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While cruising at 70 mph in the 2012 Hyundai Azera, it’s what we didn’t have to do that’s especially telling.
My co-driver and I didn’t have to raise our voices above normal, quiet conversation level to carry on a conversation in front—and the same held true in speaking with our two passengers in the back seat. We all were able to simply chat, without shouting.
In the Azera, passengers in the back seat not only have enough legroom and headroom, but the cabin is quiet enough so that you can carry on a conversation in a normal tone of voice—and you can catch the nuance. For all four of the adults on board, there were no knees mashed against seatbacks, no heads pushing headliners; in those supportive seats, all of us could have been comfortable all day, I’d venture to say. And as a passenger in a low, long luxury sedan, like the Azera, you feel less side-to-side movements than in taller crossovers.
Following up on the success of last year’s new Elantra sedan, Hyundai has announced a coupe version of the Elantra, set to debut at this week’s Chicago Auto Show. Emphasizing a blend of style, content and roominess, the 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe hopes to pull market share from the Honda Civic and Kia Forte coupes.
Exterior styling borrows from Hyundai’s now-familiar “Fluidic Sculpture” design language, which includes the hexagonal grille, swept-back headlamps, steeply raked A-pillar and flowing character lines carried from door to rear deck.
Boosting the coupe’s appearance are wheel arch creases that simulate flared fenders, a sculpted rocker panel and a black rear diffuser offset by the car’s chrome exhaust tips. The overall look of the Elantra Coupe is best described as sporty, but refined.
Each year, thousands of consumers answer surveys about cars and the people who sell them. Those studies — like the ones we recently mentioned about brand loyalty and the shopping habits of men and women – can tell us a lot about buyers, but for an insider’s look at the auto industry, you need to chat with folks on the other side of the counter: the dealers. A new study from the National Automobile Dealers Association says its members are happiest in the company of Asian marques like Hyundai, Subaru, and Lexus.
We’ve been seeing the spy shots for more than a year now but these are the first images of Hyundai’s all-new 2013 Santa Fe crossover (ix45 for European readers) that show the vehicle without any covering.
The new crossover, which is due in showrooms this fall following a debut at April’s 2012 New York Auto Show, picks up a dramatic new look shared by the Veloster and recently facelifted Genesis Coupe.
The winners of the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards have been announced, as the auto industry kicks off the new year at the annual Detroit auto show.
For this year’s awards, the winners are the 2012 Hyundai Elantra for car of the year and the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque for truck of the year.
In December, a panel of 50 journalists named six finalists for the two awards. On the car side, the NACOTY jurors put the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, and Volkswagen Passat up for top honors. In trucks, which includes vehicles classified as trucks by the EPA, the finalists included the BMW X3, Honda CR-V, and Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.
The Hyundai Veloster that arrived at dealerships this past fall has a lot going for it—including a standout three-door layout; curvaceous styling; connectivity and infotainment features that are way ahead of the pack; and an EPA highway rating of up to 40 mpg. But what it lacks, as we point out in our review—and most sources agree—is that it could use just a bit more gusto under the hood to match its racy look.
Rumors have been swirling for months about a turbocharged Veloster, and now it’s confirmed. The 2013 Veloster Turbo will join the lineup, packing a new 201-horsepower version of the automaker’s 1.6-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine, paired with either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.
There aren’t many Hyundai vehicles left untouched by the company’s rapid transformation into a top-tier automaker. The Accent was all-new earlier this year–and now, the big Azera gets its day in the sun, appropriately enough, at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The 2012 Azera now wears Hyundai’s current design theme, which they dub “fluidic sculpture.” It’s been applied to the Sonata and Elantra sedans and the Accent hatchback with good results, and with the Azera, it’s much the same. The mix of crests and curves is a big departure from the current, anonymous big four-door, something that’s bound to be played up in advertising against the Azera’s most likely competitors, cars like the latest VW Passat, Toyota Avalon, Buick LaCrosse and Ford Taurus. Big 19-inch wheels and high-intensity discharge headlamps cap the exterior, while the interior carries through on the Sonata’s look with some well-timed restraint.
It’s that time of year again — time for family and friends to come together and celebrate one of America’s most joyous events, the Super Bowl. With less than three months to go until kickoff, advertisers like Hyundai are already huddling to prepare their game-day strategies.
Hyundai has announced that it will buy no fewer than five spots before and during the Super Bowl broadcast on February 5, 2012. Two ads will run during the pre-game show, another two will appear during the game itself, and one massive 60-second spot will air right before kickoff.
The 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has been one of the most leaked cars of the new autoshow season. Today, Hyundai’s global Facebook page saw fit to put an official face on the new Coupe with these three images, supplementing the two official teasers we brought you last week.
The images show some of what was previously leaked (though in higher resolution) and some new, including a nice side shot. While wej’re not 100 percent sold on the very busy front end, the overall effect, including the ducted hood, is positive. The Genesis Coupe was already a smart-looking two-door; now it looks a bit meaner, and perhaps more high-tech.
The 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo may be the worst-kept secret in the Korean automaker’s history.
Rumors of the Veloster Turbo’s development have been circulating for over a year, and things looked even more promising when Hyundai recently confirmed a turbocharged version of the Veloster’s 1.6-liter engine.
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