2010 Hyundai Sonata Gls Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Genesis luxury sedan range to get its own U.S. dealership network

Hyundai is informing its dealers that its 2-year-old luxury brand Genesis is ready to fly the coop. The company says it will focus in 2018 on building out a network of around 100 Genesis retailers with the goal of eventually operating standalone facilities to better distinguish the high-end brand. First dibs on applications for the new franchise licenses will go to existing dealers who also sell Genesis in "defined key markets," the company says. New Genesis showrooms will initially operate from temporary or shared facilities, with standalone facilities taking shape over the next three years. "At Genesis, we believe in putting our customers first and giving them a proper ownership experience," Erwin Raphael, general manager of Genesis Motor America, said in a statement. "To ensure that happens, we need to take this next step in the separation of the Genesis brand from our parent company." Genesis earlier this month announced the opening of its first headquarters-owned standalone showroom in the Gangnam business district of Seoul, South Korea. The two-story facility flips the script on typical dealerships by limiting exposure to the products from the outside "to maximize a private and personal setting that enhances the interaction between the customer and the product." The showroom also incorporates the brand's scent and sound, and it features a private Launch Bay for test drives and engagement with the vehicles via the virtual reality-based Genesis Virtual Guide. Hyundai launched Genesis as its standalone luxury nameplate in December 2015, though the Genesis had been a Hyundai sedan model name for several years prior. At the time, it said it planned six models by 2020. Most recently, we heard that Genesis is planning a third crossover for 2021, plus its long-planned electric car in the same year. Sales of its G80, G80 Sport and G90 in the U.S. nudged above 20,000 last year. It recently launched the G70, an entry-level compact sedan.Related Video:

2020 Kia Soul vs. subcompact crossovers: How they compare on paper

At 10 years old, the 2020 Kia Soul has entered its third, and potentially best, generation yet. To get here, it fought off other boxy hatchbacks such as the Scion xB and Nissan Cube. But now it faces all new competition: subcompact crossovers. They offer similar sizes, prices and flexibility as the Soul, but with a veneer of ruggedness. But the Soul is ready with its own rugged trim, the X-Line, plus the return of its powerful turbocharged variant. To see how the Soul stacks up to the fresh competition, we've compiled vital stats on all the tall hatches. Considering the prodigious size of the subcompact crossover segment, we've limited our selection to a few options that are similarly priced and sized to the Soul, and that offer a bit of funky styling. They include the Toyota C-HR, Nissan Kicks, Hyundai Kona and Honda HR-V. There are of course many more options, and you can create your own comparisons using our Compare Cars feature. (You can also check out our Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross comparison that includes a few larger choices). In the meantime, though, check out all the numbers on our selected vehicles in the chart below, followed by analysis after. Performance, fuel economy and drivetrains The crossover segment is diverse when it comes to powertrains, with all different displacements, induction systems and drive wheels. A surprising number of these supposedly rugged and off-road-oriented vehicles (at least more than normal cars) are front-drive only. These include the Nissan Kicks, Toyota C-HR and Kia Soul. But the Kona and HR-V offer all-wheel drive, with the Hyundai offering it on both engine options. Speaking of engine options, only the Kia and Hyundai have two possibilities, either a base 2.0-liter naturally aspirated engine, or a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. The base engines have identical outputs of 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, but the turbo engines differ. The Soul has 201 horsepower to the Hyundai's 175, but both make the same 195 pound-feet of torque. The Kicks, C-HR and HR-V all offer just one engine option, and they're all naturally aspirated. The Nissan's engine is the smallest and least powerful: a 1.6-liter engine making 125 horsepower and 115 pound-feet of torque. The HR-V is next with a 1.8-liter engine making 141 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. The C-HR rounds out the trio at 144 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque from a 2.0-liter engine.

Hyundai plots a Nissan Juke fighter

A few years ago, Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski suggested interest in taking on the Nissan Juke with a subcompact crossover. It looks like that project is coming together, as we caught Hyundai testing a small, curiously-styled SUV in Germany recently. The SUV is expected to share a lot of the same chassis components as the i20, a hatchback that's sold in other parts of the world, with the same engine lineup as the new i30, another hatchback that Hyundai doesn't sell in the America. In the United Kingdom, the i30 is available with engines including a 1.4-liter gasoline and a 1.6-liter diesel unit. Front-wheel drive would be standard with all-wheel drive an option. The heavily-camouflaged prototype doesn't give away a lot of the SUV's design. The front of the vehicle is hidden away, but what we can see the grille features hexagonal shapes instead of the horizontal bars that we've become accustomed to seeing in Hyundais. The headlights mimic the Jeep Cherokee's design with thin slits on top and larger, round units toward the bottom. At the back, camouflage hides the majority of the prototype, but the taillights appear to be different than the rest of Hyundai's offerings. The outline of the taillights resembles the same units found on the Intrado Concept, indicating the vehicle will get some design cues from the hydrogen-powered prototype. A single exhaust outlet protrudes underneath the rear end. The overall profile of the SUV appears to be smaller than the Tucson, which is currently Hyundai's smallest crossover in the US. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai SUV Spy Shots View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Hyundai Nissan Crossover SUV Future Vehicles