Spied: 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe

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Hyundai-Kia Remains Top Asian Carmaker in Europe for Fourth Month

Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group cemented its reputation as the top-selling Asian carmaker in Europe for the fourth consecutive month in May.

The Korean automaker sold 58,585 units to 28 countries from the EU and the European Free Trade Association last month to claim a 4.7-percent share of the market and rank 9th overall on the continent, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association said on Monday. Toyota sold 41,626 units to control 3.3 percent of the market, while Hyundai shifted 34,508 vehicles and Kia moved 24,077.

In terms of aggregate sales from January to May, Hyundai-Kia (283,506 sold) maintained a healthy lead over Japan's Toyota (256,935) to keep Hyundai Motor Europe Vice President Allan Rushforth in good humor. Rushforth said in a recent interview that the company aims to claim 5th spot in Europe by 2013 based on overall sales of 500,000 units a year.

Volkswagen currently claims pride of place in Europe, having sold 299,841 vehicles there last month for a 23.9-percent share. It was followed by PSA Group of Peugeot-Citroen, which sold just over half as many cars for a 13.5-percent share. Renault Group was third (8.9 percent) and GM fourth (8.8 percent).

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Hyundai Tucson FCEV Spotted in the U.S.

One reoccurring theme with alternative fuel vehicles has been what people have called "The death of hydrogen," in the past 12 or so months.

I don't exactly follow that considering there still is continuing research AND Shell recently built its first dedicated hydrogen. In addition, manufacturers are still investing into research and development.

Don't believe me?

[Source: Autospies]

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Hyundai 800cc Small Car for India Coming November

Hyundai Motors India Ltd. (HMIL), the Indian unit of the leading South Korean car maker Hyundai, is all set to launch its most awaited 800 cc small car in the Indian market in November 2011. The all new Hyundai small car will be priced below the Santro Xing model where it will be taking on India’s highest selling car – Maruti Alto. The new small car is currently in the final stage of development, where the company has been taking into consideration the needs and requirements of the Indian buyers. The car has been codenamed as H800 in the Indian market.

The car will be manufactured at the company’s Chennai facility. Considering the high demand of this segment, the new H800 model is expected to drive volume sales for the company, enhancing its market share as well as presence in the country. The new Hyundai small car is expected to be priced in the segment of Sub Rs 2 lakh.

In a recent statement, HMIL sales & marketing director Arvind Saxena said, “The car will be in the same segment as Alto and is expected to be a major volume player. It has been developed in Korea and will be manufactured at our Chennai plant.”

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2012 Hyundai Genesis Prada Limited Edition Goes on Sale in Asia

Hyundai has introduced the production version of its Genesis Prada in Korea, two years after a special edition was unveiled at the Seoul Motor Show. The limited edition variant is based on the 2012 Genesis sedan, equipped with a 430 PS Tau 5.0 GDi engine.

The company says the the joint project is the result of both companies’ approach to create a highly unique version of the Genesis model, addressed to the most sophisticated clientele.

The edition comes in three special colours, these being Black Nero, Blue Baltico and Brown Moro, and these are applied with a three-layer coat technology with stereoscopic gold pearl.

Dark chrome accents, in a nod to the unique palladium-coated buckles on Prada’s bags, are to be found, with the radiator grille, emblem and door handles wearing the material. The innovations introduced by Prada include also 19-inch alloy wheels and an outer, wedge shaped antenna.

Inside, there’s definitely no shortage of leather – the dashboard and the upholstery in the Genesis Prada get the artisan-crafted treatment in the form of “saffiano” leather, which is Prada’s signature top quality leather. Genesis Prada badging and a GP500 emblem round off things with this one.

Hyundai says the car will be produced by customised personal orders, and that it will work together with Prada to carry out exclusive VIP marketing activities on the vehicle, of which there will only be 1,200 units available for the Korean market. There are plans to offer the car to a limited number of Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including China, at a later point.



[Source: Hyundai]

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Kia Optima Outscores the Honda Accord in Consumer Reports Test

The redesigned Kia Optima outpointed the high-selling Honda Accord in a face-off between the two family sedans conducted by Consumer Reports. The Optima now ranks among the top 10 of all four-cylinder family sedans tested by the organization.

The Optima now ranks sixth among the four-cylinder family sedans tested by Consumer Reports, ahead of the Honda Accord and behind the Suzuki Kizashi. The Optima edged out the Accord by just one point in CR’s testing. Both vehicles achieved “Very Good” overall scores.

Top-scoring four-cylinder family sedans include the Nissan Altima, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry, in that order.

Kia’s Optima drew praise from Consumer Reports’ engineers for its handling, transmission, controls, fuel economy (25 mpg overall in CR’s own tests) and its crash-test results. Its lows included road noise, low rear-seat height, and limited rear visibility.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

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Hyundai Unveils Europe-Only i40 Saloon in Barcelona

Hyundai officially pulled the covers off the latest version of the D-segment i40 at the 2011 Barcelona Motor Show this week.

Full article and more images after the jump!

The debut of the i40 saloon follows the global reveal of the i40 tourer at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented, "The i40 saloon shares the same qualities found in the tourer.

"We have ambitious but achievable targets for the i40 range, expecting to sell 60,000 units in a full year and building on the momentum Hyundai has gained in Europe in recent years.

"The launch of i40 will help us reach 3% market share by the end of 2011," Allan Rushforth concluded.

The all-new i40 will be available with a choice of four Euro V-compliant engines: two petrol and two diesel.

These units cover a power spread of 115 ps to 177 ps, with torque delivery extended across a wide engine-speed range.

Manual and automatic transmissions will also be offered.

In a segment where diesel models represent over 75% of total sales in Europe, Hyundai is anticipating that the 1.7-litre diesel unit developing 136 ps will be the most popular engine among both private and fleet buyers.

Overall, Hyundai is expecting a 65/35% spread between diesel and petrol-powered i40 sales.

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