Report: Honda Threatened by the Rise of the Koreans

If there is one Japanese company that can lay claim to having a reputation for innovation and advanced engineering, it is Honda.

It is a reputation built over more than 30 years, starting from the first generation of the Civic in the ‘70s and continuing throughout the years with novelties such as VTEC, the futuristic first generation Insight hybrid back in 1999, the S2000's high-revving 120HP-per-liter engine, the first practical supercar, the NSX – and the list goes on.

However, something seems to have changed, and not for the better.

Read more »

Video: Australian “Shell” Ad for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra

From Sydney ad firm Innocean Worldwide comes this neat little TV commercial for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra four-door sedan.

The ad features Hyundai’s C-segment offering sitting inside a non-descript brick building. Then, in a way that reminds the machine that Tony Stark uses to suit in and out of his Iron Man costume, a multitude of robot appendages unfold from the ceiling and begin removing pieces of the Elantra’s body to reveal a smaller car inside.

Read more »

Hyundai Rumored to Debut New Elantra Coupe at 2011 LA Auto Show

We are a long way from the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and many things may change in the meantime, but for now, the word from the team over at Insideline is that Hyundai will head to California this fall to unveil a new coupe version of its freshly launched Elantra model. The two-door model will offer Hyundai a direct rival to the 2012 Honda Civic Coupe in the U.S. market. Read more »

Shanghai Auto Show: Hyundai Elantra Puts on a New Face for China

The Hyundai Group is now pointing its arrows to the world’s biggest auto market with the unveiling of two new models for China at this week’s 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, the Elantra Yuedong compact sedan and the mid-size Azera, which is badged as Grandeur in some markets.

If the Elantra Yuedong looks familiar, that’s because it is a facelifted version of the fourth generation model sold in the States until 2010. The most prominent change on the outside concerns the revised front that draws on the Azera’s styling.

According to Hyundai, the interior has also been upgraded with higher quality materials and new convenience and safety features such as a smart key / button start, front side airbag, Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS), Navigation, USB2.0 port and eco-driving guide system.

Read more »

More than 280,000 Hyundai Elantras Recalled Over Air-Bag Problems

Hyundai has issued two separate recalls for its Elantra sedans over air-bag related problems. The first action covers approximately 95,783 Elantras from the 2007-2008MY manufactured from July 14, 2006, through August 29, 2007. In this case, the air bag control module may receive an unstable electrical signal from the seat track position sensor and cause the driver's airbag to deploy at a higher pressure than intended. To fix the problem, the South Korean firm’s dealers will reprogram the air bag control module free of charge.

Read more »

Hyundai’s Model Naming Conventions: From 0 to Fubar in Just 4 Years

Hyundai is one of the world’s biggest automakers, and the most visible of South Korea’s business and industrial acumen. So you would think a company that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Toyota and pre-bailout GM would be pretty consistent with its model naming conventions, right?

Well, not exactly. When Hyundai first launched the i30 hatchback in Europe, Australia and other markets, it seemed that familiar nameplates such as Elantra and Sonata would soon be dead and buried. Not so. In fact, the i30 CW (basically, the station wagon version of the i30), is still sold in the U.S. as the Elantra Touring.

Read more »

Hyundai Preparing New Elantra Coupe, Azera and Genesis R-Spec with 429HP V8

After registering record sales in 2010, Hyundai seems committed to an all-out offensive with the company reportedly planning to launch a coupe version of the 2011 Elantra and the new Azera sedan in the U.S. within the next year or so. According to an Autoweek report, the news was broken at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco, where the Korean automaker also showed its dealers a photo of the upcoming coupe.

“They showed us a photo of it and it's gorgeous,” said Doug Fox, a Hyundai dealer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We weren't expecting that.”

Read more »

Hyundai to Challenge “Marketing Conspiracy” with Super Bowl XLV Ads

With its three ads programmed to air during the Super Bowl XLV later in the day (Sunday, February 6), Hyundai wants to show the American public that not all compact cars have “uninspired design, cramped interiors and limited innovation”, as marketing portrays them. Two out of the three advertisements showcase the 2011 Elantra sedan, while the third features the 2011 Sonata Hybrid. Videos available after the break.

Read more »