2014 Hyundai Veloster Turbo on 2040-cars

Auto blog

China, meet Hyundai's new Mistra sedan

If there was no Hyundai badge, the front end styling of the Korean automaker's new China-only Mistra sedan could have fooled us into thinking it was a refreshed Nissan Altima. Walk around for profile and rear-end views, and we can see more than a bit of Azera in the newest Hyundai, too.
But the Mistra is indeed made for the Chinese market, Carscoops reports, and with a 185.6-inch length, 109.1-inch wheelbase and 71.7-inch width, in size it slots right between the Elantra and Sonata sedans. On the outside, the Mistra maintains Hyundai design cues but loses some of the swoopy styling employed on the Elantra and Sonata for more straight lines and angles.
The Mistra carries its more-restrained-than-Sonata looks to the interior, where occupants will be pleased to find brushed aluminum-look accents on the dashboard, some nice-looking wood trim (if that's your thing) and an easy-to-read instrument cluster with a digital center readout, similar to that in the Genesis sedan.

Hyundai will launch Genesis brand in December

Hyundai is about to go global with a new, high-end sub-brand called Genesis. Rumors of this spinoff have been swirling for years, but an announcement Tuesday confirms that the Genesis brand will launch in December of this year. "To elevate and differentiate the Genesis brand from Hyundai, a distinct design identity, emblem, naming structure, and customer service offering is being established," the automaker said in a statement. A Korean report states that Genesis will kick off with a new version of the Equus, set to launch next month, called G90. The rest of the lineup will follow suit with that naming structure (Infiniti isn't using it anymore, after all). The Genesis sedan as we know it will be called G80, and a new midsize model will be G70. A luxury SUV and sport coupe will round out the range, and all six models will launch by 2020. The rear-wheel-drive, midsize sedan is expected to debut in the second half of 2017. In order to properly create an identity of its own, Hyundai is creating the Prestige Design Division. Beginning in mid-2016, this group will be lead by Luc Donckerwolke, who was formerly responsible for design at several Volkswagen Group brands, including Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Seat, and Skoda. Hyundai Motor Group's chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, will oversee the work of Donckerwolke's new division. Genesis will initially launch in North America, China, Korea, and the Middle East. Hyundai says it will expand to Europe and other parts of Asia as Genesis grows. "The Genesis models will provide technological innovation, excellent driving performance and luxury to customers. Every Genesis model will be created with the needs of our customers in mind, so the resulting car will perfectly meet their needs without any unnecessary burden or excess," said Woong-Chul Yang, vice chairman of Hyundai Motor. Hyundai's full announcement can be found here, or in the press release below.

Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

It was just nine months ago that Strategic Vision announced its 2011 Total Value Awards, but you don't have to wait until next year for the 2012 awards. The Volkswagen Group keeps its lead as the number one brand, with seven products taking top category spots: Golf, Jetta Wagon, CC, Eos and Audi A3 Wagon, Q5 and Q7. Strategic Vision says "true innovation" - "rich and impactful, intuitive, motivational, in-depth and is able to trigger description by the user in great specificity" - is the open secret of the brands with the strongest showings. Results are culled from 77,153 owners covering more than 350 new cars bought between September of 2011 and 2012 ranked in the Total Value Index (TVI).
Other notable winners are Hyundai-Kia following VW in the brand category and having the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Sorento among category winners, the BMW Z4 taking the premium roadster category and the highest overall score of any vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt continuing to gather silverware in the Special Category, nabbing the second-highest score of all and representative of "nearly perfect innovation," and Chrysler and Dodge being most improved.
Check out the press release below for your day's dose of jargon and all the winners.