2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0l Turbo Loaded on 2040-cars

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Hyundai Sonata's slow sales start to trigger more daring redesign

On paper, the latest Hyundai Sonata has been a winner. The sedan sold 216,936 units in 2014, around 13,000 more than the previous year, and the new model posted healthy year-over-year gains in both December and November. However, according to a report from Wards Auto, the Korean brand isn't happy with how the vehicle is doing and is planning a redesign, to be timed with the future refresh. Unveiled at the 2014 New York Auto Show, the latest Sonata has a more refined, almost luxurious air about it, and the sedan ditches the swooping styling from the previous generation. It also comes at a slightly lower base price. But the more mature design is also the problem. Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski told Wards during the 2015 Detroit Auto Show that the new model was "not as distinctive" as its predecessor. Previously, "people would seek us out because we look different. And we don't get that now," he said. While no details on the redesign were divulged, Zuchowski said the company was already at work on the shape. He suggested the changes would debut for the Sonata's refresh, likely in the 2017 or 2018 model years. Autoblog reached out to Hyundai about the possible design change and spokesperson Derek Joyce told us, "Dave was simply referring to our normal mid-cycle refresh where it's typical to make styling tweaks." According to Wards, the latest Sonata isn't conquesting as many buyers from other brands as Hyundai would like. The company reportedly raised incentives to get them to move. So while sales were up, the automaker was disappointed. AutoTrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs confirmed to Autoblog that incentives were high for the Sonata, but that had nothing to do with its design. "The midsize car segment has fallen out of favor with buyers who want utilities so they are carrying very heavy incentives. We expect that trend to continue and then some in 2015," she said. A previous report also claimed that the 2015 Sonata wasn't living up to sales expectations in part due to its more traditional styling. But the company shot down those claims because the sedan was still rolling out the entire range to dealers at the time. Even now, Hyundai is still adding the Sonata Hybrid and Plug-In to the lineup in the coming year.

Hyundai shows us two more Super Bowl commercials

Hyundai is gearing up to show five commercials during this year's Super Bowl, and you've probably already seen one of them called Don't Tell that's been airing on television for weeks now. The Korean automaker has released two of the other four ads, though it looks like it might keep the headlining ad for the three-row Santa Fe, called Epic PlayDate, under wraps until the big game.
Of the two ads published on YouTube, we like Stuck the most, which features the Sonata Turbo. It presents all of the horrid things you could be stuck behind on the highway as reason enough for buying a boosted Sonata with its ample passing power.
The other commercial, called Excited, features the 2013 Hyundai Genesis. Our funny bone didn't tingle much with this one, and it contains a grammar bugaboo that's a pet peeve of some editors in the Autoblog virtual offices. Can you spot it? Scroll below to take the challenge and let us know in the comments.

Genesis gets serious about selling cars in China with new CEO

Hyundai's Genesis brand announced Tuesday that former Mercedes-Benz vice president Markus Henne was named CEO of Genesis Motors China. Henne will be in charge of the company's push to introduce the brand to the world's largest automotive market.  Henne will report to the brand's new global boss, William Lee, who was appointed to run the luxury subsidiary in October. One of Lee's key goals is to expand the brand's footprint in Europe and introduce it to China. Henne previously served as VP of Sales & Marketing for Mercedes-Benz in Taiwan, and prior to that oversaw the AMG division in China.  Hyundai does not yet have an ETA for formally introducing the Genesis brand to the Chinese market. Feasibility studies are still pending.  Unfortunately, while China's auto market is massive, with more than 20 million units sold to date so far in 2019, it's also one of the most tumultuous. This will be yet another major obstacle to the success of Hyundai's premium brand, which has struggled to gain traction in the United States thanks to corporate restructuring and an anachronistic product mix leaning heavily on sedans.  Genesis is working hard to correct the issues with its lineup. A lack of crossover/SUV offerings would likely be the headline for any other struggling brand, but the company's woes extend far beyond the showroom appeal of its current offerings.  In 2019, Genesis completed a restructuring of its U.S. operations. America is the brand's core market, and for much of 2018, it was unable to do business in most states thanks to Hyundai's decision to spin Genesis off into an independent brand with its own dealer franchises. Throughout the year, sales volumes tumbled as Genesis simply did not have retail outlets through which to move product.