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Hyundai Elantra GT N Line expands N performance lineup with mild upgrades

Down with the Hyundai Elantra GT Sport, long live the Elantra GT N Line! For 2019, Hyundai is ditching the Sport moniker for its Elantra hatchback in order to align with the naming for its new N performance kingdom. So, technically, the GT Sport isn't going anywhere, as it's essentially the same model. With slight aesthetic, powertrain, and chassis upgrades, the GT N Line marks history for the Hyundai as the introduction of the mildly spicy N Line trim to the U.S. market. Hyundai sees itself as having five different tiers of vehicles. It starts with the base models, the next-highest are the N Line vehicles, and N performance automobiles are above that. Atop all three of these vehicles will be a halo car that Hyundai considers a "brand shaper," with motorsport cars representing the top-level pinnacle of development. An option for custom N features will also be available across the base, N Line, and N vehicles. In theory, the structuring is roughly similar to that seen on some Volkswagen vehicles. VW only offers an R high-performance model on the Golf. Several other vehicles in the lineup, however, are available in R-Line trims, which option the models with more attitude. Now that Hyundai has introduced the Veloster N high-performance model, Hyundai will offer the lower-tier N Line trim on multiple vehicles. The Elantra GT N Line is sensibly the first. Make no mistake assuming Hyundai stopped at simply changing the name of the car. Using the 2018 Elantra GT Sport as the bar, Hyundai claims it has increased the engine mount stiffness by 6.3 percent, trans mount stiffness by 24 percent, and the "rollroad" mount stiffness by 37.1 percent. The springs were also stiffened up 14.3 percent in front and 21.9 percent in the rear. The stability bar diameter drops from 24 mm to 23 mm in the front but increases from 14 mm to 17 mm in the rear. The shocks and steering also received fresh tunes, but Hyundai does not list the car's increase in overall rigidity. The cherries on top are new 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires on the manual model that replace the old GT Sport's old 18-inch Hankook all-seasons. The car's performance remains the same. It carries over the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 201 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. It is offered with a six-speed manual transmission for $24,185 or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters for $25,285.

Hyundai taps Lamborghini exec to lead Genesis brand

If Hyundai is serious about going after the big boys with the launch of its new Genesis brand, it's going to need the right people with experience in the luxury marketplace to pull it off. Fortunately it appears to have found just the man for the job. His name is Manfred Fitzgerald, and he'll be running the Korean automaker's new luxury brand starting next month. Fitzgerald was formerly director of brand and design at Lamborghini, where he worked for 12 years before leaving to start his own consultancy. As the latest Senior Vice President at Hyundai, he'll be tasked with leading the "brand strategy, marketing, and other business operations" for the Genesis brand. That means working closely with Luc Donckerwolke, who – having penned for a number of Volkswagen divisions including Lamborghini as well – recently left his post as head of design at Bentley to run Hyundai's new Prestige Design Division (which will handle the styling for all future Genesis vehicles). Donckerwolke works under Peter Schreyer, who – as chief design officer at Hyundai and one of three presidents of Kia – is the highest-ranked foreigner at the company. Schreyer is also a former VW Group man, having designed the original Audi TT and the Volkswagen New Beetle before leaving for South Korea. One year ago, Hyundai similarly tapped Albert Biermann – formerly head engineer at BMW M GmbH – to run its new performance division. Hyundai Motor Announces Manfred Fitzgerald to lead the Genesis Brand - Manfred Fitzgerald takes role of leading the Genesis brand - Genesis brand targets the global luxury car market by appointing a prominent figure that transformed Lamborghini into a luxury car brand December 28, 2015 – Hyundai Motor announced Manfred Fitzgerald, former Director of Brand and Design at Lamborghini, to lead the Genesis brand from January, 2016. Based in Hyundai Motor Headquarters Seoul, Mr. Fitzgerald will be in charge of establishing and executing strategies for the Genesis brand as the Senior Vice President. For the brand to set a strong foothold in the global luxury car market, he will take a core role in brand strategy, marketing and other business operations within the Genesis brand. During his twelve year career at Lamborghini, Mr. Fitzgerald played a pivotal role in transforming Lamborghini from a prototype car company to a luxury car brand and increased its sales ten folds as the Director of Brand and Design. Mr.

Hyundai to offer new shopping service with money-back guarantee

The internet has made purchasing a car easier than ever before. There are dozens of websites, including Autoblog, that have apps and search tools to help find and compare new car prices. Still, the idea of actually walking into a dealership to deal with haggling, trade-ins, financing and paperwork still seems daunting. Starting soon, Hyundai will be streamlining much of that process with its new Shopper Assurance program. The new service helps knock out much of the legwork before you even step into a dealer. There's even a money-back guarantee. With Shopper Assurance, potential customers can search Hyundai inventory with "market prices" listed. That price includes the car's MSRP minus incentives and other dealer discounts. Most of the paperwork for the purchase can be done online. This includes valuing a trade-in, applying for financing, checking credit scores and calculating payments. Test drives can be scheduled online and can be done anywhere, including a customer's home or office. The most interesting part of the new service is the three-day money back guarantee. If for some reason a customer isn't satisfied, they can return the car for full refund. That said, there are a couple of caveats. The car must have fewer than 300 miles on the odometer since purchase and a dealer must inspect the car for damage or wear. The new service will launch later this year in Miami, Orlando, Dallas and Houston and will roll out in 2018 nationwide. Related Video: