2006 Hyundai Tiburon Gs Coupe 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai, Kia to temporarily close U.S. plants in path of Irma

SEOUL — South Korea's Hyundai and sister car maker Kia said on Monday they planned to temporarily shut down plants in the United States to avoid potential damage from Hurricane Irma. The shut down comes at a time Hyundai's U.S. sales have fallen more than the market average, and after it recently announced plans to expand its SUV lineup and launch a pickup truck in the market in an attempt to reverse the slide. In a statement, Hyundai Motor said it would suspend operation of its Alabama plant for two days - between Monday and Wednesday — while Kia Motors will stop operation of its Georgia plant for one day - between Monday and Tuesday. The suspension is expected to result in lost production of about 3,000 vehicles for both, the Yonhap news agency earlier said on Monday, citing a Hyundai Motor group spokesman. A Hyundai spokeswoman declined to comment on the number. Hurricane Irma took aim at heavily populated areas of central Florida on Monday as it carved a path of destruction through the state with high winds and storm surges that left millions without power, ripped roofs off homes and flooded city streets. Hyundai's U.S. sales are down nearly 11 percent this year through July 31, worse than the overall 2.9 percent decline in U.S. car and light truck sales. Sales of the Sonata, once a pillar of Hyundai's U.S. franchise, have fallen 30 percent through the first seven months of 2017. In contrast, sales of Hyundai's current SUV lineup are up 11 percent for the first seven months of this year. Reporting by Joyce LeeRelated Video: Plants/Manufacturing Hyundai Kia alabama

This is the Genesis I've been waiting for

In November Hyundai finally confirmed everyone's years long suspicion and announced the creation of its own global luxury brand, naming it the obvious choice, Genesis. The press release revealed a few important details, the biggest probably being that six models will be under the new brand by 2020. We can already account for at least two of these models as newly branded Equus and Genesis sedan models (possibly the coupe as a third) but we are left wondering for the rest. There is a strong argument for the Azera, as it was recently cut from Hyundai's line-up and the obvious choice of bringing in some ever important crossover models, especially while remembering the Veracruz experiment. The newly minted luxury name adds another player to an ever crowded high-end market, but a growing one, where there is room for deviation from the pack. Can Hyundai fill that niche and crack a historically expensive market to enter? I think so. Part of the Genesis plan is in crafting a proper luxury buying environment, what it calls its "hassle-free customer experience." It is unclear if this will mean fixed market pricing and no-negotiating terms but we can certainly draw that conclusion. As much as consumers claim they don't want to hassle, past attempts at fixed pricing have had mixed results. Though, with the emergence of Tesla as a real luxury contender using that kind of pricing model, maybe it's something thats time has finally come. When Hyundai introduced the Equus to the American market they placed an emphasis on the customer experience, requesting that each Equus qualified Hyundai dealership assign an "Equus Champion" to specifically handle all Equus inquires and follow a meticulously designed sales process. This salesperson had to take extra online training and pass multiple choice tests to maintain their position to sell Equus. Hyundai knows that customers buying a $60,000 vehicle expect a different experience than those buying a $30,000 one. The former group is more in tune to the concierge experience, a complete envelopment of the buyers attention and needs. Hyundai achieved this with personal on call attention from the Equus Champion, who went so far as picking up the customers vehicle well after purchase, dropping off a Genesis sedan loaner, and taking care of the entire vehicle service process (included free of charge of course) without barely any customer involvement.

Hyundai presents 70 movies in 10 minutes... and it's very strange

It's not often we can use the term "trippy" to describe anything we post here at Autoblog, but this German video, promoted by Hyundai and starring the brand's European-spec i10 is trippy, surreal and totally bizarre. And we love it.
Movie buffs will appreciate this ridiculous mix of classic movies into a strange mishmash that makes no sense at all. From Silence of the Lambs to the Terminator series to Pulp Fiction, The Godfather and 300, there's the list of films parodied in this spot is wildly diverse. We've watched a few times, and while we can name the vast majority of classic films shown, we have no idea what the actual point of the video is.
Take a look below and let us know what you think in Comments. But beware, there is some NSFW language.