2014 Hyundai Sonata Gls on 2040-cars

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Is this the new Hyundai Elantra?

Hyundai's future models have a tendency to leak out of the South Korean market before they are shown elsewhere, and that appears to be the case with the next-gen Elantra. According to Indian Autos Blog, the official unveiling isn't scheduled in South Korea until April, but at least one shot of the upcoming sedan is online a few weeks early. Based on this single photo of the front of the car, Hyundai's designers are vastly altering the Elantra's styling for its latest generation, moving it closer to the current Sonata. The grille receives the wide, trapezoidal shape from the latest members of the brand's lineup, and the headlights wear a more angular look, as well. This image also barely shows an arching crease running up the side through the door handles. According to Indian Autos Blog, the powertrain range for the future Elantra might include the new 1.6-liter turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder from the recently unveiled Tucson. In European trim, the engine makes 174 horsepower and is paired with either a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission or a six-speed manual. If you're wondering why it's worth caring about a Korean-market Hyundai, it's because the automaker often only lightly tweaks designs (if at all) before bringing them to the US. So, this is quite likely an accurate preview of the next-gen Elantra in North America, as well.

Hyundai US marketing chief steps down

For the past four and a half years, Hyundai's marketing efforts in America have been steered by Steve Shannon. But now the Korean automaker is going to have to find a new marketing guru, because Shannon has reportedly stepped down with apparently immediate effect.
A career automobile marketer, Shannon came to Hyundai early in 2011 after over a quarter century at General Motors, effectively switching places with Joel Ewanick and Chris Perry, who moved from Hyundai to GM the previous year.
During his 25 years in Detroit, Automotive News points out, Shannon worked with such brands as Buick, Oldsmobile, Saab and Hummer. He was particularly instrumental in launching the Saturn brand and served as executive director of marketing for Cadillac prior to moving to Hyundai.

Hyundai crashes two Sonatas in public to prove a point about safety

According to The Korean Car Blog, Hyundai has a quality perception gap in the minds of its domestic customers, but it's not with another brand: some South Koreans think US-market Hyundai products are safer than those sold in South Korea. For example, home-market consumers think the US gets more advanced airbag systems than they do. Hyundai decided that the best way to combat that idea was to ram two 2015 Sonata 2.0 Turbos into one another, each one traveling at 34 miles per hour, in front of a live audience. From what we can glean from a Google-translated version of the backstory, the company had a local university professor secure two vehicles, a Lakeside Blue model from South Korea and a Venetian Red model manufactured in the company's US plant and flown over. It invited buyers of the 30th Anniversary Sonata and members of the local media to a drive-in movie premiere on August 22, the show actually being the crash test. In addition to the two Sonatas that would autonomously throw themselves at one another, the company had a Tucson Fuel Cell use its hydrogen fuel cell stack to make popcorn and 119 various emergency vehicles emergency services on standby in case anything went wrong. When guests were asked which car they thought would fare better, 74 percent of the crowd said the US-spec car. In interviews conducted on the street, 81 percent of respondents said they believe the US car is safer. The video above is in Korean, but car crashes are a universal language. Check it out to see which car comes out better.