2014 Hyundai Sonata Se 2.0t on 2040-cars

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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 promises brand new EV for US within three years

The big and official news from Hyundai at the Washington Auto Show this week was that a bunch of people went to the website for the Tucson Fuel Cell CUV. But as Michael O'Brien, the vice president of corporate and product planning for Hyundai Motor America, was announcing that bit of news, an off-hand mention of something more battery-powered caught our ear. Hyundai calls the hydrogen Tucson the "next-generation EV," but in the US, that H2 vehicle will actually beat an EV to the company's showrooms. There have been hints about a Hyundai EV in the US before – and the Korean company has shown off the BlueOn EV (pictured), based on the i10 – but O'Brien was willing to give a little bit more information on the still-nebulous EV plans. "It will be a new product, that's all we can say right now" The i10 electric vehicles have been in service since they were used at the G20 summit in Seoul, Korea in 2010 O'Brien said, but the EV that's coming to the US will be completely different. It will be a compact-class EV wearing the Hyundai badge (so, not the Soul EV from sister brand Kia) that could, based on demand, be sold in more locations than the Tucson Fuel Cell, which is going to be limited to places like California where there are hydrogen fueling stations. "It will be a new product, that's all we can say right now," O'Brien said. "It will be within the next three years. Not a firm production date, but soon." In general, Hyundai is still more confident in hydrogen as the preferred zero-emission solution, and O'Brien cited range anxiety as the number one obstacle to EV adoption, with the slow recharge rate in second place. Still, strict emissions regulations mean that automakers will need to look at many options, and Hyundai is more ready than ever to dip its toes in the plug-in side of the pool. Featured Gallery Hyundai Blueon unveiled in South Korea News Source: Hyundai Green Misc. Auto Shows Hyundai AutoblogGreen Exclusive Electric dc auto show washington auto show hyundai ev i10

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.