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Honda, Hyundai and Kia get best word-of-mouth recommendations in US

Forget advertising, incentives and, yes, even our excellently crafted vehicle reviews, sometimes the best way for automakers to sell cars is still good ol' fashioned word of mouth. In an attempt to measure this "word of mouth" power, The Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, has created a new study called the Brand Advocacy Index (BAI). The index takes a look at how various industries perform from person to person. Those industries include automotive, smartphones, grocery, mobile telecommunications and banking.
The study polled more than 32,000 individuals across Europe and in the US to come up with the top 55 brands in these various industries. On the automotive side of things, the top brands in the US were Honda, Hyundai and Kia, all tied at 63 percent. On a global scale, Volkswagen and Toyota scored the highest with a 65-percent BAI rating (both in France). The average BAI for auto industry players tallied 50 percent.
As for companies in other industries, Apple's iPhone was the index's top-rated smartphone, Trader Joe's was the highest recommended grocery store, Virgin was sat atop the mobile telecom industry and USAA was the top retail bank. Scroll down for the full press release on the new study.

Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz might be the compact pickup we've been waiting for

The recent pickup truck renaissance and the dominance of the crossover has not been a great thing for car-heavy brands like Hyundai. That doesn't mean the Korean manufacturer is sitting on its hands, though, as it's taken the 2015 Detroit Auto Show to introduce the Hyundai HCD-15 Concept, also known as the Santa Cruz. The handsome trucklet heralds an eventual production model, and while the overall styling is likely to be softened by the time a sellable model arrives, there are a number of features present on this design-only concept that give us hints about the future Santa Cruz. Rear-hinged half-doors grant access to the back seats, while the cabin itself can seat five people without much shoehorning. The cargo area, while quite compact at first glance, can easily be expanded to space Hyundai describes as "similar to a mid-size pickup." Aesthetically, we're fans of the Santa Cruz's styling, which is more brutish than "fluidic sculpture 2.," without appearing brash. The hexagonal grille, upright front fascia, and fast C-pillar are all very nice touches, although the rear tailgate does appear somewhat awkward. The Santa Cruz's theoretical powertrain (it never moved while on stage, and it lacked a real interior) features at its heart a 2.-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder. With 190 horsepower, 300 pound-feet of torque and HTRAC all-wheel drive, we can only hope that Hyundai's powertrain claims see the light of day. Take a look at our full gallery of live images from the floor of the 2015 North American International Auto Show, and then head below for Hyundai's official statement on its latest concept truck. Hyundai's Fresh Take on the Sport Truck Concept Appeals to Trending "Urban Adventurer" Millennial Lifestyles Appeal of a Modern CUV with the Incremental Utility of an Expanding Truck Bed DETROIT, Jan. 12, 2015 – Today, Hyundai revealed its innovative Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This fresh concept reflects a completely new interpretation of truck utility for a new generation of buyers, especially Millennials, who represent the second-largest population of car buyers. "The Santa Cruz crossover truck concept meets the unspoken needs of a growing Millennial lifestyle we call 'Urban Adventurers'," said Mark Dipko, director, corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America.

Hyundai taps Lamborghini exec to lead Genesis brand

If Hyundai is serious about going after the big boys with the launch of its new Genesis brand, it's going to need the right people with experience in the luxury marketplace to pull it off. Fortunately it appears to have found just the man for the job. His name is Manfred Fitzgerald, and he'll be running the Korean automaker's new luxury brand starting next month. Fitzgerald was formerly director of brand and design at Lamborghini, where he worked for 12 years before leaving to start his own consultancy. As the latest Senior Vice President at Hyundai, he'll be tasked with leading the "brand strategy, marketing, and other business operations" for the Genesis brand. That means working closely with Luc Donckerwolke, who – having penned for a number of Volkswagen divisions including Lamborghini as well – recently left his post as head of design at Bentley to run Hyundai's new Prestige Design Division (which will handle the styling for all future Genesis vehicles). Donckerwolke works under Peter Schreyer, who – as chief design officer at Hyundai and one of three presidents of Kia – is the highest-ranked foreigner at the company. Schreyer is also a former VW Group man, having designed the original Audi TT and the Volkswagen New Beetle before leaving for South Korea. One year ago, Hyundai similarly tapped Albert Biermann – formerly head engineer at BMW M GmbH – to run its new performance division. Hyundai Motor Announces Manfred Fitzgerald to lead the Genesis Brand - Manfred Fitzgerald takes role of leading the Genesis brand - Genesis brand targets the global luxury car market by appointing a prominent figure that transformed Lamborghini into a luxury car brand December 28, 2015 – Hyundai Motor announced Manfred Fitzgerald, former Director of Brand and Design at Lamborghini, to lead the Genesis brand from January, 2016. Based in Hyundai Motor Headquarters Seoul, Mr. Fitzgerald will be in charge of establishing and executing strategies for the Genesis brand as the Senior Vice President. For the brand to set a strong foothold in the global luxury car market, he will take a core role in brand strategy, marketing and other business operations within the Genesis brand. During his twelve year career at Lamborghini, Mr. Fitzgerald played a pivotal role in transforming Lamborghini from a prototype car company to a luxury car brand and increased its sales ten folds as the Director of Brand and Design. Mr.