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Autoblog Podcast #362

Episode #362 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert cover the year-end news, including the surprise resignation of Hyundai Motor North America CEO John Krafcik, strong early sales for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and 2015 Ford F-150 rumors ahead of its expected Detroit Auto Show debut. Dan also had a chance to look back at 2013 and ahead to 2014 with Autoline's John McElroy. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #362:
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Hyundai taps Lamborghini exec to lead Genesis brand

If Hyundai is serious about going after the big boys with the launch of its new Genesis brand, it's going to need the right people with experience in the luxury marketplace to pull it off. Fortunately it appears to have found just the man for the job. His name is Manfred Fitzgerald, and he'll be running the Korean automaker's new luxury brand starting next month. Fitzgerald was formerly director of brand and design at Lamborghini, where he worked for 12 years before leaving to start his own consultancy. As the latest Senior Vice President at Hyundai, he'll be tasked with leading the "brand strategy, marketing, and other business operations" for the Genesis brand. That means working closely with Luc Donckerwolke, who – having penned for a number of Volkswagen divisions including Lamborghini as well – recently left his post as head of design at Bentley to run Hyundai's new Prestige Design Division (which will handle the styling for all future Genesis vehicles). Donckerwolke works under Peter Schreyer, who – as chief design officer at Hyundai and one of three presidents of Kia – is the highest-ranked foreigner at the company. Schreyer is also a former VW Group man, having designed the original Audi TT and the Volkswagen New Beetle before leaving for South Korea. One year ago, Hyundai similarly tapped Albert Biermann – formerly head engineer at BMW M GmbH – to run its new performance division. Hyundai Motor Announces Manfred Fitzgerald to lead the Genesis Brand - Manfred Fitzgerald takes role of leading the Genesis brand - Genesis brand targets the global luxury car market by appointing a prominent figure that transformed Lamborghini into a luxury car brand December 28, 2015 – Hyundai Motor announced Manfred Fitzgerald, former Director of Brand and Design at Lamborghini, to lead the Genesis brand from January, 2016. Based in Hyundai Motor Headquarters Seoul, Mr. Fitzgerald will be in charge of establishing and executing strategies for the Genesis brand as the Senior Vice President. For the brand to set a strong foothold in the global luxury car market, he will take a core role in brand strategy, marketing and other business operations within the Genesis brand. During his twelve year career at Lamborghini, Mr. Fitzgerald played a pivotal role in transforming Lamborghini from a prototype car company to a luxury car brand and increased its sales ten folds as the Director of Brand and Design. Mr.

2015 Hyundai Sonata plays a more mature tune

Hyundai's new North American CEO Dave Zuckowski pulled a silky sheet off of the redesigned 2015 Sonata here at the New York Auto Show, ushering in not only a new era of domestic stewardship for the company, but also a new, more mature design direction for its mass-market vehicles.
Though we've already seen the striking sedan in a wealth of recent photos, seeing the car in person confirmed that Hyundai has another hit on its hands. The Sonata employs the Korean automaker's new "Fluidic Sculpture 2.0" design language, which we already witnessed in the new, much lower-volume Genesis. Hyundai describes the language as being more dignified, respectable and confident. We certainly agree with that.
Gone are the swooping lines of old, which grabbed our attention on the previous generation. They've been replaced by straight edges and harder angles, most noticeably along the car's beltline. A larger, more refined grille with a wide air intake leads the car down the road. The stance is athletic, with a steeper, coupe-like roofline, quad chrome-tipped exhaust ports and horizontal lines in the rear, which give the car a planted look. The redesigned headlights are wing-like in appearance and, man, that burnt orange color is sexy.