2005 Hyundai Sonata Gl Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai To Fight $248 Million Judgment Over Fatal Montana Crash

A Montana jury has levied a $248 million ruling against Hyundai in the case of a crash that killed two occupants in July 2011. The automaker plans to appeal the ruling. Cousins Trevor and Tanner Olson were driving a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon when they hit another vehicle head-on. According to lawyers representing their family, the steering knuckle on the car cracked and this allegedly caused it to lose control. Hyundai claimed that fireworks had been let off inside the vehicle, which caused the driver to swerve. The company alleges that evidence that could have proved its innocence was barred from the case. The jury found in favor of the family and awarded them about $8 million in damages after a two-week trial. It claimed that Hyundai had shown "actual malice," according to Reuters. The jurors also slammed Hyundai with a further $240 million in punitive damages. Hyundai told Reuters that it plans to appeal immediately and called the verdict "outrageous." Autoblog has received a copy of the automaker's official statement, detailing its plans to appeal this case. Scroll down to read it. Statement by Hyundai Motor America While a tragic accident, Hyundai firmly believes the jury's verdict in Olson vs. Hyundai is mistaken and award of damages at three times what was sought by the plaintiffs is outrageous and should be overturned as Hyundai is not at fault. Eyewitness testimony established – and experts for both sides agree – that fireworks exploded in the unbelted teenagers' vehicle immediately before the July 2, 2011 accident, which involved the driver losing control, crossing the median and crashing head-on into an oncoming Pontiac at a closing speed of approximately 140 miles per hour – a speed confirmed by experts for both sides. Hyundai believes the jury's view of the evidence was distorted by a series of erroneous rulings by the Court, the most egregious of which prevented the jury from reviewing performance testing conducted by renowned failure analysis experts that would have disproven the plaintiffs' theory of the case – a theory derived by a local resident with no previous automotive experience. Hyundai will seek an immediate appeal. Technical Background The 140 mph closing speed head-on collision crushed the steering knuckles of both vehicles involved, a Hyundai Tiburon and a Pontiac Grand Am.

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs

The Hyundai Solus is a 500-hp Genesis Coupe for SEMA

Hyundai is working on a SEMA Show car again with its old pals at ARK Performance. This time the project is a wide-body Genesis Coupe dubbed the Solus, a performance concept theoretically aimed at the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F. The white paint is subtle for SEMA, but ARK Performance built new parts for practically the entire body. The bumper gets larger intakes and a carbon-fiber splitter, the fenders are widened at both ends, and a new hood fits the revised look well. Side skirts bring the styling treatment along the profile to highlight the more aggressive rear. The styling should mesh nicely with the 700-horsepower Tucson that's also coming to the event. ARK Performance didn't neglect the engine, stroking the V6 from 3.8 up to a full 4.0 liters and then adding a Rotrex supercharger. The result is a claimed 500 hp running to the rear through a six-speed manual. The company also installs its own coilover kit to help handling. This isn't the first Genesis Coupe Ark has tuned. The company has produced multiple tuned versions of the model for SEMA going back to 2010. Last year, it switched gears slightly with a 550-hp supercharged Genesis sedan called the AR550. Seventh Consecutive SEMA Vehicle Blends Premium and Performance Sponsorship Provided by Hyundai Car Care Express and Quaker State FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 30, 2015 – Leveraging its long-standing relationship with Hyundai Motor America, ARK Performance has released details on its race-inspired Solus Genesis Coupe, blending performance and luxury to take on vehicles like the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F. The vehicle will be revealed at Hyundai's SEMA press conference on November 3 at 11:30 a.m. PT. For the tuner's seventh consecutive vehicle built for SEMA, ARK added performance and luxury in tandem, creating a premium coupe that can go toe-to-toe with top rivals from around the world. Building on the success of last year's AR550 Genesis Sedan, the vehicle's design focuses on creating a wider visual look to give a more powerful stance using ARK's own "Solus" wide body kit. The interior also has been given a complete makeover with a redesigned dashboard, race-bred steering wheel and gauges, with ample carbon fiber. The Solus Genesis Coupe is sponsored by Quaker State and Hyundai Assurance Car Care Express, with more than 300 service centers nationally. Car Care Express provides customers with quick oil changes, tire rotation and other basic services in less than an hour.