Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Updated 2013 Hyundai Sonata hybrid has better MPG, a bigger battery, and cheaper price tag
Technology never sleeps. It keeps pushing forward, sometimes with big breakthroughs and sometimes with incremental improvements that are less noticeable, but do add up over the years. The 2013 Hyundai Sonata hybrid has gotten a dose of the latter, with an improved drivetrain that provides better overall fuel economy and better electric-only performance.
As you can see in the table below (Hyundai's formatting is a bit confusing, I know), the 2013 Sonata hybrid has an improved Hybrid Starter Generator (HSG), going from 8.5 kW to 10.5 kW. An improved electric motor, going from 30 kW to 35 kW, a substantially more powerful 47 kW Lithium Polymer battery pack, replacing the 34 kW pack in the 2012 model, and thanks to all this fuel economy is improved across the board: 36 MPG in the city vs. 34 MPG before, 40 MPG on the highway vs. 39 MPG, and a combined rating of 38 MPG vs. 36 for the 2012 Sonata hybrid. Basically, everything's better, and the base price has been lowered by $200, and it still has a "lifetime" warranty on the battery. Not bad!
Hyundai/Screen capture
When in pure electric drive mode, the 2013 Sonata Hybrid can drive up to 75 MPH.
The gasoline engine delivers 159 hp (119 kW) @ 6,000 rpm, and torque of 154 lb-ft (209 N·m) @ 4,500 rpm. Combined with the electric motor, it adds up to 206 hp (154 kW).
The Sonata hybrid still has a different styling from the regular gasoline Sonata, which gives it better aerodynamics. It achieves an impressive 0.24 Cd.
Hyundai has also announced pricing for the 2013 Sonata hybrid: $25,650 for the regular hybrid, which is $200 less than the outgoing 2012 Sonata Hybrid, and $30,550 for the new fancy Sonata Hybrid Limited.
Via Hyundai
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Come see why St. Cloud Hyundai is the top Santa Fe dealer in the state of Minnesota!
You'll find great deals going on right now for one of the best SUVs out there on the market today! Click here to see our inventory
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Hyundai Seeks Higher-End Solution
The country's dominant auto maker has fared well in recent years with robust sales of sedans such as the Sonata and the Elantra compact. But with foreign rivals encroaching on its home turf and the rising won threatening earnings, Hyundai is shifting focus to the higher end of the auto market.
Hyundai Motor Chief Operating Officer Im Tak-Uk says the company is shifting its focus to models like the Equus luxury sedan.
"We are selling more of the lucrative sport-utility vehicles and mid- and large-size sedans," said Chief Operating Officer Im Tak-Uk.
Upscale models accounted for only a third of the 4.41 million vehicles Hyundai sold world-wide last year, while small passenger cars made up more than 60%. The company targets total sales of 4.66 million vehicles this year, and Mr. Im said "raising prices is also an option" to bolster earnings.
Hyundai sold 425,782 SUVs such as the Santa Fe and Tucson and higher-end sedans such as the Equus, Genesis and Azera to the U.S., China and the Mideast last year, 26% more than two years earlier.
"If Japanese car makers become aggressive in raising incentives and the red light comes on in achieving our sales target in the U.S., we will consider raising incentives [for buyers] in the U.S.," said Mr. Im, who is in charge of Hyundai's international operations.
Hyundai's U.S. sales in January were up 2.4% from a year earlier, far short of the 14% pace set by the U.S. car market as a whole. For the full year, the company aims to sell 734,000 vehicles in the U.S., up 4.4% from a year earlier.
"If Hyundai posts a strong performance with its SUV models, it will help cushion the impact of unfavorable currency moves and the lack of new cars," said Suh Sung-moon, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities.
The Korean won has gained 6.4% against the dollar since the start of last year. The stronger currency makes exports more expensive for overseas buyers, and diminishes overseas earnings when they are repatriated.
Hyundai plans to run its overseas plants at full capacity to make up for any decline in output in South Korea, Mr. Im said. The company and its workers in South Korea have agreed to cut working hours beginning in March, dismantling a shift system that has been in place since 1973.
Hyundai has plants in the U.S., China, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil and India.
The auto maker is set to introduce only one model to the domestic market this year, the all-new Genesis sedan.
Mr. Im said Hyundai is working on a new marketing program in the U.S. but didn't elaborate.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Check out this pre owned 2013 Hyundai Veloster!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
When the industry moves left Hyundai moves right
The recently unveiled HCD-14 Genesis Concept that made its global debut in Detroit is a good example of what Hyundai’s intentions are in the future. And it will include going against what most automakers are doing. After coming off a record year in 2012 with an 8.6 percent increase in global sales last year, it’s hard to argue with their business model. Global sales last month in January were up 27.8 percent over last years numbers. Hyundai is one of the fastest growing automakers in the world and currently have seven overseas plants in Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, India, Russia, Turkey and the U.S.
The Korean automaker has a goal to overtake their hated Japanese rivals in the automotive industry and are making global strides in that direction. They are also looking at the German luxury automakers and see another huge area that they can compete in. And Hyundai isn’t afraid to defy convention and move in a different direction than most automakers.
The industry moves right, Hyundai moves left
Krafcik told the NADA dealers on Saturday that Hyundai has a business philosophy of defying convention and not copying what others are doing. In his keynote address Krafcik commented, “We like to say that when the whole industry moves to the left, we’ll have a look in that direction, but we’ll look even more intently at the opportunities on the right.”
It takes courage to do things differently when the industry is moving in a different direction. But Hyundai knows they will need to compete in the premium luxury segment to be considered a global player. And it all comes down to the companies philosophy. Krafcik went on to say, “ From our point of view, that’s leadership. We’ve distilled that philosophy into a three-word mantra: defy, design, delight.”
Hyundai will bringing out more luxury cars
Look for Hyundai to defy convention by developing more premium luxury vehicles in the future. It will also include developing fuel-efficient models that will appeal to the global masses. Krafcik cited Hyundai’s all-four-cylinder engine approach with Sonata and its unconventional premium product retail strategy with Genesis and Equus as examples.
Hyundai will keep the premium products under the Hyundai banner and let its sister company Kia appeal to a younger generation with products like the Soul and all-new hot Kia Forte 5-door SX performance hatch. The two Hyundai Motor Group companies are having much success and Hyundai will keep the brand moving into more luxury vehicles in the future. The current results see Hyundai having stronger buyer demographics and a nine percent market share in the premium segments in which it competes.
The HCD-14 Genesis Concept reveals the future
Krafcik concluded his NADA address by offering a glimpse into Hyundai’s future premium product design direction with the recently unveiled HCD-14 Genesis Concept. “At Hyundai, we know our success is a direct function of your efforts, and your achievements. Your skill and commitment, and your entrepreneurial spirit, give me confidence that going-forward, as an industry, we’ll continue to defy conventional thinking, and delight consumers in ways that we can’t even imagine today.”
Hyundai believes they can overcome future challenges and design cars that defy conventional wisdom and delight and satisfy their customers needs. It’s a good business model to follow and is moving the South Korean automaker forward. The recently unveiled HCD-14 Genesis Concept gives us an idea of where Hyundai is headed.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Check out our tire special going on right now!
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Superbowl ad watchers: Hyundai drives away with it
“Hyundai is really winning points for its broad, populist humor,” said Tim Cawley, a creative director at Hill Holliday/Boston. “That kind of humor used to belong to Pepsi and Bud Light. This year, it’s as though Hyundai came in out of nowhere and crashed the party. Their stuff has been really, really good, really surprising and they got the big Super Bowl thing.”
At an estimated $3.8 million for a 30-second spot, Super Bowl ads don’t come cheap, and success isn’t guaranteed.
To work, a Super Bowl ad need a certain spark and a touch of restraint.
“The Super Bowl is such a beautiful, crass, over-the-top example of American consumerism, but don’t try and sell something,” Cawley said. “Everybody’s just tuning in for pure, unadulterated entertainment.’
Coca-Cola’s “Security” ad, which shows footage of people being really, really nice to each other, had that something special, said Melissa Lea, president of Blitz Media.
“With everything that’s going on now, the security and watching people and the lack of privacy, it managed to capture the good in all that, as opposed to the evil,” she said.
Cawley gave high marks to BlackBerry, the embattled smart phone maker whose pricey ad took an unexpected twist, by telling viewers what it couldn’t do.
“It was funny, and it took a lot of guts to say, ‘We’re here and don’t forget about us,” he said.
Amongst the hits, there were many misses.
Small Army CEO Jeff Freedman and Hill Holliday creative director Joe Berkeley both panned the GoDaddy ad featuring supermodel Bar Refaeli kissing a nerd. It was the company’s way of saying its both smart and sexy.
“I thought it was nasty,” Berkeley said.
Dennis Franczak, CEO at FUSEideas, a Boston-based advertising firm, said a Jeep commercial got a “universal dud” at his Super Bowl party.
“Oprah did the voice over, and the message was about supporting the troops, but you could totally tell they were trying to put the Jeep as the hero, not the troops, so it felt insincere,” he said.
Source: Boston Herald
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