2001 Hyundai Santa Fe Gl Sport Utility 5-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai Elantra's alleged unintended acceleration sends teen, police on a 113-mile ride

Back in December, one North Texas teenager received a quick lesson in car control at the hands of his 2011 Hyundai Elantra. Elez Lushaj called police, after he says his car accelerated to nearly 120 mph on Highway 183 unintentionally. Dispatchers urged the 16-year-old driver to try everything from turning the car off to standing on the brakes and putting the car in neutral, but Lushaj told them nothing was working. Flummoxed, police simply did their best to warn traffic away from the speeding compact with the hope that the car would eventually run out of fuel.
Before that could happen, Lushaj lost control on Interstate 30 after some 90 minutes as he attempted to avoid a semi truck. The Elantra rolled four times, leaving the driver conscious but with several broken bones. Police commended Lushaj for keeping the car on the road and away from population centers for as long as he did.
Hyundai, meanwhile, said that it hasn't heard anything on the case. Spokesperson Jim Trainor reported to WFAA that it was "extremely unlikely for simultaneous and spontaneous total system failures for the brakes, accelerator and transmission to occur at the same time" and notes that Hyundai would like to investigate, but this is the first they've heard of Lushaj's wild ride. You can watch a local news report on the incident below for more information.

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.

Hyundai NA CEO Krafcik awarded Automotive Executive of the Year

Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik is this year's Automotive Executive of the Year. DVN Business Assurance presents the award each year, and this year, Robert Djurovic, executive director of the award program, said Krafcik won the nod because he "reshaped the way Hyundai approaches the market with consumer focus, compelling design and enduring value." While speaking at the award ceremony, Krafcik said that he was humbled by the recognition and that he accepted the accolade on behalf of Hyundai team members, dealers and suppliers.
Krafcik joined Hyundai in 2004 as the vice president of product development and took on duties as chief executive in 2008. Since then, the automaker has seen a flurry of new products and a substantial jump in market share. His efforts have also helmed Hyundai to two North American Car of the Year awards in 2009 and 2012 for the Genesis and Elantra, respectively. Krafcik also helped Hyundai navigate through the company's fuel economy debacle that began late last year, in which the automaker admitted it overstated the efficiency ratings of many of its automobiles.
The Automotive Executive of the Year Award has been recognizing industry leaders since 1964. You can read the full press release below for more information.