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2016 Hyundai Tucson shows off its European trim ahead of Geneva

Hyundai is unleashing the first details about its next-generation Tucson ahead of the crossover's official debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show on March 3. So far, the Korean automaker is only talking about European specifications for the latest model that goes on sale in the second half of 2015 there. Still, this glimpse should give a good idea of what to expect from the future version inevitably coming to the US. The new Tucson largely blends the look of the current Santa Fe and last year's Intrado concept into a more angular, rugged CUV than the current model. As in the earlier teaser video, Hyundai's designers gave the latest generation horizontal, chrome-accented slats in the hexagonal grille to match the look of the other recent members in the lineup. The hood also takes on the somewhat flatter design from the Santa Fe, but the lower air dam wears an eye-catching mix of intakes, foglights and LEDs. In profile, there's a distinctive crease down the side, and the wheel wells subtly reinterpret the squared-off look from the Intrado. Inside, Hyundai claims that it focuses on improving material quality, and it's offering an attractive new Wine Red leather interior with black contrast to European buyers. There are also available heated and ventilated seats, and a faster infotainment system. The company is upping the safety assists too with features like Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Detection and more. These European models are made in the Czech Republic and offer quite an array of powertrain options. The gasoline choices are either a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 133 horsepower or turbo 1.6-liter mill with 174 hp. Diesel selections include a 1.7-liter with 113 hp, 2.0-liter with 134 hp or another tune with 182 hp. Transmission possibilities are either a six-speed manual or automatic, but the 1.6-liter turbo is available with a seven-speed dual clutch. North America will likely get its own drivetrain mix, though. Hyundai didn't release too many shots of the new Tucson. But we'll have live images from the Swiss show floor in a few weeks time.

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.

2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid gets bigger, better battery pack, lower MSRP

Just yesterday, we told you how Hyundai's 2013 Sonata Hybrid was late out of the gate (along with its mechanical twin, the Kia Optima Hybrid), with growing speculation suggesting that the company was revisiting its gas-electric sedan with an eye toward improving its efficiency.
Well, today Hyundai has released official details, and that's exactly what's happened. Sporting a larger starter generator, a higher output electric motor and a more potent 47 kW lithium polymer battery, the 2013 Sonata hybrid is more efficient than before. The revised hardware helps the sedan jump two miles per gallon combined over its 2012 predecessor. That pushes the 2013 Sonata Hybrid to 36 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined. Engineers also tweaked the machine's software, with revised driving pattern detection and engine on/off logic.