Autoblog

Hyundai is shaking its money makers, spending €60 million to upgrade its dealer network in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Each of 2,500 dealers will spend at least €24,000 on improving their facilities, with matching funds coming from both distributors and the parent company.

The plan is called Mission Q, and it has several objectives: upgrade the dealer experience, increase customer loyalty, and move the brand away from being considered solely for value or low cost. Hyundai wants "people to think of Hyundai as a market leader in quality, SUVs, family cars and because of our sports sponsorships, and then later come to the price discussion."

In addition to the new furniture and paint, Hyundai has created a brand academy at its European headquarters to train distributors and dealer staff. As it moves up the brand ladder, cars from China and India will be arriving to take Hyundai's place in price-first considerations. And that means that Honda, Nissan, and Toyota should probably start getting ready for another guest at the table.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]

Spies have caught a sleek new sedan doing the rounds in Korea. Word is that it's codenamed VG, will be arriving in '09, and will be "closely related to" the Hyundai Azera. While there is no word on engines yet, the car is expected to be front-wheel-drive. That doesn't exactly bode well for Kia's brief of being the sporty brand -- so sayeth Hyundai -- but the car is supposed to be "near luxury" and appears to have some all right lines, even under the camo. We look forward to seeing more.

[Source: Kia World]

The skyrocketing cost of commodities like steel and aluminum have pushed several automakers to raise the price of 2009 models. Hyundai is bumping the price of its 2009 models an average of two-percent to help cushion the blow in Korea and in the States. The price of steel has risen 60 percent in a little over a year, and other commodities are up over 20 percent as well. That's bad news for all automakers, and Hyundai expects the trend to continue. Hyundai's Kia brand stlil hasn't announce price hikes, but we're guessing the economical car maker will follow in big brother's foot steps.

To further complicate matters for the Korean automaker, its unionized workforce is unsatisfied with wages. The rank and file have scheduled four-hour work stoppages for Wednesday and Friday. Unless the government intervenes in the matter, the union will likely get some kind of wage increase, giving Hyundai and Kia yet another justification for raising prices.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

In a trend that is sure to prove popular, Hyundai will add a less powerful and more fuel efficient four-cylinder to the available engine lineup on its Santa Fe model when it is redesigned for 2010. As of today, the four-door crossover is available with a choice of either a 2.7-liter or a 3.3-liter six-cylinder powerplant mated to four- or five-speed automatics (a five-speed manual is optional on the smaller engine). Both are rated at 24 mpg highway in the current model. The next-gen Santa Fe will offer a new six-speed automatic with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder that is currently powering the 2009 Hyundai Sonata. Under the hood of the lighter Sonata sedan (and mated to a five-speed automatic), the second-generation Theta engine squeezes out 32 mpg on the highway. While we don't think the Santa Fe will pull a number that impressive, fuel economy in the high-20's shouldn't be out of the question.

[Source: Autoweek]

Less than a decade ago, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group was ranked 11th in the world in total sales volume. According to the latest publishing of the Automotive News 2008 Global Data Book, the automaker has impressively passed Honda to take 5th position. To climb six positions in just eight years isn't a simple accomplishment as it required stepping over such global automakers as Fiat, Chrysler, PSA/Peugeot, Nissan, and Honda. Last year, Hyundai-Kia sold 3,961,629 automobiles worldwide (Hyundai sold 467,000, and Kia 305,473 in the United States alone). While they still have a long way before they reach 4th position currently held by Ford (global sales of 5,964,000 in 2007), their move into other markets as witnessed by the luxurious 2009 Hyundai Genesis and the group's favorable June automotive sales (even in a depressed market) demonstrate the increasing strength of the Korean automaker.

[Source: AutoIndustry]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis

Unless you've been living in a mine deep in the hills of West Virginia, Hyundai's newest addition isn't coming to you as a surprise. Around these offices, we've been anticipating the rear-wheel-drive Genesis platform and its offspring of luxury sedan and performance coupe for years. While we'll have to continue waiting for the eagerly-anticipated 2010 Genesis Coupe, we've just taken our first drive in the elegant 2009 Hyundai Genesis sedan. Follow the jump to see if the most expensive Korean sedan ever sold on these shores is enough to take on the segment leaders from America, Europe, and Japan.


All photos copyright Michael Harley / Weblogs Inc.

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Hyundai Genesis

The story of what's underneath -- and inside -- the Hyundai Genesis is central to the story of the car and what Hyundai's trying to do with it. The body-in-white of the Genesis has a larger total body area than the Lexus LS460 and Mercedes S-Class. Yet ten years ago, if we had asked you which carmaker would create a rear-wheel-drive V8 sedan with a body structure that is larger, yet stiffer and lighter than the 5-Series or E-Class, would you have guessed it would be Hyundai?

Of course, you probably wouldn't have guessed that BMW would be selling all the MINIs it could make, or that Alfa Romeo would sell out a run of $200K supercars. The lesson: the games -- plural -- have changed for everyone. Follow the jump to find out how the Genesis is the spearhead of change for Hyundai and, if Hyundai gets its wish, the entire luxury segment. And be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res images below.

Click above for high-res pics of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis V6

Product placement inundates television imagery, from the blatantly branded soda tumblers on American Idol to more subtle appearances like what car Jack Bauer drivers. Looking to boost the profile of its new Genesis top-level sedan, Hyundai has secured the services of Davie Brown Entertainment, responsible for the masterful remake-a-palooza of the MINI in The Italian Job. Hyundais have been in film and television before, but the automaker is looking for more visible roles to help quietly promote its entry into Lexus territory. Pay-for-play deals will likely see the Genesis in movies where you'd see a 7 series BMW, Mercedes S-Class or a Lexus LS. Unfortunately, films for fall release that would coincide with the launch of the car have long wrapped production, so television is seen as the way to get a quick fix for Hyundai. Davie Brown has already had the car at several sets where it's been well received. When your favorite shows return after their summer hiatus, keep your eyes peeled for the Genesis. ER had a blatant endorsement of the Chrysler 300 when it first bowed, culminating in a street race and a dunk in the water, so we wonder what they could do with the Genesis?



[Source: Brandweek]

South Korea is working hard to crack down on corruption in its business sector, but the example-setting won't begin with Hyundai boss Chung Mong-koo. A Korean court gave Chung a three-year suspended sentence as punishment for embezzling monstrous sums of cash from the world's sixth largest automaker. Chung admitted to embezzling company money to pay off politicians, but that didn't stop the courts from going easy on the billionaire. The judge cited the fact that Chung used most of the embezzled money to run the business, but that answer isn't sitting well with many South Koreans looking for justice. Chung is a member of the chaebol, which is a group of families that control most of the wealth in South Korea. For all his wrong-doing, Chung spent a grand total of two months behind bars, and he's been ordered to donate $828 million. It's good to be rich apparently, at least in Korea.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, Photo by HONG JIN-HWAN/AFP/Getty]

click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring

While the big Japanese auto manufacturers have been incrementally improving their vehicles ever since they were first launched in the U.S., Hyundai has been bettering itself in leaps and bounds. While we're not quite ready to anoint Hyundai as the second coming of Toyota, it just isn't all that shocking anymore to hear that the Hyundai Elantra is now Consumer Reports' top-ranked 2008 vehicle amongst 19 other compacts and subcompacts. Beating out such high-quality stalwarts as the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius is very impressive work, and Hyundai is justifiably proud of the accomplishment. Jim Trainor, a Hyundai spokesman, told the Detroit Free Press, "As I got the note from Consumer Reports, we were ecstatic. Coming from such a highly regarded industry source like Consumer Reports, it really says a lot about what we're doing."

Besides the aforementioned Honda and Toyota models, Mazda also scored fairly well with its popular 3 sedan and hatchback. The popular-with-the-people Ford Focus managed a mid-pack rating. Holding up the rear was the Chevy Aveo, which shouldn't be too surprising given the extremely low cost of entry into that model.


[Source: The Detroit Free Press]