2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Auto sales in March and first quarter down nearly across the board

Nearly every major automaker reported weak U.S. sales for March and the first quarter of 2019, citing a rough start to the year, but said a robust economy and strong labor market should encourage consumers to buy more vehicles as 2019 rolls on. GM, which no longer releases monthly sales figures, saw first-quarter sales fall 7 percent, with declines across all brands. Sales of Silverado pickup trucks fell nearly 16 percent and the high-margin Chevy Suburban large SUV dropped 25 percent. Ford also no longer releases monthly sales numbers, but is due to release its first-quarter sales figures on Thursday. According to industry data, Ford's sales fell 2 percent in the quarter and 5 percent in March. Ford representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FCA reported a 7 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and a 3 percent drop for the first quarter. All of FCA's brands dropped in March, except for Ram, which saw a 15 percent increase in pickup truck sales. "The industry had a tough first quarter, but with spring finally starting to show its face and continued strong economic indicators ... we are confident that new vehicle sales demand will strengthen going forward," FCA's U.S. head of sales, Reid Bigland, said in a statement. Toyota reported a 3.5 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and 5 percent for the first quarter, hurt by declining demand for its Corolla sedans and Camry vehicles. "While some of our competitors are abandoning sedans, we remain optimistic about the future of the segment," Toyota said in a statement. Nissan posted a 5.3 percent drop in sales in March, and its first-quarter sales were down 11.6 percent. Honda and Hyundai bucked the trend. Honda's U.S. sales rose 4.3 percent in March and 2 percent in the quarter, while Hyundai's were up 1.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Passenger-car sales suffered throughout the January-March quarter compared with the same period in 2018 as Americans continued to abandon them in favor of larger, more comfortable pickup trucks and SUVs, which are far more profitable for automakers. The battle for market share in the particularly lucrative large-pickup truck market intensified in the quarter, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram brand outsold the U.S.' No. 1 automaker General Motors' Chevrolet-brand trucks. The two automakers have both launched redesigned pickup trucks.

2014 Hyundai Elantra revealed in Korean spec

As is usually the case with most Hyundai models, we're getting a sneak peek into the future by way of the company's Korean market lineup. Hyundai released images of the 2014 Avante on its home-market Facebook page, showing us what the updated 2014 Elantra will look like when it arrives this fall.
With the fifth-gen Elantra just three years old at this point, all of the changes will be relatively minor. Judging by the pictures of the Avante, updates to the exterior include new front and rear fascias, new headlights with LED running lights, LED taillights and new wheel options. The interior also gets some visual changes, mainly to the buttons and controls. Hyundai is also adding more comfort inside its compact sedan by adding a ventilated driver's seat, heated steering wheel and rear HVAC vents.

2014 Hyundai Sonata gets host of improvements, starts at $21,350*

Hyundai has announced improvements for the 2014 Sonata, as well as a price increase of $450 for the base GLS model, which has a MSRP of $21,350. That doesn't include the *$795 destination fee, which was increased by $20 for 2014. The most expensive Sonata, the Limited Turbo, starts at $28,650, also not including destination.
The new features are numerous, but only a fraction of them come standard on all Sonata models. The new standard features shared by the GLS, SE, SE 2.0T and Limited models include a refined grille design (which isn't too different from the 2013 model, if we're honest), HID headlights, LED taillights, a slightly revised rear fascia, Driver Selectable Steering Mode (DSSM), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM) and a tire-specific tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). To improve noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), all Sonatas also get improved carpet, more foam in the A and B pillars and an additional dynamic damper.
Hyundai has added a rearview camera and blind spot mirror as standard equipment on SE and Limited Sonatas, and it's also offered on the GLS with the Popular Equipment Package. Blind spot detection also makes its debut on the Sonata, which is standard on Limited models and part of the Premium Package on SE models. The GLS isn't slated for a blind spot detection system.