2011 Hyundai Sonata Gls Fwd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai NA CEO Krafcik awarded Automotive Executive of the Year

Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik is this year's Automotive Executive of the Year. DVN Business Assurance presents the award each year, and this year, Robert Djurovic, executive director of the award program, said Krafcik won the nod because he "reshaped the way Hyundai approaches the market with consumer focus, compelling design and enduring value." While speaking at the award ceremony, Krafcik said that he was humbled by the recognition and that he accepted the accolade on behalf of Hyundai team members, dealers and suppliers.
Krafcik joined Hyundai in 2004 as the vice president of product development and took on duties as chief executive in 2008. Since then, the automaker has seen a flurry of new products and a substantial jump in market share. His efforts have also helmed Hyundai to two North American Car of the Year awards in 2009 and 2012 for the Genesis and Elantra, respectively. Krafcik also helped Hyundai navigate through the company's fuel economy debacle that began late last year, in which the automaker admitted it overstated the efficiency ratings of many of its automobiles.
The Automotive Executive of the Year Award has been recognizing industry leaders since 1964. You can read the full press release below for more information.

Hyundai's bizarre pooping robot baby pitches new Sonata

There are certainly some very weird auto ads out there, but a new challenger is entering the ring with Hyundai's absolutely bizarre Exobaby commercial for the latest Sonata. Blending inspiration from the video game Mega Man, the classic 1970s TV show The Six Million Dollar Man and a waking nightmare, Exobaby falls very deeply into the uncanny valley. Its proportions and movement come off as just slightly distorted, and the result is a baby that's more creepy than cute for this ad. Things get even odder just a few seconds in when the robo-toddler poops. Ostensibly, the Exobaby ad is supposed to show off all of the high-tech features on the Sonata, but many viewers are just going to be left trying to figure out what they're watching. If you need just over a minute of weird advertising to lift your day, then this Hyundai commercial must be seen. Related Gallery 2015 Hyundai Sonata News Source: HyundaiWorldwide via YouTubeImage Credit: Related images copyright Hyundai Marketing/Advertising Weird Car News Hyundai Videos Sedan car ads

Hyundai recalls 205,000 Elantras for possible power steering failure [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Autoblog reached out to Hyundai spokesperson Jim Trainor for more information about this recall. He let us know via email: "Owners will be notified beginning in the second quarter." Also, there have been "no accidents, injuries nor fatalities," as a result of this issue. Hyundai is recalling 204,768 examples of the 2008-2010 Elantra sedan and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring because of possible failure of the electrically assisted power steering. The problem in these vehicles is that the ECU for the power steering can "sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist," according to documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If this happens, then drivers could suddenly experience a more difficult time driving the Elantras. According to a chronology submitted to NHTSA (that you can read in full as a PDF, here), Hyundai first became aware of this problem in 2010 and issued a TSB for it in 2011. At that time, just 0.25 percent of sedans and 0.36 percent of Touring models were shown to have the fault. However by October 2014, the issue had gotten worse, and 1.3 percent of four-doors and 1.9 percent of the hatchbacks were exhibiting it. The automaker believed that by maintaining manual steering the vehicles were still within the law, but "the industry has increasingly handled similar issues through safety recalls." In most cases, turning the ignition off and then back on rectifies things, but to fix this, Hyundai is updating the power steering control unit on these models. RECALL Subject : Electric Power Steering Assist may be Disabled Report Receipt Date: FEB 23, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V100000 Component(s): STEERING Potential Number of Units Affected: 204,768 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2008-2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA TOURING 2009-2010 Details Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America SUMMARY: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.