2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0l Turbo on 2040-cars

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Hyundai US marketing chief steps down

For the past four and a half years, Hyundai's marketing efforts in America have been steered by Steve Shannon. But now the Korean automaker is going to have to find a new marketing guru, because Shannon has reportedly stepped down with apparently immediate effect.
A career automobile marketer, Shannon came to Hyundai early in 2011 after over a quarter century at General Motors, effectively switching places with Joel Ewanick and Chris Perry, who moved from Hyundai to GM the previous year.
During his 25 years in Detroit, Automotive News points out, Shannon worked with such brands as Buick, Oldsmobile, Saab and Hummer. He was particularly instrumental in launching the Saturn brand and served as executive director of marketing for Cadillac prior to moving to Hyundai.

2017 Hyundai Santa Fe and Sport reveal facelifts in Chicago

Hyundai needs crossovers. With the national average cost of gas at just $1.71 as of this writing, (short-sighted) consumers are charging back to dealers demanding new high riders. That's bad news for car-heavy manufacturers like Hyundai, and good news for brands that have embraced CUVs, like Subaru. Consider this: Hyundai sold 181,725 crossovers from its roughly 800 dealers in 2015. In that same period, the Subaru Forester alone racked up 175,192 sales, and that's with a dealership network 25 percent smaller than Hyundai's. At the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, Hyundai is showing off updated versions of its two-tier Santa Fe range. There's a new, more pronounced and rectangular grille; sharper, less organic headlights, and LED running lamps in front. But there are also a bunch of new gizmos and gadgets that Hyundai expects to elevate the Santa Fe's safety rating. A backup camera is now standard and you can now snag adaptive cruise control with a stop-start mode. There's also a raft of new safety features, including lane departure warning, automatic high beam assist, and auto emergency braking with pedestrian detection. It's partially because of that last item that Hyundai thinks the new Santa Fe will score an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating. The company hasn't explained what changes will allow it to improve on 2016's Moderate rating in the small-overlap test, though. But if Hyundai is correct, it'd be a serious coup – the Santa Fe hasn't been honored by the IIHS since its redesign for model year 2013. It'd also put the Santa Fe in a rarefied class of ultra-safe mid-size CUVs. Only the Honda Pilot and Nissan Murano have scored TSP+ ratings. Prices increase by $400 on naturally aspirated models and $450 for the top-of-the-line turbocharged trims. The new Santa Fe is arriving at dealers now. View 12 Photos 2017 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LINE-UP FEATURES ENHANCED DESIGN, INFOTAINMENT, LED LIGHTING, CONVENIENCE AND SAFETY Comprehensive Product Improvements Combine to make New Models even more Appealing in every Facet of the Ownership Experience CHICAGO, Feb. 11, 2016 – The award-winning Hyundai Santa Fe lineup continues to dramatically improve for the 2017 model year. The improvements span everything from fresh exterior design and LED lighting signatures to additional infotainment, convenience and safety technologies and new Drive Mode selection with Sport, Eco and Normal settings.

Hyundai mulling new small CUV under Tucson

Hyundai maintains it can barely build enough of its core models to satisfy North American consumers, but that doesn't mean it isn't keen to expand its offerings to capture developing segments of the market. According to Edmunds, one of those expanding niches could be the burgeoning subcompact crossover segment. The website quotes Hyundai North America president and CEO John Krafcik as acknowledging his company is "very under-represented" in crossovers, the market's hottest vehicle type.
With the discontinuation of the Veracruz, Hyundai is down to two CUV nameplates, Tucson (pictured) and Santa Fe, the latter of which covers two segments with a two-row Sport and long-wheelbase three-row model. And while Hyundai commands seven percent of the US sedan market, the company estimates it only has two percent of the truck segment.
And while Krafcik stops short of confirming a new model, he acknowledges "a new segment is emerging" underneath the Tucson and says, "I think it's something to look at." At the moment, the subcompact softroader segment remains small and somewhat amorphous, with tiny CUV offerings like the Buick Encore, Nissan Juke, and now-discontinued Suzuki SX4 illustrating that there are a lot of different ways to package and market such a vehicle.