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Melissa McCarthy sent fleeing in the Kia Niro Super Bowl teaser

The Super Bowl is drawing near and with it comes a cavalcade of over-the-top and outrageously expensive mid-game ads. The cult of the commercial has grown so large that 60-second ads are getting 15-second teasers. For Kia's eighth year at the Super Bowl, the Korean automaker will be promoting its new hybrid, the Niro. The company released a new trailer hyping its third-quarter ad slot. The teaser doesn't actually feature the Niro. Instead flag-waving actor Melissa McCarthy is shown screaming and fleeing across a field from some unknown assailant, presumably the Niro's rival, a Toyota Prius, done up like the War Rig from Mad Max Fury Road. Kia promises the game day commercial will trace "a heroic and harrowing journey stretching from the polar ice caps to an arid desert" all while showing why the Niro is a new type of crossover. We really just want to know what's written on the flag. Related Video:

Hyundai sees tough year ahead, plans to introduce 13 new models

SEOUL — South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group predicted another year of tepid car sales growth on the back of a slow 2018, saying trade protectionism adds uncertainty and major markets such as the United States and China remained sluggish. In his first New Year address to employees, group heir apparent Euisun Chung said Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors would complete a restructuring of South Korea's second-biggest conglomerate, which is widely expected to pave the way for him to formally succeed his octogenarian father as head of the group. The complicated succession plans come as Hyundai contends with a bunch of problems that have cost it market share in China and the United States and stalled its rise up the ranks of global automakers. It missed a boom in sports utility vehicles (SUVs), faces potential U.S. tariffs and a U.S. investigation over how it handled a vehicle recall, and lost ground in technological advances such as self-driving cars. "Business uncertainties are heightening as the global economy continues to falter. Walls of protectionism are being constructed around the world," Chung, 48, told hundreds of employees at the group's headquarters in Seoul. "Internally, we face challenging tasks such as stabilizing business in major markets like the U.S. and China, while simultaneously enhancing our responsiveness to drive future growth." Hyundai and Kia — together the world's fifth-biggest automaker — set what they called a "conservative target" of 7.6 million vehicle sales in 2019, a 3 percent increase from the 7.399 million vehicles sold last year. The 2018 sales fell short of the group's target of 7.55 million vehicles, marking its fourth consecutive annual sales goal miss. The duo sold 7.25 million vehicles in 2017. Morgan Stanley expects global auto production to fall 1 percent in 2019, the first drop in nine years. In that environment, the group said it would launch 13 new or face-lifted models in 2019, including a premium Genesis SUV, the big Hyundai Palisade SUV and the Sonata sedan. "Hyundai will be launching new models, but competitors will be also doing so, making it difficult for Hyundai to increase shares in the sluggish markets in China, U.S. and Europe," said Sean Kim, an analyst at Dongbu Securities. Hyundai shares ended down 3.8 percent and Kia slumped 2.7 percent, while the wider market <.KS11> was down 1.5 percent.

Chevy, Kia and Jeep win 2020 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year

Although the Detroit Auto Show is moving to the summer, the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards were again announced in January. The car of the year is the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray. Utility of the year is the 2020 Kia Telluride. Truck of the year is the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. None of these choices was particularly surprising. All of these cars were major releases that delivered on style, performance and functionality. That being said, the runners-up in each category were noteworthy, too. You can see the full list of finalists below. Car Chevy Corvette (Winner) Toyota Supra Hyundai Sonata Utility Kia Telluride (Winner) Hyundai Palisade Lincoln Aviator Truck Jeep Gladiator (Winner) Ford Ranger Ram HD Follow any of the inline links above to read our reviews on the winners and finalists. Related Video: