Hyundai is planning to introduce a “supercar-inspired” Sonata Turbo, taking cues from the Brabus Rocket super sedan. The concept is being produced in collaboration with 0-60 Magazine and Rides Magazine and will feature matte white paint, 20″ wheels and carbon fiber exterior bits. Hyundai hasn’t announced any performance improvements beyond bolt-on intake, exhaust and turbo...
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Hyundai’s seemingly unstoppable rise to the top has hit as stumbling block, as the company is forced to recall 140,000 of its mid-size Sonata sedans over a steering issue. The Sonata, which recently hit third place in the mid-size sedan sales charts, is being recalled due to “the steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections...
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Hyundai‘s Genesis 2.0T gets the lions share of attention from the tuning community, but the 3.8 V6, with a 300 horsepower V6, is potentially an even better building block for making big power. Based on the 3.8 Genesis Coupe R-Spec, the ARK edition puts out an estimated 450-horsepower through a supercharger kit, a bolt-on exhaust...
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The Hyundai Sonata has officially bumped off the Nissan Altima to take 3rd place in the mid-size sedan sales race. The Sonata sold 21,399 units in August, closing in on the Honda Accord, which sold 22,506 units. The Toyota Camry enjoys a comfortable lead, selling just over 30,000 units in August. The figures exclude fleet...
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Rhys Millen, pilot of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Formula D car, will drive a Hyundai Accent WRC car at the U.S. Rallycross Championship in New Jersey on October 2-3 and November 6-7. “We’ve really benefited from our Genesis Coupe Formula Drift partnership with Rhys, and so we’ve decided to expand on that with this move...
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While attending the launch of the 2011 Kia Optima, AutoGuide has just learned that Kia is planning to launch an Optima Hybrid, based on the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The new model will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, with sales beginning in early 2011. Kia Motors America CEO and group president Byung...
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Hyundai is set to build the new Elantra at their Alabama factory, as it joins the Sonata and Santa Fe at the plant. The new Elantra is already on sale in South Korea, but is set to debut in U.S. spec at this November’s 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. In a press release, Hyundai CEO...
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General Motors plans to launch a fleet of Chevrolet Cruze-based electric vehicles in Korea, but the company says that there are no plans to sell such a car in the United States. GM is partnering with Korean conglomerate LG to develop the battery technology needed to make the Cruze EV a reality. A range of...
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Hyundai has just announced that the tuner-friendly Genesis Coupe 3.8 R-Spec model will be priced at just $26,750. That’s a $4,000 discount over the 3.8 Track model and is the same price as the Premium-trim 2.0T model. Sporting all the goodies from the Track package but without the more luxurious options, the 3.8 R-Spec is...
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A week after Hyundai announced its first electric car, sister company Kia Motors will continue the Korean automaker’s EV plans with a battery-powered crossover set to debut next year. “We plan to produce 2,000 electric vehicles based on Kia’s upcoming cross utility vehicles (CUVs), and 500 BlueOns by 2012,” said Hong John-hee, the head of...
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This year’s event marks a “natural extension of the company’s US motorsports program,” according to an official Kia press release, began last fall with road racing.
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Hyundai is embarking on a $150 million expansion of its Orange County, California headquarters, allowing it to double in size from 700 to 1400 employees. “This investment ensures that Orange County will remain U.S. hub, with our headquarters in Fountain Valley, for the foreseeable future,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “The...
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Kia appears to be changing gears in its marketing approach for the Kia Soul, switching from comedy to sex appeal. After its popular Rapping Hamsters ad, the Korean automaker has just launched a new commercial featuring the 6-foot 1-inch 20-year-old pro golfer Michelle Wie. Kia’s soul is already thought to be somewhat of a chick-car...
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Hyundai has just revealed its first ever electric car, the BlueOn, based on the small i10 hatchback. Able to travel up to 87 miles on a single charge it’s capable of a top speed of 80 mph. The initial plan is to roll out several units to government agencies later this year before offering the...
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Hyundai has pledged to donate $100,000 each to 68 hospitals and non profit organizations to help fight pediatric cancer. Dealers will contribute $200 from each vehicle sale to the cause, and most of the financing is said to be arriving in this way. The program, known as Hyundai Hope on Wheels will oversee the distribution...
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Jeong Sung Eun, Kia‘s Vice Chairman, took the rare step of resigning his post on September 3rd, as he accepted responsibility for a large recall of Kia vehicles. Roughly 86,000 vehicles were recalled due to an electrical wiring issue that posed a potential fire hazard. About 35,000 Sorentos and Souls from the the 2010 and...
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Kia‘s top of the line Sorento SX comes with special Dual Flow Dampers, which apparently offers a great blend of performance and comfort, while giving the Sorento a slightly lower ride height. However, the lesser Sorentos apparently offered a harsh ride of broken-up pavement, and Kia has taken notice. The DFD dampers will now be...
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Recently a report circulated online claiming that the Hyundai Veloster would debut at the LA Auto Show. The folks in Hyundai’s PR department denied the claims and went so far as to say another “very important” model would be the focal point of their LA Show press conference. (That vehicle is believed to be the...
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Kia is recalling both the 2011 Sorento and the 2010 Soul after a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation confirmed the interior lighting wiring harnesses could be faulty. The harnesses could develop an electrical short, which could then lead to a fire. The recall affects 35,185 vehicles built between September 7, 2009 and July...
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Hyundai‘s subcompact crossover, the ix20, will be revealed at this month’s Paris Auto Show media days, but the company has released a rendering of the car in advance of its launch. Based on the Kia Venga, the ix20 is an interesting blend of a crossover and small car, similar to a Ford Fiesta hatchback. With...
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The Japanese auto industry has always had a well-defined hierarchy, with Toyota, Honda and Nissan locked in a firmly established pecking order. But Toyota’s recent streak of quality problems has caused it to shed sales, causing a disruption in the marketplace. Customers fleeing Toyota are helping to propel the sales numbers of both Nissan and...
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India’s Mahindra has nearly completed a purchase of Korean carmaker circus freakshow Ssangyong, maker of the world’s ugliest vehicles. “We give the takeover candidate (Mahindra and Mahindra) an exclusive right for negotiation, and won’t be involved in any takeover-related activities with a third party,” Ssangyong said in a statement. Financial terms were not announced but...
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Hyundai CEO John Krafcik confirmed to Autoblog that their next generation of Genesis, Genesis Coupe and Equus rear-drive cars would also be offered with all-wheel-drive. While no powertrains have been announced for any of the cars, the news of AWD will be welcome for those in the Snowbelt states, where traction going to all four...
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Contrary to several reports, Hyundai has confirmed that the Veloster compact sports coupe/hatchback will not debut at the LA Auto Show later this year. Speaking about the rumor, Hyundai rep Dan Bedore commented that, “there is no truth to this.” And while the Veloster will not debut in LA, Bedore did confirm that “We will...
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