2008 Hyundai Veracruz Limited on 2040-cars

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John Krafcik stepping down as Hyundai CEO, replaced by VP of sales

Hyundai Motor America has announced that its affable president and CEO, John Krafcik, will be stepping down from his post on January 1, at the completion of his contract. He'll be replaced by the current executive vice president of sales, David Zuchowski.
Krafcik has helmed Hyundai through a product renaissance that's seen the Korean automaker go from budget afterthought to household name in less than a decade, launching stylish new models and expanding into new markets. "On behalf of Hyundai Motor Company, we sincerely thank John for his visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction, which has driven Hyundai's record growth over the past five years," said Im Tak Uk, the COO and executive vice president of HMA's parent company, Hyundai Motor Company.
"It's been a sincere privilege and honor to lead Hyundai Motor America over the past five years, and I am confident that with Dave's succession, our brand will continue to expand and thrive for years to come," said Krafcik in a Hyundai press release, available below. "We have many of the best and brightest employees in the business coupled with a committed and talented dealer network that will continue to pay dividends."

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

Hyundai swims against the current with new i20 Coupe

Coupefying hatchbacks is all the rage in the European market these days. Its what Opel and Vauxhall did with the latest Astra, and what Renault did with the Mégane, and now Hyundai is preparing to follow a similar formula, only in a smaller form.
While the i30 is the model with which Hyundai competes with the aforementioned Astra and Mégane, to say nothing of the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, it's the smaller i20 - recently introduced in five-door form - which the Korean automaker plans to give the coupe treatment.
Previewed in the teaser image above, the upcoming new i20 Coupe will enter a somewhat shrinking market for three-door superminis. Though the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa are still available with three portals, their forms are otherwise no more coupe-like than their five-door counterparts. (Mini has tried a similar approach with its Coupe, and Citroën has forked the C3 five-door and DS3 three-door, but those are decidedly more upscale offerings.) Alongside the Seat Ibiza, Hyundai is one of the few mainstream automakers offering three-door superminis significantly distinguished from its five-door versions.