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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #317 LIVE!

We record Autoblog Podcast #317 tonight, and you can drop us your questions and comments regarding the rest of the week's news via our Q&A module below. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #317
Mitsubishi Mirage

VW planning to push Hyundai for World Cup eyeballs

Adidas was an official sponsor of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but the German sportswear company got drowned out of early advertising buzz by Nike, which wasn't a World Cup sponsor. The American company's Write the Future ad put it at the top of Nielsen's study of online buzz, ahead of Adidas. The same thing happened to official World Cup sponsor Budweiser when it got drummed out of the top ten in Nielsen's buzz ratings, while Danish brewer Carlsberg - not a Cup sponsor - ranked sixth.
Volkswagen hopes to score the same goal on Hyundai during this year's World Cup in Brazil. Hyundai and Kia have been official sponsors of the global soccer federation FIFA since 2002 and are official sponsors of the World Cup through 2022. VW has "a major ad buy" planned to run on ABC, ESPN and Univision as well as digital and social media channels during the competition, which begins June 12, to promote the GTI. VW of America's VP of marketing said the Cup's attraction to young males and Hispanics makes it the perfect place to promote the hot hatch.
The sparring between Hyundai and VW has already begun. Volkswagen's Gol compact, named for the Portuguese word for a soccer goal, has been the best selling car in Brazil for 27 years, and the German company sponsors the national soccer team. When Hyundai Brazil began a promotional campaign promising to extend its five-year warranty for six if the Brazilians won a sixth world cup, Volkswagen of Brazil complained to the soccer federation, which asked Hyundai to pull the campaign. As of this writing, that hasn't happened, so we expect it'll be boots on, gloves off, on and off the pitch this summer.

Hyundai reveals more 2015 Genesis details

After we posted the renderings of the 2015 Hyundai Genesis last night, Hyundai issued a full press release revealing some of the details about its next-generation sedan. Set to make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in a few months, the 2015 Genesis promises to bring a whole new level of styling and technology to the Korean automaker's portfolio.
Hyundai says that the design used on this car is part of its Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 language that we expect to slowly make its way across the entire lineup. Major styling changes include a taller, upright, single-frame grille (think Audi), larger headlights, sharper body lines and the swept-back, couple-like roofline. Except for spy shots, we still have no clue what the interior of the new Genesis will look like, but Hyundai says the sedan will be more intuitive for drivers to interact with. On the Genesis-foretelling HCD-14 Concept, this included a head-up display, as well as eye- and hand-gesture recognition.
For the drivetrain, Hyundai hasn't revealed much, except that the 2015 Genesis will get an all-new HTRAC all-wheel drive system. The sedan should also be better to drive, thanks to a more even weight balance, a stiffer chassis and Advanced Traction Cornering Control (ATCC) electronic suspension. Replacing the electro-hydraulic power steering system in the current model, the new Genesis will get a full-electric, rack-mounted power steering system. For more info on the upcoming 2015 Genesis sedan, check out the full press release posted below.