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2020 Toyota Highlander vs other 3-row crossovers: There can only be one!

We've done quite a few spec comparison posts involving three-row family crossovers, and when included, the Toyota Highlander has always been the runt of the group. While the rest increasingly seemed to be benchmarking each other toward greater girth, the Highlander was the outlier.  That changes a bit for the 2020 Toyota Highlander, but only a bit. It's now larger and more competitive, specifically in regards to the amount of cargo space aft of the third-row seat. As you can see below, this aligns the Highlander most closely to its long-time competitor the 2020 Honda Pilot. However, let's see how it stacks up to others in the segment, which is heavily populated now, so for the sake of space, we've selected the newest entries: Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Subaru Ascent and Ford Explorer. The order in which they are presented is random.  Performance and fuel economy The 2020 Highlander is more than 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor, but has the same 295-horsepower V6 engine that was already one of the strongest in the segment. We'd say that would give it a leg up, but the Pilot and Explorer have proven to be sprinters, delivering 0-60 times in the low-6 range by some publications' stopwatches (or VBoxes, whatever). We don't expect the Highlander to beat them, but it may dip into the 6's. The heavy, less-powerful Subaru Ascent is most likely to take up the rear. It's fuel economy of 23 mpg combined also matches the Highlander and Explorer for segment-best. Remember, however, that the Explorer's turbocharged inline-four engine is likely more susceptible to differences in driving style (read: a heavy foot).  Of course, if you're really interested in fuel economy, the Highlander and Explorer are the only vehicles in the segment to offer hybrid versions. The Ford Explorer Hybrid puts a greater emphasis on performance, however, resulting in lower estimates of 25 mpg combined (AWD) and 28 mpg combined (FWD). By contrast, the new 2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is estimated to return 36 mpg combined.  Passenger and cargo space According to Highlander chief engineer Yoshikazu Saeki, he had a choice of two directions with the new Highlander. He could have indeed made it bigger, matching these very competitors, especially in terms of third-row and cargo space. Or, he could have maintained a smaller-than-average size. He obviously chose the latter. First, it was the size customers had come to expect. Would they be put off by something bigger?

Hyundai tops VW and Buick in China, survey says

You may be aware of the long-time competition in China between Volkswagen and Buick, but another brand apparently should be in that conversation too: Hyundai. In a recently published annual consumer survey, the Korean company actually took the top spot to beat out its German and American rivals in second and third, respectively. The results were part of the China Brand Power Index that interviewed 11,500 people around the nation and was paid for by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. While Hyundai proved popular with voters, its sales haven't necessarily shown that yet. According to Bloomberg, the brand had falling numbers in China for the first quarter of the year. Even Ford outsold the South Korean automaker in the same period, despite scoring lower on the survey. Meanwhile, Audi ranked as the populace's favorite luxury brand, which is hardly a surprise given the Four Rings' strong sales in China. In January alone the automaker saw a 15-percent boost in volume there. Parent company VW's strong performance was somewhat more surprising, though. State media severely criticized the German automaker in March, and customers protested last year for the allegedly poor handling of a recall.

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.