market, down from 5.1 percent in 2011. Krafcik believes it is unlikely the company will lose more market share.
Friday, April 6, 2012
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe: Now In Regular and Three-Row! [New York Auto Show]
Santa Fe Sport
Although the wheelbase of the five-seat Sport model is unchanged at 106.3 inches, pretty much everything else is new. Overall length stretches a half-inch, to 184.6 inches, width shrinks 0.4 inch to 74.0, and height diminishes 1.8 inches, to 66.1.
Combined with yet another iteration of Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design language, which seems to be dedicated to eliminating the slab-sided look of yesteryear, the revised dimensions lend more sleekness to the Santa Fe’s profile, continuing the crossover trend away from the blocky look once so popular in this class.
More significant from a performance point of view, the design team has substantially pared the Sport’s curb weight, partly by the increased use of high-tensile steel—30 percent more, contributing to a 16 percent improvement in torsional rigidity, according to Hyundai—and partly by installing new engines. Hyundai claims that the basic front-drive Santa Fe is 266 pounds lighter than the current model, remarkable in an age of rising curb weights, and vastly lighter than rivals such as the Ford Edge and Chevy Equinox.
The basic Santa Fe Sport gets Hyundai’s 190-hp, 2.4-liter direct-injection four-cylinder, and a 264-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four is offered as an option. Both engines are from the Sonata inventory, and they replace the previous 175-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder base engine and an optional 276-hp, 3.5-liter V-6. Both engines are paired with six-speed automatic transmissions and both are expected to generate improved highway mpg numbers—33 for the 2.4-liter, 31 for the 2.0 turbo. And as before, all-wheel drive is an option.
Inside Santa Fe
The inner Santa Fe features a redesigned dashboard, higher quality materials, electroluminescent gauges, Pandora audio, HD radio, and standard Blue Link, Hyundai’s telematic connectivity system. Other highlights include: seven airbags, including one to protect the driver’s knees and side airbags bags that deploy in a rollover crash; driver-selectable steering effort; a panoramic sunroof option; heated rear-seats that split 40/20/40 and offer separate fore-aft adjustability. Hyundai claims improved rear-seat legroom, and 35 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats.
Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-hyundai-santa-fe-photos-and-info-news
Thursday, March 22, 2012
New Hyundai Genesis Sedan Coming in 2013, Sonata in 2014
There was no word regarding the markets to which the schedule applied, although it’s safe to assume the executive was primarily referencing South Korea. The current Sonata and Genesis both launched in the Korean market before hitting our shores, albeit only slightly in the case of the Sonata. That said, we expect the two models will follow the timetable laid out in the article here, too, as Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik previously informed us that the second-generation Genesis sedan would arrive as a 2014 model, which would indicate a 2013 launch. We also learned then that the second-gen Genny would offer all-wheel drive as an option.
Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/hyundai-ceo-new-genesis-sedan-coming-in-2013-sonata-in-2014/
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Hyundai Releases Images of All-New Santa Fe [New York Auto Show]
Hyundai says it has developed a new design concept for the vehicle called “Storm Edge,” which is supposed to capture the images created by nature during the formation of a storm. This reminds us of the Mazda design language Kodo that was incorporated under the theme of “motion inspired by nature” in 2010. However you want to describe it, the new styling ethos has resulted in a much sleeker package. Hyundai’s hexagonal grille makes its first appearance on a Santa Fe here.
The current Santa Fe offers a choice of a 175-hp, 2.4-liter four or a 276-hp, 3.5-liter V-6. Expect power to improve over those levels; there’s a good chance the V-6 will be replaced by the company’s 3.3-liter unit or a 2.0-liter turbo four. The next Santa Fe likely will go on sale sometime this year as a 2013 model.
Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/hyundai-releases-images-of-all-new-santa-fe-new-york-auto-show/
Hyundai Chicago Dealers
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