2006 Hyundai Sonata Lx Sedan 4-door 3.3l on 2040-cars

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2016 Hyundai Elantra spied uncovered

The next-generation Hyundai Elantra has been speculated on and teased throughout this year. In March we got a leaked photo of a South Korean-market Elantra, the question being if this is was actually the new car and if we'd get in the US. Then we got officially sanctioned sketches of the exterior and the interior. Now Korean site Auto Tribune has leaked photos of the next Korean-market Avante, which is our Elantra, and they actually line up with the automaker sketches. According to Google Translate, the pictures were taken at a Hyundai factory in South Korea by a contractor. If this is the real deal, Fluidic Sculpture has given way to a grille that might want to at least send a "Thank You" note to Audi. Flanking that are smoother lines and a more subtle treatment of the front end, with sleek, pulled-back headlights decorated with a lengthy LED signature above boomerang inlets in the bumper. The sides have been flattened out, losing some of dimensionality of the current car to go more mature. The rear end looks similar to the current sedan, but wider, with long taillights featuring three LED elements. Inside, a three-spoke steering wheel veers toward the plain, and the current continuous waterfall center console gives way to a two-section instrument panel that has an eight-inch infotainment screen at the top, above HVAC controls. At the base there's an open cubby that doesn't look to have a cover, and the gear selector lever incline appears reduced. The overall impression is less engaging to the eye than now. Auto Tribune says a 1.6 liter GDI is under hood, which puts out 175 horsepower and 196 pound-feet of torque in the 2016 Tucson. We'll see the real car at the LA Auto Show later this year. Click through to Auto Tribune for more photos.

Ford, Toyota clean up in Best Car For The Money Awards

The U.S. News Best Cars for the Money Awards picks winners by looking at the average transaction price, five-year total cost of ownership, the regard a car has from the automotive press, reliability figures from J.D. Power and Associates and safety data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The result, according to the magazine, is "the best combination of critical acclaim and long-term value."
Ford nabbed six of the 21 categories that received awards this year, the Focus, Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Taurus, Escape and Edge getting trophies. Toyota and its Lexus and Scion sub-brands took another five, the Tacoma and Tundra owning the two categories given to pickup trucks. The other ten awards were split between Honda with three, Buick with two, and one each for Subaru, BMW, Hyundai, Chevrolet and Mazda.
Follow the link to see all the winners and read about why they were chosen.

Hyundai/Kia's Prius rival to arrive by 2017

The Toyota Prius is the undisputed king of the hybrid market, but Hyundai and Kia are hoping to challenge its reign in the coming years with their own dedicated model. However, in all likelihood this is the same technology being shared between them. "We will take the lead in the future by raising the competitiveness of our environment-friendly cars like hybrid-only cars, plug-in hybrid cars and fuel cell hydrogen cars," Hyundai Motor CEO Kim Choong-ho said to Reuters, during the launch of another vehicle in South Korea.
While Kim didn't say when the model would be ready, Autocar in Europe spoke to people at Kia, who said that the company's own hybrid was two years away and codenamed the DE. The initial vehicle is reportedly a five-door hatchback that's about 169-inches long, with more conventional styling than the Prius. Its powertrain is reportedly based around a 1.6-liter engine with electric assist. A plug-in version might follow later, and other bodystyles on the platform are possible. A recently spotted test mule might show the current state of development on the project (pictured above).
According to Reuters, the decision for the new vehicle comes in order to meet tighter emissions in some markets. However, it seems like a challenging move for the US market. Hyundai already sells its Tucson fuel cell in limited quantities and the Sonata hybrid, and Kia has the Optima hybrid and Soul EV. Industry analysts are also predicting that hybrids might have a hard time versus internal combustion engines in the coming years. In addition, Toyota is rumored to get fuel economy close to 60 miles per gallon for some versions of the next Prius. All of these factors make selling the models here a potentially difficult undertaking.