2009 Hyundai Genesis on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai Rockar dealership concept a kinder way to buy a car [w/video]

The simple car-buying battle line these days usually centers around dealerships versus some alternative method, like online, that bypasses the dealer. A few manufacturers are trying ways in between those two poles, so that customers can visit a retail concept brick-and-mortar location but avoid the negative associations they have with dealerships; Audi's done it in London, BMW's done it in Paris and Tesla is doing it all over. After two years in development, Hyundai has done the same with its Hyundai Rockar store in the Bluewater shopping mall in Kent, England. Hyundai UK partnered with Simon Dixon on the venture, Dixon being a 20-year veteran of the car industry who was frustrated by the experience of having to buy a car at a traditional dealership. Rockar, tucked between a Disney store and a Body Shop, keeps three vehicles in the store; if you prefer, you can handle the entire car-buying transaction online at home, or at computer stations in the store with the help of "Angels," otherwise known as salespeople. Focusing on the retail experience, however, the Angels don't have car backgrounds; they've been trained in the product, but we're told they aren't there to push it on you. Car hunters who want to trade in can input their car to get fair trade value; Rockar says all of its trade-ins go straight to auction, so values are based on dealer auction guides, and every customer gets a no-haggle purchase price. There's a test-drive facility in the mall's enormous parking lot, and prospective customers can go for a spin without a salesperson. It will also attend to routine service needs: owners can book appointments, bring their car to the mall, amuse themselves for a few hours and pick it up the car it's completed. Rockar says it will do routine maintenance on any car, not just Hyundais. Echoing Audi and BMW, Hyundai UK says this isn't about replacing the dealership, but trying to find a better, easier, and less stressful way for potential customers to interact with the brand and buy a car. Bluewater gets 27 million visitors per year, and in just over a month of being open more than 4,000 of them have stopped into Rockar, with three buying a car. Rockar says it will provide free service for three years for the first 100 buyers, and Hyundai expects it to be one of its UK's top ten dealers by the end of 2015. The video has more on the concept. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

2017 Hyundai Equus spied testing in the Arctic Circle

The camouflaged next-generation Hyundai Equus has been picked off everywhere from South Korea to Colorado to Sweden, and our spy shooters caught it again in the Arctic Circle. The second generation, unveiled in 2010, continued to raise the luxury tide for the brand and it looks like the third generation will do the same again. Outside we predict another evolution of the brand's Fluidic Sculpture design under the eye of head designer Peter Schreyer, but this version will go in a direction that looks like it will be known only by its details; the side window opening, at least, has gone totally conservative, but we're told the are some very slick headlights up front and a "chrome-rich front fascia." Underneath, it will lose weight by being built on a lightweight derivation of the current BH platform that includes more high-strength steel and aluminum. The 5.0-liter V8 will get more power and better fuel economy, and rumors are that the 3.3-liter V6 could eventually play a role here with some forced induction assistance. An eight-speed transmission might come with its launch next year, but a ten-speed transmission is on the way, working in RWD and AWD guises. Related Video: