2000 Volvo V40 Base Wagon 4-door 1.9l on 2040-cars

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Genesis cars win accolades, offer value — so why are sales so bad?

My high-school buddy Brent Cormier was so smitten with the Genesis G80 when he saw it at an event I hosted at SXSW in 2016 he bought a used 2013 Hyundai Genesis a short time later and fell in love with the car. "It surpasses my every expectation," said Cormier, a self-described "renaissance man" who owns and runs a real estate agency with his wife Laura, is a food service executive chef and part owner of Austin-based Thin the Herd Guitars. "I was locked into Mercedes and Audi for 10 years," he added. "And felt trapped in an endless pit of maintenance costs." After owning the Genesis over the past two years — including using it as an Uber and Lyft driver to earn extra cash — Cormier learned what some frugal luxury sedan buyers and a handful of car reviewers have discovered: Genesis offers great bang for the buck compared to other premium brands and can compete with the best in terms of performance, features and comfort. Hyundai's luxury brand also earned a prominent third-party endorsement last week when for the first time Genesis topped J.D. Power's 2018 APEAL study, surpassing German luxury-performance icon Porsche. The APEAL study (which stands for Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) "measures owners' emotional attachment and level of excitement across 77 attributes," ranging from performance to comfort, and asks nearly 68,000 owners of new 2018 models to score vehicles on a 1,000-point scale. In its second year ranked as a stand-alone brand, Genesis earned an APEAL score that bumped it up 15 points to 884 and helped push it past Porsche — and past BMW, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Cadillac, Land Rover and Lexus, in order of ranking. Last month, Genesis also topped J.D. Power's Initial Quality Survey (IQS) for the first time this year. And both its models were awarded Top Safety Pick Plus ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, among 11 Plus ratings in all for Korean vehicles. Despite high J.D. Power rankings and great reviews, Genesis U.S. sales were off 50 percent for the first six months of 2018 compared to 2017, and in June Genesis sold only 796 vehicles — the first time U.S. numbers dropped below 1,000 in a month. Part of Genesis's APEAL and IQS success can be attributed to its small product lineup: just two models, the G80 and G90 sedans, with a third, the 2019 G70, launching later this year. And while those numbers may help in J.D.

Nissan Frontier and a mid-engine Mustang | Autoblog Podcast #622

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by News Editor Joel Stocksdale and Associate Editor Byron Hurd. They discuss news about the 2020 and 2021 Nissan Frontier, as well as a mystery Mustang and classic luxury coupes. After that, they talk about cars from the fleet including Chevy Silverados and the long-term Volvo S60 T8. Autoblog Podcast #622 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 and 2021 Nissan Frontier updates 1966 mid-engine Mustang prototype Personal luxury coupes Cars we're driving 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss 2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD 2020 Volvo S60 T8 plug-in hybrid Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

Volvo recalls 27,457 new vehicles over a brake-by-wire issue

Eight Volvos from the 2023 model year have been drawn into a recall over software in their brake-by-wire systems. The models at issue are everything Volvo sells — the C40, XC40, S60, XC60, V60, V60 Cross Country, V90 Cross Country, and XC90. The combined recall population numbers 27,457 cars. The problem is that an in-vehicle diagnostic test to check the grounding of the system can trigger a fault in the vehicle's Brake Control Module 2. The fault doesn't always occur, but when it does, the vehicle reverts to its hydraulic system so the car can still stop. However, without the brake-by-wire system, the driver doesn't get the benefit of software-defined safety systems like ABS, ESC, Traction Control as well as convenience features like Pilot Assist, adaptive cruise control and one-pedal driving. Drivers might be alerted to the situation with a warning message and malfunction lamp in the gauge cluster, or a stiff brake pedal. The automaker says it has had no reports of accidents, injuries or fatalities because of the problem. If the car is turned off and able to enter what Volvo calls "deep sleep," the electronics will clear the fault. To fix the issue, Volvo will send an over-the-air update with logic that's a better fit for the Brake Control Module 2 hardware. The automaker says the new code "will be implemented on February 20" of this year, but in another example of the digital world outpacing regulatory processes, Volvo will begin notifying owners on March 15. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.