2014 Hyundai Sonata Se on 2040-cars

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2014 Hyundai Elantra gets new 2.0L engine, Sport model, tweaked styling

Most of the attention at Hyundai has recently been focused on the next-gen Sonata and Genesis, but before we see either of those sedans, the automaker is giving its small car lineup a significant overhaul.
Just last week, Hyundai unveiled the refreshed 2014 Accent, and today at the LA Auto Show it's take the covers off of its updated 2014 Elantra. All three Elantra models - sedan, coupe and GT - will receive the same changes, but Hyundai has only released pictures for two of the sedan models: Limited (above) and Sport (inset).
The biggest news is that a new, more powerful 2.0-liter, direct-injected inline four-cylinder is now the standard engine in the GT and Coupe, as well as the Elantra sedan's all-new Sport trim level. This engine produces 173 horsepower and 154 pound-feet of torque, and while the 2014 Elantra GT can still be equipped with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, the 2014 Elantra Coupe drops the option for a manual transmission; it also appears that the Elantra Sport sedan will come solely with the automatic. With the larger engine, fuel economy numbers do drop a little: all models powered by this engine receive EPA estimated ratings of 24 miles per gallon in the city. Highway estimates for this engine include 33 mpg for the GT with automatic, 34 mpg for the GT with manual and Coupe, and 35 for the Sport sedan. Sedan buyers looking for better fuel economy still have the carry over 1.8-liter engine with 145 hp, 130 lb-ft and EPA ratings of 28 mpg city/38 mpg highway.

Goes Both Ways: Free-trade pact sees South Korean brands losing share at home

France has been vocal, but not alone, in noting the rise of the South Korean automakers in Europe. The signing of a free-trade pact in 2011 between South Korea and the EU, along with the especially value-conscious buyers in a crisis-stricken Europe, has seen market share increases measuring in the double digits for Hyundai and Kia - analysts expect 14-percent growth for the two in 2012.
A report in Bloomberg has found that there's pain at the other end, too: The pact more than halved import tariffs on European cars headed to South Korea to 3.2 percent, and prices are now close enough to domestic offerings for more South Koreans to pay the premium for foreign luxury nameplates and the cachet they confer. Products sold by the five domestic automakers hogged 92 percent of the market last year, and sales have dropped 5.2 percent this year whereas import sales have risen by 24 percent. This will mark the first year that imports claimed ten percent of the market; compare that to 2002, when domestic market share in the world's 11th largest auto market was 99 percent.
The Germans are at the head of the arrow, counting for 65 percent of imported car sales, but every foreign maker has seen double-digit gains. Analysts think foreign makes could ultimately grab 15 percent of the market.

Hyundai-Kia fuel-economy errors trigger $300M in federal penalties [w/video]

This amount includes $100-million in civil penalties, the largest such fines in EPA history.
Hyundai and Kia are getting more than a slap on the wrist for overstating the fuel economy of an estimated 1.2-million vehicles in their 2011-2013 model ranges. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Justice and the California Air Resources Board are hitting the automakers with collective penalties valued at around $300 million for Clean Air Act violations. This amount includes $100-million in civil penalties, the largest such fines in EPA history. Specifically, Hyundai is paying a $56.8 million penalty and relinquishing 2.7-million greenhouse gas emissions credits. Kia is paying $43.2 million in penalties and giving up 2.05-million credits.