2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Dodge, Hyundai crowdsourced-funding sites deemed successes

What's not to love about crowdsourcing? This idea, after all, has given us Kickstarter as well Local Motors, but automakers are starting to use the social platform to sell more cars (or just drum up a little PR). Both Dodge and Hyundai have used "crowd-funding" recently, and while Automotive News is reporting that neither has racked up big sales with this gimmick, both automakers are pleased with the attention.
For Hyundai, it teamed up with website Motozuma.com to help customers crowdsource money for a down payment, and the automaker matched this amount up to $500. Last year, this helped Hyundai sell an extra 1,600 units, a fraction of its total 2012 sales. That figure is far larger than Dodge fared with the Dodge Dart Registry - it netted only two sales and a small number of individual options. This registry did help University of Southern California fraternity crowdsource $18,000 to buy a Dart for a local Meals on Wheels, however. Despite the low sales figures, Dodge and Hyundai are considering their crowdsourcing programs a success since it helped them connect with younger buyers.

Hyundai plans to catch up with other automakers, offer EVs

YONGIN, South Korea (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co is developing its first dedicated architecture for electric vehicles, seeking to catch up with the likes of Tesla in the growing segment with multiple, long-range models. While the platform will not be completed soon, Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia plan to roll out small electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) based on an existing underpinning next year, said Lee Ki-sang, who leads Hyundai-Kia's green cars operations. Hyundai will launch an electric SUV, followed by a sibling model by Kia Motors next year, Lee said, citing strong demand for SUVs. The subcompact or compact models would have a range of more than 300 km (186 miles) per charge, and would be "more competitive" than rival offerings, Lee said. And Hyundai said in a statement on Thursday that it plans to launch a new luxury electric vehicle under its Genesis marque in 2021, after introducing a plug-in hybrid version of an unidentified Genesis model in 2019. The separate platform represents a major push into the battery electric-car segment for a firm which has long trumpeted rival fuel-cell vehicles, reflecting strong investor pressure to compete more vigorously in a market that has been stimulated by U.S.-based Tesla's longer-range models. And tough fuel-economy and emissions regulations in the United States, Europe and China are compelling automakers to push fuel-efficient cars even though low oil prices have undercut demand. Hyundai's electric-car platform would allow the automaker to install a battery pack in vehicle floors to accommodate more battery capacity and maximize cabin space, Lee said. "The electric-vehicle platform will require high up-front investments, but we are doing this to prepare for the future," he said at Hyundai-Kia's green car research center in the city of Yongin, outside Seoul. He did not reveal the cost. Lee, a senior vice-president at Hyundai Motor, was speaking during an interview on the eve of an auto show that kicked off in Seoul on Thursday. Analysts said Hyundai had no choice but to build separate electric-vehicle platforms to be relevant in the segment. "The separate platform may incur losses initially, but Hyundai will be left behind the market if they don't offer long-distance models, like 300 km, 500 km and 600 km," said Ko Tae-bong, an analyst at Hi Investment & Securities.

2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan can be yours for under $40K [w/video]

While we've already tested Hyundai's all-new, second-generation Genesis Sedan in its home market, the Korean brand unveiled the American-spec luxury car to the sleep-deprived journalists of Detroit.
The big sedan isn't wildly different from its KDM counterpart, boasting the same pair of engines that have done so well in the first-generation car. The 5.0-liter V8 still produces 429 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque, while the 3.8-liter V6 returns 333 hp and 291 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the current cars, the standard eight-speed automatic can send power to all four wheels, if so optioned. Rear drive remains standard.
The big piece of news surrounding the new Genesis is that Hyundai is aiming to keep the luxury sedan's starting price below $40,000. We knew official pricing hadn't been released, but according to a report from Automotive News, the company is confident the entry level models should remain quite reasonably priced.