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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 reveals CEO's pay for first time ever

Thanks to some government pressure, Hyundai's billionaire chairman, Chung Mong Koo, has revealed just how much he gets paid each year. Honestly, the amount is a bit lower than we'd expect considering he helms such a huge industrial empire. The 76-year-old chairman brought home $13 million in 2013, $5.2 million of which came from Hyundai's automotive business while both Mobis and Hyundai Steel chipped in $3.94 million, each. For reference, Ford CEO Alan Mulally netted $23.2 million in 2013, although the vast majority of that money came from stock options.
The push for Chung to reveal his pay was part of a larger effort by the South Korean government called the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. The act forces several thousand companies to release info on annual pay, bonuses and severance for employees earning over $5 million won ($469,000), according to Bloomberg.
"With the disclosure of the executives' compensation, the pressure to deliver better profits will increase," said Heo Pil Seok, the CEO of Midas International Asset Management. It seems to be working, as Hyundai shareholders, of which Midas is one, have seen their shares increase by 6.1 percent in 2014, which includes a 1.2-percent jump as of yesterday, according to Bloomberg.

2014 Hyundai Equus gallops into New York with first major refresh

Hyundai isn't horsing around with the Equus, its premium luxury sedan offering, for the 2014 model year. As stated in the automaker's press release, "Equus is the number-one shopped premium luxury sedan, well ahead of Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS, and Jaguar XJ."
We're not entirely certain what "number-one shopped" means, but regardless, that's some serious company to be rubbing elbows with. Hyundai is seeking to draw even more people into its showrooms to cross-shop the Equus with those German, Japanese and British rivals by issuing the car's first major update since it was debuted at the New York Auto Show in 2009.
Not a stone was left unturned in this comprehensive refresh, with the exterior, interior, powertrain and chassis all receiving updates for the new year. Most noticeably on the outside, the 2014 Equus gets a new fascia that includes a restyled grille, along with standard LED fog lamps. Inside, the changes are more drastic and include a brand-new instrument cluster and center stack to go along with "ultra-premium genuine wood trim."