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.

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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.

The first Elantra spot, called “Hypnotized”, will air during the first quarter and it “questions the idea that compact cars are as good as they can be”. It will be followed in the third quarter by the “Deprogramming” ad, which states, among other things, that “compact cars can be more”.

“We love the Super Bowl’s ability to transform over 100 million Americans into advertising aficionados, so we went with a playful theme that ties a marketing-driven conspiracy theory to our fresh take on the compact car segment, the 40-mpg Elantra”, said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “Building from the first two Elantra ads in the AFC Championship Game, and 10 viral spots online right now, the Super Bowl shifts the campaign into top gear with what may be the biggest group therapy hypnosis session ever attempted”.

Last but not least, the fourth quarter will bring the “Anachronistic City” spot starring the 2011 Sonata Hybrid. By creating a sharp contrast between the car and a variety of obsolete devices, Hyundai wants to highlight its commitment to innovation.

All three ads are the creation of Innocean Worldwide Americas and feature the brand’s 2011 “New Thinking, New Possibilities” vision.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Caught Testing in Dubai

The crew over at the Arabic website Assayyarat dropped these photos of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata in our mail this morning. The prototype model that was captured in Dubai had its front- and rear-end covered in plastic wrapping but we do get a general idea of what the mid-size sedan will look like when it hits showrooms in early 2010. And judging by the raked roofline and the 'stubby' boot design (first-gen Audi A6 ring a bell?), Hyundai is going for a more than welcome 'four-door' coupe look.

The photographer also managed to snap a few pictures of the Sonata's interior that is completely new featuring a swoopy dashboard design with very Volvo-like controls on the center stack and a pair of deeply set gauges which seem to be the industry standard these days.

The Korean automaker's Honda Accord and Toyota Camry fighter is expected to be powered by four-cylinder and V6 gasoline engines while Europeans will also be offered the choice of four-banger turbo diesels including a new 2.0-liter four-pot with 185 horsepower.

Photo Courtesy: Assayyarat

Hyundai Sells Over 200,000 Sonata Sedans in North America this Year, Sets New Record

The well received new Sonata is spearheading Hyundai's North American sales efforts this year, with the South Korean automaker selling more than 200,000 examples of the mid-size sedan in the U.S. and Canada in 2010, setting a new sales record. More importantly, the four-door saloon helped the company deliver more than 530,000 vehicles in the United States and over 110,000 in Canada for the first time ever.

"Sonata has delivered some pretty incredible results for us this year," says John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO. "Sonata is the Hyundai brand and it's appropriate that it has led our best year ever. Sonata's innovation has reset the most hotly contested, largest segment in the U.S. car market, with Sonata delivering more year-over-year retail sales growth – about 90,000 units – than any other car in the entire industry."

According to Hyundai, more than 70 percent of Sonata buyers previously owned a car from a brand other than Hyundai with more than 20 percent coming from Honda, Toyota and Nissan.

"This car has meant so much to the success of our brand and our dealers," says Krafcik. "While cars like Camry and Accord spend more than 50 days on a dealer lot, Sonata leads the segment in 'days-to-turn' through the first three quarters. The average Sonata is sold in 16 days."

The Hyundai CEO also added that the Sonata vastly improved its fleet sales record moving from sixth place in its segment last November with a mere 5% retail share, to third, averaging 13-to-16% retail segment share for most of the year, behind Accord and Camry.

In the States, the new Sonata is offered with three engine choices, a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four producing 198HP or 200HP (depending on the version), a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-banger with 274HP and a 2.4-liter hybrid variant delivering a combined output of 209HP.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Spied by Reader in South Korea

A prototype model of Hyundai's forthcoming 2011 Sonata sedan in plastic wraps has been spied parked on the road somewhere in South Korea by a member of the 'Hyundai-Blog' site. The new mid-size sedan that will be called 'i40' in Europe and other international markets, could be revealed in production form as early as this November at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show and go on sale sometime during the first half of 2010.

While Hyundai's people have done a pretty good job with the camouflage, some details like the more raked roofline suggest that the new Sonata will be much more adventurous in its design than the current car.

Built on a newly developed platform, the next-generation Sonata is said to be slightly larger than the outgoing model resulting to improved space for passengers and their luggage.

A four-cylinder and a V6 gasoline engine is sure to be in the mix while in Europe and other markets consumers will also be able to opt between the Korean firm's new 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter turbo diesels delivering an output of 185HP and 200HP respectively.

Via: Hyundai Blog

Mysterious Hyundai Sedan Scooped in Korea

A reader of the Korean-based Bobaedream forum has uploaded a series of photographs depicting a barely camouflaged Hyundai test-mule. We're not quite sure of what to make of it, but it appears that it is most likely based on the rear-wheel drive Genesis sedan. And how did we come to this conclusion, we hear you ask? Well, we simply compared photos with the Genesis and we found several common design cues like the shape of the roofline and windowline as well as the rear-end styling.

Plus, the car featured in these photos looks quite different than the next-generation Sonata scooped here, which could have been a reasonable assumption. Having said that, we gather that this mid-size sedan could be a Chinese-market version of some sort of the Genesis. Of course we could be completely wrong, but there's no point of making anymore speculations without having more information.

Hyundai 2011 Hyundai Sonata / i40 photos

Hyundai has released their all new 2011 Hyundai Sonata / i40. The 2011 Sonata is now expected to come with the i40 moniker in Europe. Part of the conversion of most Hyundai models to a numerical naming system in order to make Hyundai more, well, European.

What can be said about the styling? Well, it certainly aims to compete as a sedan/coupe, given its Mercedes CLS-like design. It will be up to consumers and critics to decide whether the design matches or merely mimics the Sonata/i40's European competition.

Under the hood will be the 2.4 liter Theta II engine with GDI (direct-injection) technology expected to churn out about 200 hp. A 2.0 liter petrol/gasoline engine will also be available in the Sonata range.



For Europe and Korea there will also be a 2.2 liter 'R' diesel with an impressive 204 hp that meets Euro 5 emissions standards. The North American market may see a Lambda V6 Sonata with about 250 hp.

Transmissions available will be a 6-speed manual or automatic. Hyundai will also be offering a slew of premium-level options including a panoramic glass roof, stop-start technology and paddle shifts on the steering wheel.

The new Sonata is scheduled to debut on September 10th. It goes on sale in Korea in October and will be released in the North American and European markets early in 2010.