2006 Hyundai Sonata Gl Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hyundai's Genesis G90 caught totally uncovered

It seems weird to type "Genesis" without "Hyundai" in front of it – unless we're referring to the band, of course, which we aren't. What we have here is the first car that'll launch under Hyundai's new premium brand, officially called Genesis. This is essentially the replacement for the Equus, and when it reaches the States, it'll be called G90. The G90 clearly makes strong use of Hyundai's "Athletic Elegance" design language, and looks like a more premium version of the existing Genesis sedan. There's a long hood, hexagonal grille, and vertically oriented taillamps that flow down the rear fascia. Judging by these low-res spy shots, we like what we see – even if, from some angles, it looks strangely familiar. Genesis (the brand) launches next month in Hyundai's home market. Following the G90, the Genesis sedan as we currently know it will move to G80 nomenclature, and a midsize, rear-wheel-drive sedan – G70 – will follow. A luxury SUV and sport coupe will round out the premium lineup. Head over to Korean site Bobaedream.co.kr for a view of the G90's rump, as well.

Hyundai crashes two Sonatas in public to prove a point about safety

According to The Korean Car Blog, Hyundai has a quality perception gap in the minds of its domestic customers, but it's not with another brand: some South Koreans think US-market Hyundai products are safer than those sold in South Korea. For example, home-market consumers think the US gets more advanced airbag systems than they do. Hyundai decided that the best way to combat that idea was to ram two 2015 Sonata 2.0 Turbos into one another, each one traveling at 34 miles per hour, in front of a live audience. From what we can glean from a Google-translated version of the backstory, the company had a local university professor secure two vehicles, a Lakeside Blue model from South Korea and a Venetian Red model manufactured in the company's US plant and flown over. It invited buyers of the 30th Anniversary Sonata and members of the local media to a drive-in movie premiere on August 22, the show actually being the crash test. In addition to the two Sonatas that would autonomously throw themselves at one another, the company had a Tucson Fuel Cell use its hydrogen fuel cell stack to make popcorn and 119 various emergency vehicles emergency services on standby in case anything went wrong. When guests were asked which car they thought would fare better, 74 percent of the crowd said the US-spec car. In interviews conducted on the street, 81 percent of respondents said they believe the US car is safer. The video above is in Korean, but car crashes are a universal language. Check it out to see which car comes out better.

Hyundai will add smaller crossovers and make the Santa Fe and Tucson bigger

At the LA Auto Show, Hyundai North American CEO Dave Zuchowski detailed plans to change the all-important crossovers in the company's lineup to better suit the ravenous tastes of American CUV shoppers, Automotive News reports. There are two important aspects: up-sizing existing crossovers, and introducing new small crossovers beneath them. With regard to the first part, Zuchowski said that the Santa Fe and related Santa Fe Sport will both grow in size, and differentiate from each other – which is good, because consumers are generally confused about how the five-seat Sport relates to the seven-seat Santa Fe. In the future, the regular Santa Fe will grow to become an eight-seat crossover, and the Sport will also grow and be redesigned as a more rugged-looking Jeep competitor, AN reports. Along those lines, Zuchowski says the company will change the name of the Santa Fe Sport to reduce confusion and better communicate its market position. The Tucson will grow a bit, but won't be significantly reimagined. The report also indicates that Hyundai also plans on introducing a B-segment crossover in 2018 – that is to say, a competitor to vehicles like the Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade. We had previously reported that a B-segment crossover was on the way but didn't have timing. Further down the road, an even smaller A-segment crossover will be introduced. These new vehicles will be on sale by 2020, as will the revised Santa Fe and Tucson lines. Related Video: