2008 Hyundai Tucson Limited Sport Utility 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

2015 Hyundai Azera is refreshed, may still be on life support

What you see above is the 2015 Hyundai Azera. It's slightly refreshed for the new model year, with a new grille, lighting elements and fascia joining some newly standard technology bits inside the cabin. Other than those few updates, this is the same Azera we've known and loved since its most recent redesign for the 2012 model year. Thing is, we're not sure if the Azera will actually live past 2015 here in the United States. Hyundai has said that it still sees some space above the Sonata midsize sedan and its larger and more luxurious Genesis Sedan for a vehicle sized and priced like the Azera, but just hasn't been able to find many buyers who agree. Put simply, if you like what you see in the 2015 Azera, now would be a good time to mosey on over to your nearest Hyundai dealer to see if this fullsize sedan suits your specific needs better than competitors like the Chevy Impala, Toyota Avalon and Buick LaCrosse.

Hyundai testing more variants of top-secret commercial van

The commercial van market in the US is exploding with new products at the moment, with entries from Ford, Ram, Nissan and others. And we are seeing images (again) of Hyundai testing its own van in Europe, as well, though it's not known whether the model will make it to the US. While the company has offered work vehicles overseas in the past, this one appears to be a direct competitor to European vehicles with large bodies and tiny wheels like the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
The latest images show off not just the standard commercial van but also the pickup version, and interior for the first time. According to our spy shooters, Hyundai did not want people to see the inside of the test vehicle, reaching out specifically in an attempt to secure the pictures you see here. It's hard to say what's worth being so secretive about, but that big infotainment screen certainly looks like a nice addition. We still aren't sure whether the Korean company has opted for front- or rear-wheel drive for the model, but the gearshift suggests that it's using a six-speed manual transmission.
The pickup truck version has a cab that looks just like the standard van. Testing this variant suggests that Hyundai is addressing the need for multiple body configurations in the commercial space.