2013 Hyundai Sonata Limited Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai's zombie obsession is just good business

In case you somehow missed it, Hyundai has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with The Walking Dead, the critically acclaimed zombie apocalypse show that entertains the masses while they're waiting for the next season of Game of Thrones. Fans of the show will recognize Rick, Michonne, Carol, Maggie and Glenn's mint green Hyundai Tucson, a staple vehicle for the crew of survivors, but the relationship between manufacturer and show goes far beyond that. There's a whole line of Zombie Survival Machines, as well as a special-edition production model (shown above). Heck, even Hyundai's post-LA Auto Show party featured actors staggering about as startlingly realistic walkers (TWD's name for zombies).
So what is it about the dead that quickens the pulse of Hyundai's marketing department? Ward's Auto has a great interview with Steve Shannon, the brand's US vice president of marketing. In it, Shannon describes the sudden nature of the tie-in between the show and the automaker, while describing how the company's corporate overlords in South Korea saw the results of the deal. It's an interesting insight into automotive product placement, as well as Hyundai's marketing philosophy and plans for the future (spoiler alert: the Tucson, which has had a role in the show for several seasons, was seemingly abandoned at the end of season four).
Head over to Ward's and have a look.

Hyundai in hot water over suicide-themed commercial

There's a surprisingly long and storied history of automakers creating suicide-themed advertisements. You'd think the companies and their marketing firms would have figured out by now that such ads always result in a swirl of backlash - see examples from Audi, Citroën, General Motors and Volkswagen, all pasted down below, as proof.
It seems somebody at Hyundai didn't get the message that many people don't find suicide a laughing matter. A video making the rounds on the web that was, according to Hyundai, produced in the UK, depicts a man trying to commit suicide by pumping exhaust fumes into the passenger compartment of his car. As it turns out, the self-assisted death doesn't quite go according to plan.
Scroll down below to see the ad from Hyundai, a slew of similar spots from other automakers, and an official statement from Hyundai. After that, we suggest reading this piece from our friends at AOL Autos to see how deeply such thoughtless advertisements can affect people.

Hyundai's battle plan: More crossovers, no more Azera

We're living in a crossover world, and Hyundai is open about the fact that it's been struggling to meet demand for its utility models. Without production constraints, says Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski, the Tucson compact crossover would be outselling Hyundai's perennial volume model, the Elantra. There's a wide-reaching plan in place now to make sure Hyundai dealers are stocked with the models people want to buy. Step one involves upping output of existing models. Hyundai has brought tooling into its Montgomery, AL, factory to build Santa Fe Sport models alongside the Elantra and Sonata. (The bulk of Santa Fe Sport production takes place at the maxed-out facility in West Point, GA.) This will increase the model's annual production capacity by about 50,000 units. The new Tucson, which just went on sale last year, is being afforded an extra 50,000 or so units of capacity this year, which should put it ahead of the Elantra in the company's internal sales race. View 27 Photos The second part of the plan will bring new models. A B-segment crossover is in the works. This is a catch-up move to go up against several new models that seemingly popped out of nowhere: the Jeep Renegade, Fiat 500X, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Chevy Trax, and Nissan Juke. Toyota is the only other volume player still noticeably absent from, or at least not on the way to, this party, and that will be fixed with the next Scion model. The Genesis luxury brand has also promised crossover models, and we anticipate the engineers are doing all they can to get those to market as quickly as possible. Because Genesis models will be on platforms distinct from those Hyundai uses, it could be a couple years before the fancy utes land. When the lineup is filled out, bet on luxurious subcompact, compact, midsize, and fullsize crossovers. There's a good chance Genesis crossovers will outnumber its car models. As for the Hyundai brand's car models, remember the Azera? Neither does anyone else. Getting rid of this slow-selling sedan will help free up capacity as well as showroom space. The fullsize sedan is likely to continue on in other markets – specifically the home market, where it's called the Grandeur – but Hyundai Motors America won't go through the trouble of getting it ready to sell (or not sell) in the States any more.