2014 Hyundai Elantra Limited on 2040-cars

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Hyundai tops Toyota in annual CarMD Vehicle Health Index

CarMD has released its third annual Vehicle Health Index, which for the 2013 tracked the frequency and cost of repairs for "check engine" problems of 119-million vehicles built between the 2003 and 2013 model years. For the first two years of the index, Toyota ranked at the top of the list, but this year's results see Hyundai moved to number one, pushing Toyota down a spot.
The Korean automaker's rise to the top has been "fueled by its low repair frequency," according to CarMD. Toyota is second to Hyundai in lowest repair frequency, but Toyotas also have the highest average cost of repair. (Interestingly, General Motors vehicles have the lowest average.) Both Toyota's and Hyundai's manufacturer "health" ratings suffered this year, but Toyota took a bigger hit, which also is what helped Hyundai achieve the top ranking.
While Hyundai is the top manufacturer in the index, the 2012 Toyota Camry is the top vehicle. The best-ranking Hyundai was the 2010 Elantra (behind three Nissan models and four Toyotas), which took the number eight spot. Hyundai has six other vehicles in the top 100.

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.

Hyundai's 2015 Genesis Super Bowl commercial is Dad-approved

Super Bowl commercials allow advertising and marketing execs the opportunity to let their hair down, have a bit of fun and get silly. That's why Audi's ad features a mutant, CGI-animated dog, GoDaddy's spot features a beefcake Danica Patrick and Kia has recruited Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, from the Matrix films. Hyundai, meanwhile, didn't seem to get the memo.
It's not that its spot is bad, but it does feel a bit boring, playing a lot like Hyundai's non-Super Bowl advertisements - in other words, not something we're going to be talking about next Monday around the water cooler. Called Dad's Sixth Sense, the 30-second clip shows off the 2015 Genesis Sedan and its auto emergency braking system, after showing dad's saving their kids from what we imagine would be fairly painful, and in some cases horrific, accidents (tackling a hot barbecue, anyone?).
We've got the full spot down below. Keep your eye out for it on Super Bowl Sunday.