2001 Hyundai Accent Gl Sedan 4-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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What a strike in Korea could mean for US Hyundai and Kia buyers

A prolonged factory strike at Hyundai-Kia factories in South Korea could mean that US dealership inventory of certain vehicles, such as the South Korea-built Hyundai Accent and Kia Soul, could dry up in the coming months, depending on the length of the strike, reports Cars.com's blog, Kicking Tires. The two brands together rank sixth in US sales and fifth in global sales.
Kicking Tires gives fascinating insight into how a production stoppage in South Korea might affect vehicle sales in the US, considering Hyundai-Kia has two factories in the US that build the Kia Sorento and Optima/Optima Hybrid, and the Hyundai Elantra sedan/coupe/GT, Sonata/Sonata Hybrid and Santa Fe/Santa Fe Sport. The only one of these vehicles that's built solely in the US is the Kia Sorento, with the rest of them sharing production with South Korea.
Be sure to read the piece, especially if you're in the market for a Hyundai or Kia, or just interested in global economics.

Hyundai, BMW and Ford win Concept Vehicle of the Year awards

More than two dozen jurors started with a pool of 23 concept cars introduced at the most recent Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and New York auto shows, then pared it down to three winners in three categories for the twelfth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards. The trophy-bearers are said to be those "vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry," and lead their classes in the Concept Car, Concept Truck and Production Preview divisions.
Hyundai had two cars as finalists for the Concept Car category, the competition boiled down to the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis concept, Veloster C3 Roll Top, Honda EV-STER and the Toyota Corolla Furia. It won with the HCD-14 Genesis that was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, a sharp sedan that sharply divided opinion between those who thought it was too much, those who thought it was too much Audi A7, and those who thought it was perfect. The award panel's judges, however, thought so much of it that it's got two awards in one sitting, not only taking concept car honors, but because it earned the highest overall score in the competition it also takes the crown for Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2013.
The final selection in the Concept Truck category was down to the Ford Atlas, Kia Cross GT, Nissan Resonance and Volkswagen Cross Blue. The Ford Atlas took the silverware, after also winning the Eyes on Design award - shared with the Nissan Resonance - at the Detroit Auto Show where it was introduced.

Hyundai i20 Sport previews future N Division hot hatches

Hyundai is in the process of launching its own performance sub-brand that, eventually, will yield its own line of hot hatches. But while we wait for those to arrive, the Korean automaker has given us a little taste of what's to come with the i20 Sport you see here. Launched exclusively in Germany (where Hyundai Motorsport is based), the Hyundai i20 Sport is based on the Korean automaker's Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo rival – and the basis for its World Rally Championship contender. The new Sport variant is more of a warmed-over job than an outright hot hatch, but it's not without its share of performance enhancements. The suspension is lowered and mounted to 18-inch OZ wheels. It features a new aero kit, though you might have missed it given the attention-grabbing (but optional) graphics. And the engine – while just a modest 1.0-liter turbocharged inline-three – produces a not inconsequential 120 horsepower. That's fairly competitive for an engine that size... especially when you can row the most out of it with a six-speed manual like the one fitted to the i20 Sport. Those specs are a promising harbinger of things to come. Hyundai's N division has already recruited top talent from BMW M GmbH, shown us where its heart is at with the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo concept, and promoted itself through the company's WRC effort. We're looking forward to seeing how the i20 N (or whatever it's called) will shape up, but in the meantime the Sport model you see here gives us an idea of what it will look like. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hyundai i20 Sport News Source: Hyundai Hyundai Hatchback Performance hyundai i20