USA: 2009 Hyundai Azera

Hyundai has finally revealed all the official information and images of the refreshed 2009 Azera. Already on sale in many dealerships across the United States, the 2009 Azera brings a host of new exterior, interior, and mechanical changes. Hyundai has also kept the price stagnant, meaning added value for the car.For 2009, the Azera comes equipped with...

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Hyundai cutting production of Santa Fe

Hyundai will reduce production output of its US-made Santa Fe, as the automaker reported a 10.6 percent drop in net profit in the second quarter. Manufactured in Hyundai's Montgomery, Alabama plant, the Santa Fe has seen decreased sales due to escalating fuel prices. Hyundai told the Wall Street Journal that it will cut the Santa Fe production by 40,000...

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Slovakia: Kia produces 108K cars in first-half of 2008

Kia Motors announced that it has produced 108,000 units in its Zilina, Slovakia plant in the first-half of 2008. The company stated that its average production rate was 850 cars, with its best monthly numbers in April with 19,300 units. The plant primarily produces the compact Cee'd range, which accounts for 83.2 percent of the cumulative production....

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Hyundai Q2 net profit slips as sales rise

Hyundai Motor stated today that its second-quarter net profit has slipped nearly 11%, while its sales rose. The company earned 546.93 billion Won ($542.1 million) during the period, a 10.6% decline compared to the same period last year. On the other hand, sales rose 12.8% from 8.08 trillion Won to 9.12 trillion Won ($9.03 billion). The automaker did...

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Hyundai Avante/Elantra worldwide sales surpass 5 million

Hyundai has surpassed the 5 million sales milestone for the second time with the Avante/Elantra today. The automaker achieved the milestone for the first time with the Accent/Verna in 2001. The Elantra exceeded the 4 million mark in March 2006.Introduced in 1990 as the Elantra, the first-generation model scored 948,348 units cumulatively. The second-generation...

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Kia Soul & Forte on the streets

Here's yet another series of photos of the long-anticipated Kia Soul on the streets. The culprit in the spotlight is a Vanilla White model that looks to be the range-topping one, as indicated by the attractive 18-inch alloys, roof racks, and chrome door handles. I'm not sure if these are candid photos, judging by the high quality of the photos and...

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Europe: Hyundai launches emission-cutting i-Blue moniker

Debuted at the British Motor Show, Hyundai has launched a new range of low-emission vehicles under a new i-Blue marque. The first i-Blue model will be the i30 hatchback, powered by a 1.6L CRDi diesel engine. This model achieves 6g/km less emissions from the standard model. This was done merely by a change of gear ratios. In the UK, the i30 i-Blue will...

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Spied: Kia Soul rear-end exposed

I bring you the first spy shots of the production Kia Soul on the streets, sans disguise. One image is also the first to bear the whole rear fascia of the compact car. This particular mule is an attractive chocolate brown color that screams luxury. The Soul is set to be unveiled for the first time this September, while making its foreign debut in the...

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Australia: Holden releases facelifted 2009 Epica

GM's Australia division, Holden, unveiled the facelifted Epica mid-size sedan today. A rebadged version of the GM Daewoo Tosca, the revised Epica features minor exterior changes and introduces a new diesel model for the first time.Holden refreshes the outside of the Epica with a revised grille, rear fascia, standard Aero kit, and new set of wheels....

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Korea: GM Daewoo's Bupyeong plant idled for cut-off tire supply

GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. has announced that its main operations at the Bupyeong plant in South Korea have halted due to its tiremakers cutting off supplies for higher prices. "Domestic tire suppliers today stopped supplying tires to call for higher tire prices and the Bupyeong plant has been sitting idly since 1 p.m. (0400 GMT)," GM Daewoo...

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Romania: Kia cee'd represents 90% of brand sales

The Kia cee'd immediately became the best selling C-segment car in Romania when it launched last year. Soon after, the cee'd took the Car of the Year title in the country. Since the car's launch in April 2007, 2350 units of the compact car were sold in 2007. In the first five months of 2008, Kia has sold over 3000 units of the cee'd. Thus, the cee'd...

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Spied: Mystery wagon/crossover

Clueless? So am I. Here's a spy shot of an unknown station wagon or crossover car that was caught in South Korea. The location alone says that it is probably a Korean car, as foreign manufacturers rarely test future cars in the country. In comparison to the Hyundai Sonata parked beside it, the car looks to be fairly large. The length of the car also...

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Spied: Kia VG

Hot on the heels of our future product plan post, I bring you the first spy shots of the Kia VG. Due to arrive in Korean showrooms in August 2009, the VG will be the automaker's first in-house designed intermediate sedan.Closely related to the Hyundai Azera in terms of class, the VG will be front-wheel drive. The VG will be powered by either a 3.3L...

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UPDATE: Kia releases Soul powertrain details and a new image (more images)

Kia announced today that the Soul will be available in three powertrains: two gasolines and one turbodiesel. The automaker also released a new photo of the compact car. The Soul's launch date has been set to April 2009.The Soul will be available with a 124 horsepower 1.6L petrol, a more powerful 2.0L petrol, or a 128 horsepower 1.6L diesel with variable...

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India: Hyundai releases new i10 with Kappa engine

Hyundai Motor India Ltd. has released the long-awaited i10 with the automaker's new Kappa 1.2L engine. The engine is the result of $421 million in research and development, and $250 million in building the new plant in Sriperumbudur, India. Hyundai stated in its press conference that the Kappa engine will first make it in the i10.H.S. Lheem, Managing...

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USA: Hyundai offers 2009 Genesis lease promotion

Hyundai will launch an aggressive lease promotion on the 2009 Genesis V6 today. For a limited time, the base V6 model with a MSRP of $32,250 can be leased for $399/month with $2,199 due at signing for 24 months. While only 10-12% of traditional Hyundai customers opt for the leasing, Hyundai estimates that 50% of Genesis buyers will lease the car.Hyundai...

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Hyundai to show green technology at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Hyundai has entered the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time in its history. The automaker showcased its QarmaQ Concept and other green technologies from July 11th to the 13th at the Green Technology of Tomorrow pavillion. "The QarmaQ develops and validates over 30 key technologies, which will be selectively incorporated into future Hyundai...

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India: Hyundai to launch LPG variants of Santro, Accent

Hyundai Motor India spoke with Business Line regarding its plans to launch LPG (liquified petroleum) variants of the Santro and Accent compacts in the future. Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India Ltd., H S Lheem, stated that they are going to be launched in October. The automaker has already released CNG (clean natural gas) variants of the two...

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(UPDATED) Spied: Kia Forte hits the streets

We were informed by a Kia official yesterday that the camouflauge will be coming off for the Forte prototypes sometime this week. It looks like they have begun because amateur shots of the Forte undisguised are hitting the web already. The Forte is slated to roll into Korean showrooms on August 21st, with a North American launch sometime in 2009. We...

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