Hyundai and Kia Target 7 Million Sales in 2012

Despite the global economic crisis, Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have seen a rapid rise in global sales, thanks in part to their value for money offerings but also a new range of models.

As a result of the new sales records and increased demand, the two carmakers that currently form the world's fifth largest automotive group, increased the shifts in some of their plants and reevaluated their 2011 overall target to 6.6 million, up from 6.33 million units in the beginning of the year.

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Rhys Millen Video Teases SEMA Hyundai Special but Doesn't Say What it is

Once again, Hyundai is collaborating with Rhys Millen Racing [RMR] to create a special project car for this year's edition of the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas.

Even though the show is less than a week away, Hyundai and Rhys Millen won't give out many details in the 40-second-long teaser video. The only valuable clue we get is a quick glimpse at a tail lamp that looks a lot like the one featured on the Genesis Coupe, but we're not 100 percent sure.

You can watch the video for yourself right after the break.

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Hyundai to Introduce Commercials Tailor-Made for the Super Bowl

If there is one televised event in the U.S. that attracts record audiences, it is the Super Bowl. So it comes to no surprise that companies with an aggressive advertising campaign deem it worthy to pay a lot of cash (as much as US$3.0 million in 2011 and $3.5 million in 2012) for some air time during the game.

So far, Hyundai has followed a simple strategy when it came to its Super Bowl commercials: see what ads it has for upcoming models and debut them during the game.

But now, the Korean automaker, which has made quite an impact on the U.S. market with its new models, has decided to change its game: it wants to make commercials that are tailor-made for the Super Bowl.

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Hyundai Announces New 1.6-liter Turbo Gasoline and Euro6 2.0 Diesel Engines

They have been a long time in the making but the Hyundai Motor Group finally presented its highly anticipated Gamma 1.6 T-GDI petrol and Euro6 R-2.0 diesel engines today.

The presentation was made during ‘The 11thHyundai-Kia International Powertrain Conference’ that takes place on October 19 and 20 at the Rolling Hills Hotel, located near the Hyundai-Kia Motors R&D Center in Korea.

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Video: Lexus IS-F Goes Under the Crusher in California for Street Racing? Not So Fast…

A video showing an if not brand new, a not so old Lexus IS-F V8-powered sports saloon being crushed to death is making the internet rounds today.

The person that uploaded the specific clip says that local police officers in the state of California crushed the vehicle after they confiscated it for illegal racing. We looked around on the web, but we couldn't find any information regarding this claim.

Sounds like a great story but before you rush to accept the Youtube poster's version of the incident, you may want to know that we discovered the same exact video uploaded in December of 2010, but there's no mention of the car being confiscated.

Furthermore, we also found another recent clip of a Hyundai Genesis sedan being destroyed by the same crusher (notice the background and the blue color on the metal structure).

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Hyundai Announces UK Pricing and Sales Date for Veloster

Already available in many countries around the world, the new Hyundai Veloster will reach British shores in February 2012 with a starting price of £17,995 on the road and an insurance group rating of 16E.

The 1+2 door Hyundai model will offer buyers a single engine choice and two main trim levels, base and Sport. The Veloster is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder GDI petrol engine that produces 140-horsepower. It can be combined with a six-speed manual gearbox or Hyundai’s first dual-clutch transmission.

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Video: Why Are Three Kids Riding in the Trunk of a Hyundai Genesis?

Cramming three people inside the trunk of a car sounds like a mafia move, or in a less dramatic scenario, something you world normally expect to see in an impoverished third world country.

Yet the video that follows was allegedly filmed in a bustling city in South Korea. And mind you, we're not talking about a poor-man's mode of transportation but the near luxury Hyundai Genesis sedan (if we're not mistaken, that is).

But the worst thing of all is that it looks like the individuals riding inside the trunk are three young kids. What can you say?

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Supercharged Hyundai Genesis Coupe Hurricane to Hit SEMA Show

If one thing's for sure, Hyundai will have a strong presence at this year's edition of the SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas in November. The South Korean automaker, which has already shown us two Veloster tuning proposals, has now released details on another project, this time based on the Genesis Coupe V6.

The Genesis Coupe Hurricane SC was developed by Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. (HATCI) in cooperation with Magnuson Products, Rhys Millen Racing, Harman International and Torvec Inc.

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Hyundai Launches New Eon Low-Cost City Car in India to Compete with Suzuki

The game is on for Hyundai in India as the South Korean automaker launched its all-important new Eon city car on Thursday. The five-door hatchback is Hyundai's smallest model and it will be built and marketed in India where it will go up against the best-selling vehicle in the country, the Maruti-Suzuki Alto.

At 3,495mm long, 1,500mm tall, 1,550mm wide, and with wheelbase length of 2,380mm, the Eon is slightly more compact than the i10 hatchback (3,585mm long).

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Almost Half of Hyundai’s U.S. Showrooms to get a New Look

Hyundai’s vice president of sales, Dave Zuchowski, revealed that 231 of the brand’s 570 stand-alone dealerships in the States will invest a combined US$358 million in order to get an all-new look, consistent with the company's global standards, by the end of the year.

“We have not had a big push on consistency of our image and branding of our buildings in the past”, said Zuchowski. “Now that our brand has gained strength, it is a very viable investment for the dealer.”

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SEMA Preview: Another Hyundai Veloster gets Ready for the Tuner Treatment

Joining Hyundai’s ARK Performance Veloster Turbo at this year’s SEMA Show floors will be yet another specially tuned version of the South Korean maker's sporty hatchback, this one being prepared by digital media distribution company and publisher of Wrecked Magazine, PM Lifestyle.

PM Lifestyle's approach, however, will be different as the company teamed up with the students at Universal Technical Institute (UTI) with the goal of presenting modifications that can be "achieved in real-world garages".

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Bob Lutz Says General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai are the World's New Big Three

It's fall again, time for Bob Lutz to make headlines. Less than a month after "Maximum Bob" made his official comeback to General Motors as a consultant, the semi-retired car executive and onetime Marine pilot gave an in-depth interview to German monthly Manager Magazin.

Lutz was questioned about a variety of subjects that mainly concentrated on Opel and its relationship with General Motors, but he was also asked about the future of the industry in general, and whom he sees as being the major players.

According to Captain Lutz, the new big three in the automotive industry are General Motors, the Volkswagen Group and –wait for it- the Hyundai Group. And what about Toyota and the rest of the Japanese carmakers like Honda? According to the GM exec, Japanese automakers have lost it… Follow the jump for his (translated) response as well as the original Q&A.

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New Hyundai Veloster gets Turbocharged for Upcoming SEMA Show

We already know for a fact that Hyundai is planning to launch a more powerful version of its new Veloster sports car fitted with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine delivering 208HP for a 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint time of under 7 seconds (Carscoop has officially confirmed all numbers), with European sales to start in early 2012.

We still don't know when and if this engine will be offered in North America, but those interested in a more hardcore Veloster will have a chance to see plenty of aftermarket options at this November's SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Among the many Veloster proposals that are expected to be displayed in SEMA, is a highly modified model created by Hyundai in partnership with ARK Performance.

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VW Boss Caught on Film Impressed by the Hyundai i30’s Quality, Displeased with his Staff

Up until now, we were used to seeing Japanese and later on, Korean and Chinese executives measuring and taking pictures of every detail of their rivals’ cars at major auto shows.

But now the tables have turned, and in a big way: at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show we saw none other than VW CEO, Martin Winterkorn himself, examine Hyundai’s newest C-segment hatchback, the i30.

And boy was he impressed with the i30’s quality…But at the same time, he seemed to be frustrated by the work his own staff is doing in VW Group models. “I hear nothing!” Winterkorn said about the absence of any rattles while adjusting the steering wheel. “How did they do it?," he continued.

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Report: Hyundai Will Offer 10-Speed Auto Gearbox from 2014

Can you count to 10? Well done, so does Hyundai, and in particular the Korean company’s engineering team responsible for car transmissions. According to a Bloomberg News report, Hyundai Motor Group president Park Seong Hyon said that 10-speed automatic transmissions will become available in the group’s luxury models from 2014.

Only a few years ago, six-speed automatic gearboxes were available only in top-of-the-line cars. Then the gear count started to increase gradually: first at seven, which seemed like a novelty, and quite recently at eight, which most luxury carmakers rushed to adopt.

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SPIED: 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Shows a Little More Skin

What a tease; Hyundai's European engineers have decided it's time to drop some of the heavy camouflage off the 2013 Santa Fe prototype, mainly up front to expose the SUV's new snout while testing in the Alps.

The new Santa Fe, which will probably carry the iX45 moniker in Europe and other regions that have adopted Hyundai's alphanumeric nomenclature, appears to have grown in size compared to the current version.

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U Spy: New 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe / iX45 SUV Takes to the Heat of Death Valley

We really love it when our readers go (literally in this case), the extra mile to snap some pictures of future models testing out.

Today, we're happy to share some excellent photos of the next generation of the Hyundai Santa Fe, which will be renamed to iX45 in Europe and other markets around the world that follow the South Korean maker's alphanumeric nomenclature.

The man behind the camera was Carscoop reader Landoni Corrado from Italy, who during a visit to the USA, caught a bunch of 2013 Santa Fe prototypes hot-weather testing in California's Death Valley.

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Facelift 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Appears Again Undisguised

The refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has made yet another appearance online, this time on the Hyundai-blog, showing off its redesign snout without a shred of camouflage.

As reported previously, if not all, most cosmetic changes on the facelifted version of the South Korean automaker's first rear-wheel drive coupe are concentrated on the front and rear ends.

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Hyundai Photo Gallery Live from the Frankfurt Motor Show

The 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt is well underway and in this post, we bring you some live photos from Hyundai's stand.

The South Korean automaker's most crucial debut is the second generation of the i30 hatchback that targets the popular European C-segment with rivals such as the Opel/Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf, and Citroen C4.

The compact-size model goes on sale next spring with a choice of 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter engines in both gasoline and diesel flavors. You can read more about it in our previous article here.

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IAA 2011: New Details on the 2012 Hyundai i30

Hyundai has released some new chatter regarding the second generation of its i30 compact hatchback that will make its grand debut at next week's 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt

The South Korean car manufacturer's Ford Focus and VW Golf challenger will go on sale in Europe as a five-door hatchback in the Spring of 2012.

Buyers will have a choice of two direct-injection gasoline engines with a displacement of 1.4-liters and 1.6-liters, and two CRDi turbo diesels, again with a displacement of 1.4-liters and 1.6-liters.

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