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Commercials are a great way to learn about culture; since a seller has maybe 30 seconds to get something across, you see what people think is the most important thing to convey and the best way to convey it.

Having said that, we have no clue what’s going on with some of the South Korean ads for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. In a couple of them, a genteel pair – we’ll call them Run CUV and Jam Master Hyundai – lays down some mad lyrics, presumably about the Santa Fe. When they’re not rapping, they’re set in short episodic dramas to demonstrate the crossover’s features. We’re not sure if the pair are famous in Korea and frankly, we have no idea what they’re talking about, but they look fun while they’re doing it.

Scroll down for your Asian commercial fix for the day. You won’t be disappointed.

Continue reading Hyundai raps rhapsodic about new Santa Fe in Korean ads

Hyundai raps rhapsodic about new Santa Fe in Korean ads

Forbes has measured the largest 100 companies in the world, and 10 automakers have made the list. This list is unique in that it measures the size of a company using a combination of sales, assets, profits and market value.

Volkswagen was rated as the top automaker in the top 100 (number 17 overall), with sales of $221 billion and $21.5 billion in profit. Toyota finished a close second, ranked number 25 overall with sales of $228.5 billion. Daimler finished at 37 due in part to $188.7 billion in assets and a $66.3 billion market cap. Ford came in at 44 with a market value of $47.5 billion. Honda, which also sells motorcycles and generators, among other things, rounds out the top five with $137.7 billion in assets.

Finishing outside of the top five were BMW (61), General Motors (63), Nissan (85), Mitsubishi (95) and Hyundai (96). Mitsubishi made the top 100 in part because it sells hoards of electronics around the world.

No automakers were able to crack the top 10, even with massive sales volume and solid profits. The top 10 was, however, dominated by the oil companies that feed those cars and trucks. Exxon finished number one, with five other oil companies in the top 12.

Automakers make up 10% of Forbes list of 100 largest companies

Prognosis Negative

How do doctors do it? How do they tell people that their loved ones are sick, afflicted, or even terminal? Sure, it’s one thing to deliver bad news like a mechanic: “Your transmission’s fried lady, that’s gonna be three grand.” But doctors need to be sensitive to the great anguish that will accompany their diagnosis. Nobody wants to find out that their formerly healthy family member isn’t well, and a doctor’s compassion is as important as his healing hand. The way the news gets delivered is crucial to how a patient, family and friends come to accept the situation and cope with treatment and its aftermath.

Can we then, get a doctor to write this review of the new Camry? Because after a week behind the wheel of the 2012 Toyota Camry SE V6, one thing is clear: This best-seller is ailing.

Now, we understand that the car is a veritable institution – there are presently some 40,000 people snapping up Camrys every month. And yes, for most of the car buying public, the new midsize Toyota will continue to provide safe and suitable, if unsurprising, transportation. By our estimation, however, there are at least two, probably three, maybe even four or five other midsize sedans offering a better overall package of price, performance and personality than Toyota’s breadwinner. The short list starts with the Kia Optima and ends with the Hyundai Sonata, but the forthcoming Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima deserve their shots as well.

Continue reading 2012 Toyota Camry SE V6

2012 Toyota Camry SE V6

Iran just became a bit less interesting for automotive enthusiasts with the announcement by Porsche that it will no longer do business there. The announcement was made Monday by United Against Nuclear Iran and New York Public Advocate Bill De Blasio.

“Consumers here have the power to force these companies out of Iran and tighten the screws on Tehran’s regime,” De Blasio said in the statement. “Our message is clear: you can do business with the Iranian regime or you can do business with the American consumer – but you can’t do both.”

This follows news that Hyundai will also stop selling or servicing its cars in Iran. But despite the ongoing international embargo against Iran, car shoppers there still have plenty manufacturers from which to choose. Fiat, Isuzu, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Suzuki, Toyota and Volvo are all still selling and/or servicing their models there. Sadly, for Iranians, nothing on par with Porsche.

But then again, most Iranians aren’t exactly flush with cash. A Bloomberg report from March says car sales in Iran were down 20 percent with prices up by about the same amount. For example, an imported Lexus RX350 sells for about $151,000 over there. Even in good times, that’s a tough monthly payment for the average Iranian. In that same report, a Tehran car dealer said he hasn’t replenished his stock of Porsche models for months because no one can afford them.

So either for political or economic reasons, we may soon see other carmakers pulling out of the Iranian car market. Check out the UANI press release below.

Continue reading Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran

Porsche officially stops doing business in Iran

Earlier this month, Rhys Millen took to Formula Drift Long Beach to introduce his newly updated 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe racer. After securing second place during qualifying and besting Nick D’Alessio in the top 32 battle, Millen spun on his second run of the top 16 contention versus Daigo Saito. Saito was 2011’s D1 Japan champion. The spin knocked Millen from a shot at the podium all the way to sixth place, where he tied with Tyler McQuarrie with a combined 64 points. With a total of six rounds left in the season, Millen and the Hyundai crew still have a shot at nabbing a championship podium finish.

Road Atlanta is next on the schedule. The sideways action gets started on May 11, so stay tuned for the results. In the meantime, you can check out the rather excellent HD video after the jump of the team’s Long Beach effort, complete with about a thousand different camera angles.

Continue reading Watch Millen dance with his new Genesis Coupe at Long Beach

Watch Millen dance with his new Genesis Coupe at Long Beach

Ward’s AutoWorld is well known for its annual “10 Best Engines” list, but the trade publication has been compiling a second list for interiors for a few years now. Formerly known as the “Interior of the Year” competition, Ward’s rebranded the list last year, naming the coolest cockpits under the “10 Best Interiors” moniker.

This year’s winners are a relatively diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all making the list. While Ward’s lists them in alphabetical order rather than crowning a single winner, we’re choosing to present them with the lowest as-tested MSRP first:

• Hyundai Accent ($15,925)
• Chevrolet Sonic ($18,745)
• Dodge Dart ($21,485)
• Volkswagen Beetle ($25,195)
• Mazda CX-5 ($30,415)
• Hyundai Azera ($36,875)
• Chrysler 300 Luxury ($44,855)
• Range Rover Evoque ($49,745)
• Infiniti JX35 ($54,800)
• Audi A7 ($67,430)

The first thing we noticed then is that while fully half the models carrying base sticker prices under $25,000, Ward’s was clearly not testing the base models of any of these vehicles. The Chevy Sonic, for instance, starts nearly $5,000 below the price of the car Ward’s drove. Even so, that half of the cars on the list could be legitimately called “affordable” is impressive.

Ward’s says 40 vehicles qualified for the competition by having “new or significantly improved interiors,” and while 13 of those were luxury vehicles, they only made up half of the winners. Ward’s says it judged the interiors based on design, fit-and-finish, comfort, ergonomics, safety, material selection, overall value, aesthetics, and human-machine interface.

Check out all the award winners in our high-res image gallery above.

Ward’s selects the 10 best interiors of 2012

If you’ve ever tried installing an infant car seat in say, a Jaguar XKR, you understand that just because a car has LATCH anchors doesn’t mean your car seat is going to fit. Those anchors are supposed to make child restraint installation a breeze, but according to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, many automakers aren’t following the spirit of the law requiring them.

The study looked at the 98 top-selling vehicles from 2010-2011 and found just 21 that met its criteria for having “easy-to-use” LATCH hardware. Making the list were the Audi A4; Cadillac Escalade; Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe; Chrysler Town & Country; Dodge Caliber, Grand Caravan and Ram; Ford Escape and F-150; GMC Sierra; Honda Pilot; Kia Sedona; Land Rover Range Rover Sport; Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class; Mitsubishi Eclipse and Lancer; and Toyota Tacoma.

The researchers used a test fixture that adhered to guidelines developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers to develop three criteria for evaluation. The first was having anchors that were easy to see and not buried beneath rear seat cushions. The second was having the LATCH attachment points unobstructed by seatbelts, foam or other parts of the seat. The third was that adults could correctly install the seats using less than 40 pounds of force.

While the study found that the majority of models didn’t nail all three criteria, the list of vehicles that didn’t meet any of them was much shorter: Buick Enclave; Chevrolet Impala; Dodge Avenger; Ford Flex and Taurus; Hyundai Sonata; and Toyota Sienna.

Scroll down to see a video about LATCH and read the full release from IIHS.

Continue reading IIHS says most LATCH systems are too difficult to use [w/video]

IIHS says most LATCH systems are too difficult to use [w/video]

A sale is a sale, right? Well, at least in the automotive world, that’s not entirely true. A sale to a regular consumer is, generally speaking and for a number of reasons, much more attractive to an automaker than a sale to a fleet company (sales to companies or the government, for instance).

With that in mind, it’s not surprising to hear Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik tell Automotive News that his company is looking to cut its fleet sales in half to about 32,000 units while simultaneously increasing retail sales by 100,000. If Hyundai manages to achieve those goals, it would post a 10-percent sales increase in 2012.

Hyundai to halve fleet sales, aims for 100,000 more retail units

Hyundai has once again partnered up with Rhys Millen, this time to create a new 2013 Genesis Coupe fit to take on Formula Drift. The specially prepared two-door boasts more then 600 horsepower thanks to careful tweaking by the minds at RMR. That’s a far cry from the 274 hp served up by the stock 2.0-liter turbo four, and so far, Millen is keeping the secret of how he pulled that much grunt from the four-pot to himself. We’re guessing this machine has been touched by the gods of forced-induction in all the right ways.

While Millen and his track-bred heathen are out vaporizing tires, Hyundai fans will have a chance to pour over the company’s other wares and compete for race gifts while at the track. This marks the fourth consecutive year Hyundai and Millen have partnered up, and this year, he’ll be the exclusive driver for the company at all Formula Drift events. Last year, the RMR team took first place in Las Vegas and runner up at Irwindale. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Hyundai shows Millen’s updated-for-2013 Genesis Coupe drift car

Hyundai shows Millen’s updated-for-2013 Genesis Coupe drift car

How much do hybrid drivers really, truly like their cars? According to R.L. Polk, not all that much – at least not in 2011.

Polk has released a new hybrid loyalty analysis that concludes that only 35 percent of people who bought a hybrid bought another one last year. The data comes from car purchases made in 2011, and Polk found that Toyota Prius drivers are the most loyal, both to the gas-electric technology and to Toyota itself. Sixty percent of Toyota hybrid owners bought another vehicle from the automaker, even if it wasn’t a hybrid. A recent J.D. Power Customer Retention Study found that the average brand loyalty was 49 percent, but that doesn’t take powertrains into account.

According to Polk, forty-one percent of Toyota hybrid drivers choose to buy another hybrid (from any brand). Interestingly, when Polk took out these Toyota buyers from their results, hybrid loyalty rates dropped to “under 25 percent. However, in our book that’s kind of skewing the numbers, since most hybrids sold in the U.S. are built by Toyota. When looking only at Honda hybrid drivers, for example, 52 percent bought another Honda and “just under 20 percent” purchased another hybrid (from any brand). The in-brand loyalty, says Brad Smith, director of Polk’s Loyalty Management Practice, shows that hybrids “can certainly give a brand a competitive edge when it comes to attracting new customers.”

What’s perhaps most interesting is that changes in gas prices, “had little impact on hybrid segment loyalty,” according to Polk. In the company’s quarterly hybrid analysis from 2008 through 2011, loyalty rates ranged from 26.4 to 41.8 percent, but spent most of the time in the 30s. See more details of the study in the official Polk press release by scrolling below.

Continue reading One and Done: Study says most hybrid drivers don’t buy another

One and Done: Study says most hybrid drivers don’t buy another

When we read through the press materials for the new 2013 Toyota Avalon, we had to double-check… had we downloaded the release for the wrong car? Because right here it says, “In Sport mode, throttle response is enhanced and steering effort is weighted… to offer a sportier character.” And what’s this about paddle shifters? This is the Avalon, the car that replaced the Mercury Grand Marquis in the hearts, minds and garages of Florida retirees.

But yes, we had the right car. Apparently Toyota is serious about developing more interesting and youthful products, and it’s off to a good start with the Avalon, based on what we have heard and seen at the New York Auto Show today. The car was developed, styled and engineered in the United States, and it will be built here too, at Toyota’s Georgetown, KY, plant. While that doesn’t mean much without a product that can deliver the goods, we like most of what we see. From the A-pillar on back, the new Avalon looks long and sleek and seems to have a lot of BMW inspiration in its design. The front grille, however, has way too much Hyundai Genesis Coupe in it for our tastes. Inside the Avalon, we see what looks to be a pretty stunning instrument panel design, and we’re intrigued by the capacitive touch controls Toyota has included.

While Toyota is declining to say anything about what powers the new Avalon other the fact that the engine will have six cylinders, we can’t imagine it will be anything other than a version of its corporate 3.5-liter. The big question is how much horsepower this new, sportier Avalon might be packing. The current car has 268 horses, though another derivative of the engine in the Lexus GS boasts 306. The 2013 Avalon goes on sale late this year, and we must admit, this is the first Avalon we might actually be excited to drive. Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading 2013 Toyota Avalon looks to shed geriatric image

2013 Toyota Avalon looks to shed geriatric image

We’ll be able to share full details on the electric LE Concept from Infiniti when the embargo lifts later today, but our ace photographer Drew Phillips happened to be on the automaker’s New York Auto Show stand when officials uncovered the shiny showcar while conducting a practice run-through of their presentation.

The four-door LE concept is broadly believed to presage an upscale pure electric production model based on Nissan Leaf mechanicals for the Infiniti marque. Our man on the scene indicates that the LE is a fairly striking bit of work, with a front end that fits in well with the brand (though the chrome-edged pinched grille is a bit much). The hood line incorporates bulges along its edges, presumably for aerodynamic purposes like those on Leaf. Phillips also remarked that the rear three-quarter view looks a bit like the Hyundai Elantra, a similarity we can see but don’t imagine Infiniti designers will necessarily appreciate.

We can’t talk specs yet, but for pointers, the Leaf’s electric powertrain generates 107 horsepower and 208 pound-feet of torque and it features a 100-mile range. Stick with us and we’ll have the full skinny around noon.

Premium Leaf: Infiniti LE concept presents itself early

Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik confirmed Wednesday that the all-new seven passenger 2013 Santa Fe will replace the Veracruz model.

“The Veracruz is going away,” Krafcik told Autoblog. “It ends production around November.”
Hyundai debuted the Santa Fe Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show in both five-passenger and seven-passenger configurations.

The seven-passenger Veracruz was a new nameplate for Hyundai when it rolled out in 2007. It never gained much acceptance in the U.S., so Hyundai has found a new way around that problem.

“It’s hard to establish a new brand name,” Krafcik said. “It can take $50 to $100 million dollars. Santa Fe is a golden nameplate for us, it’s a great product, and now it will be much more efficient in my marketing spend.”

Indeed. It will also be more efficient producing a five- and seven-passenger Santa Fe than two different vehicles. From the B-pillar forward, there will only be minor differences between the two Santa Fe models.

Furthermore, the new design of the Santa Fe moves it into Hyundai’s stylized fluidic design theme, something that has been very successful with the compact Elantra and midsize Sonata. The Veracruz, which still included many of Hyundai’s older design elements, just didn’t fit in with everything else.

Now, or at least in the coming months, it will be no more.

Hyundai Veracruz to end production “around November,” replaced by Santa Fe

You might think that Hyundai has pulled a fast one at today’s New York Auto Show by unveiling two different of its 2013 Santa Fe, one a two-row Sport model and the other a three-row family-minded model simply called Santa Fe. In reality, however, we’ve been expecting this since we first told you about the Korean automaker’s new strategy back in mid-2010.

The Santa Fe Sport seen above will offer buyers seating for five as well as two four-cylinder options. The base model comes equipped with a direct-injection 2.4-liter four-pot good for 190 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, while a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder good for an estimated 264 ponies will also be offered. Both will be offered paired to a six-speed automatic transmission, and either engine can be had with all-wheel drive. The latter comes with torque-vectoring cornering control, a bit of tech that Hyundai hopes will set the Santa Fe Sport apart from other affordable crossovers. More impressively, the automaker says it has managed to clip a whopping 266 pounds from the Santa Fe compared to the 2012 model.

Buyers who need a bit extra space may want to step up to the seven-passenger Santa Fe. The three-row model adds around four inches of additional wheelbase and a more powerful 3.3-liter direct-injection V6 with 290 horsepower. The additional inches allow for around 38.6 additional cubic feet of passenger volume compared to the Santa Fe Sport, and the long-wheelbase model should fill in for the ill-embraced Veracruz which is likely in its last model year. Hit the jump for the complete press release.

Continue reading 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe goes on big diet, unveils five and seven-passenger models

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe goes on big diet, unveils five and seven-passenger models

Chrysler Keeps Winning, Hyundai and Kia Set Records

Another chapter has been written in the comeback story of Chrysler, which reported a 69.7-percent sales increase in March compared to a year earlier. We’re starting to wonder, though, what will happen if gas prices continue rising. If consumers begin to shift their tastes back to smaller, more fuel efficient cars, Chrysler will find itself without much to offer. The promising Dodge Dart is coming but not here yet, and Chrysler doesn’t offer any passenger vehicles as hybrids or diesels. The Ram 1500 is of course available with a diesel, but we doubt consumers will flock to it for a respite from rising fuel costs.

Hyundai also had a good month of sales in March. Actually, it had the best month of sales in its history of selling cars in the U.S. Nearly all of its high-volume products are selling well, while the Veloster is picking up momentum and adding all-new sales to the mix. Soon, the completely redesigned Azera will go on sale, which means this new all-time sales record likely won’t last long. Its Korean counterpart, Kia, also enjoyed its best month ever.

A couple of automakers who seem to be teetering on the edge of trouble are General Motors and Honda. GM can be happy with positive performances last month from Chevrolet and GMC, but Buick and Cadillac continue to falter and find themselves on the very bottom of our sales chart trends this month. Honda, meanwhile, hasn’t seemed to have found its footing as well as rival Toyota, despite both companies reporting that their production lines are completely restored following a year of disruptive natural disasters.

Check out how the rest of the industry did in our monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 28 selling days in March 2012 versus 27 selling days in March 2011, so there will be a difference between monthly sales volume and the average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.

March 2011 - Fool on a Hill Edition

Hyundai Spreads The Five-liter Love

To hear Hyundai tell it, the company stumbled on something of a hit with the Equus. According to the automaker, the vehicle didn’t just waltz past sales projections. It crushed them. Last year, 3,193 Equus models went home to loving families, and while that’s not a huge number by any stretch of the imagination, the figure is well better than the 2,000 units Hyundai expected to sell. It was also good enough to snag the company a 5.7-percent share of the premium luxury sedan segment in 2011. So, how does the Korean automaker plan to build on this early Equus momentum? By adding power, of course.

For 2012, the Equus packs the same 5.0-liter V8 engine found in the Genesis Sedan R-Spec as well as a new eight-speed automatic transmission that helps keep fuel economy in check. With a few interior tweaks thrown in for good measure and the same gamut of standard equipment, the Equus continues to be a great reason to give the old stalwarts of luxury a second thought.

Continue reading 2012 Hyundai Equus

2012 Hyundai Equus

If you hear the pejorative “chick car,” what comes to mind? Mazda MX-5 Miata? Volvo C70? Would you believe neither made Inside Line’s list of 2011 models with the highest percentage of female ownership? No. 1, with 57.9-percent female ownership was the Volvo S40. Considering the female dollar is sought-after, it’s probably too bad that Volvo decided to axe the model for 2012.

That means No. 2, the Nissan Rogue with 56.9 percent, could take the top spot for 2012. Or maybe the VW Eos at No. 3 with 56.4 percent. We’re also kind of wondering how the new Fiat 500 will fare this year.

No. 4 is another VW that shouldn’t surprise. The cute New Beetle has been a perennial favorite among the ladies. It was No. 1 a year ago, but as we know, the newer, more aggressively styled Beetle is enjoying increased interest among the guys. No. 5? The Toyota Matrix, of all things.

Here’s how the rest shake out according to Inside Line:

Top ten 2011 models with the highest proportion of female buyers

1. Volvo S40 – 57.9%
2. Nissan Rogue – 56.9%
3. Volkswagen Eos – 56.4%
4. Volkswagen New Beetle – 54.6
5. Toyota Matrix – 54.1%
6. Hyundai Tucson – 54%
7. Honda CR-V – 53.4%
8. Toyota RAV4 – 54%
9. Nissan Juke – 52.7% (tie)
10. Jeep Compass – 52.7% (tie)

These are the 10 new cars with the highest percentage of female ownership

Consumer Reports has just wrapped up an evaluation of subcompact sedans, and the Kia Rio EX has rolled out ahead of the class. The four-door beat out its corporate clone, the Hyundai Accent and the Chevrolet Sonic to take the top spot. Evaluators pointed to the sharp handling and well-optioned interior in the Rio as reasons for the vehicle’s win. The newly redesigned Nissan Versa and unloved Toyota Yaris filled out the top five sedans. And what of the baby hatchbacks? CR once again credited the Honda Fit as leader of the pack, followed closely by the Versa Hatchback and Rio Hatchback.

The organization found fault with the base Chevrolet Sonic’s fuel economy, and found the turbocharged LTZ model to be too expensive. Evaluators also felt the Sonic Turbo “didn’t live up to its sporty aspirations.”

We’ll politely agree to disagree on that one.

All of the vehicles in the evaluation are either too new or scored too low in CR evaluations to earn a coveted Recommended rating. Hit the jump for a look at the full press release and debate amongst yourselves in Comments.

Continue reading Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent and Chevy Sonic top Consumer Reports subcompact shootout

Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent and Chevy Sonic top Consumer Reports subcompact shootout

The highly anticipated 2013 Scion FR-S – the sister car of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 – goes on sale this spring, and the automaker’s website now shows that the cost of entry will be $24,930 including destination. That base price gets you an FR-S equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, though Scion’s site doesn’t yet say what the cost will be for cars equipped with the six-speed automatic.

As we already know, the FR-S is equipped with a 2.0-liter boxer four that sends 200 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque exclusively to the rear wheels. And just yesterday, we learned that the FR-S is good for 22/30 miles per gallon (city/highway) with the manual transmission, or 25/34 mpg with the automatic ‘box. We’ve already had a chance to drive Scion’s new sport coupe, and while it’s certainly not the most powerful vehicle in the class, we found it to have excellent balance and declared it a more engaging steer than vehicles like the Honda Civic Si and Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Head over to Scion’s website for more information.

2013 Scion FR-S priced from $24,930

Mazda’s new compact crossover is coming out of the gate strong, with the 2013 CX-5 garnering generally good reviews that include praise for its fuel economy and best-in-class handling. Now, Mazda can tout a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, as well. The CX-5 snagged “Good” ratings across the board, including front, side, rollover and rear crash tests.

The CX-5 joins its stablemate, the Mazda3, on the 2012 Top Safety Pick list, which is growing rapidly. Just in the small SUV class that the CX-5 is categorized in, eight models are now listed, including the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Patriot (with optional side torso airbags), Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan.

Click past the jump to read the full press release from Mazda, as well as watch the CX-5’s IIHS crash test video.

Continue reading 2013 Mazda CX-5 latest to get IIHS Top Safety Pick laurels [w/video]

2013 Mazda CX-5 latest to get IIHS Top Safety Pick laurels [w/video]