Gojirra99

From Autoweek forum:



Hyundai works to compete

Pair of new sedans could improve image of the South Korean economy brand.

By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News

New York Auto Show


Reports:

NEW YORK -- Hyundai Motor Co. is rolling out a pair of new sedans this week at the New York auto show that could help the South Korean automaker establish itself as a bigger player in the cutthroat U.S. auto market and polish the economy brand's image.

On Wednesday, Hyundai unveiled the 2006 Azera, an upscale sedan the company touts as a worthy competitor to the Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima, Buick LaCrosse and Chrysler 300.

And today, the Seoul-based automaker will debut the redesigned 2006 Hyundai Accent compact car.

The two models are part of Hyundai's plan to launch seven new vehicles in the United States during the next 24 months and to build on recent sales momentum.

The Azera will replace the XG350, the automaker's flagship sedan that has not made much of a splash in the United States. Annual U.S. sales of the XG350 have remained below 20,000 units, but the automaker is hoping to sell around 50,000 Azeras a year.

Because the Azera is vastly improved from its successor, Hyundai decided the car needed a new name, said Bob Cosmai, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America.

"This is truly the best sedan we've ever built," he said.

The Azera -- meant to suggest the car includes everything from A to Z -- boasts more interior room than the Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon. It will come equipped with a 3.8-liter V-6 engine.

The 2006 Accent, Hyundai's entry level small car, has undergone major changes to revive sales that dropped 24 percent last year to 43,258 units.

Small car demand continues to fall, with U.S. sales down 2 percent last year to 2.2 million units. The Accent faces new competition from the new Chevrolet Aveo and Cobalt, the redesigned Kia Spectra, and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion brand.

"The (small car segment) has become highly competitive recently," Cosmai said. "We believe drivers will once again embrace this all-new Accent with its standard safety features, increased interior space, and content that is typically not available in this segment."

Hyundai increased the height of the new Accent by 3 inches and moved the driver's seating position up 2 inches to create more room and flexibility. It is 1.8 inches longer than the current model.

Safety features include dual front airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, and side curtain airbags for front and rear seat occupants. On most small cars, side airbags are optional or unavailable.

Hyundai's latest models have gone a long way to improve the image of the South Korean economy brand.

Now, Hyundai automobiles are rated among the most reliable vehicles and the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty draws shoppers.

This year, Hyundai will sell about 485,000 vehicles, and will rise above 500,000 next year, Cosmai said, explaining that the 1 million mark was a "visionary goal."

"You got to get to 500,000 before you get to a million," he said.

SteVTEC

wow that's a really nice looking car.

Any other details on it such as weight or powertrain specs? I thought I read something about a 3.6 or 3.8L Hyundai engine somewhere.

mmarshall

I generally have a very high opinion of most newer Korean products but the interior here looks like an almost complete clone of the new Avalon. Hyundai IMO sure didn't show much originality here.

SteVTEC

okay, well I still like it (thanks for the extra pics!), but they lifted the tail DIRECTLY off of the 03-04 Accord sedan, LOL. That's the one thing I don't like about Korean companies. They're notorious for shamelessly lifting styling from other cars. But hey, if you're not paying designers and stylists big money to develop your own look, you can dump more money into feature content and reliability and still have a low overall cost. So maybe that's the tradeoff.

flipside909

Wow I see many cars here exterior-wise:

Honda Accord
Saturn L200
Volkswagen Passat
Volvo S80
Ford 500

Interior:

Toyota/Lexus
Mercedes Benz

Dunno how I feel about this car but kudos to Hyundai for copying the best.

TRD-bB

agree

Got that VW Passat / Phaeton headlights,
Acura Grill
Volvo S60 side profile
Accord tail lights
Complete clone of Avalon's interior
2nd Gen IS wheels
Are those LED tail lights?

Having said that, I'm still very impressed by the overall design.
looks very upscale and expensive.

A great alternative to a Camry or base Avalon

Vegassc400

Nice looking car.

In order to be a serious competitor to the Avalon, they're going to need to come up with a new engine. The 180hp engine in the Tiburon and XG350 just doesn't cut it.

Gojirra99

It will have a new engine :

Milla...

I have to say the car is nice, I'd rather see multiple cues from other nice cars in its design than to see it being another but ugly cheaply made Korean imported auto. Hopefully they will keep the LED tails it makes a huge difference I think.

nthach

I can see Ford 500 cues from the side...

bizzy928

What I love about Hyundai is that they are starting to offer side impact torso airbags (front) and side impact curtain airbags (front/rear) on their all cars as either standard or optional.

I was browsing some Toyota models and for instance, to get side impact torso & side curtains you always need to jump to the top model/trim.

That is one technology all car manufacturers should add in as standard safety items.

videcormeum

The interior could use some work ... and it has bungle-trunk for some reason.

Other than that - it looks too much like the new Sonata - and they'll probably be built in the same factory in Alabama. Look out for quality problems.

I'm all for new jobs created by foreign companies here in America - but let's face the facts - we can't build cars. Case in point: Nissans' new plant, MB plant, anything GM. I almost wish they'd kept production in Korea. From what I understand - Hyundai is the Archangel of the S. Korean economy - and to work for the company is an honor. Over here it's just another nine-to-five.

Oh well.

M.

robloc93

Funny,but I thought the interior was the best thing about this car.

GS3rdwow

Dam that car is going to sell! I love the exteriro but feel the front lights cud have had better work. The interior is nice! defnitely a solara look inside and toyota/lexus type appeal..damm - NICE car overall.

BigVIPness

Though the trunk screams accord... I still like it. I'm sure it'll sell great, and theres no reason it shouldn't. The quality of korean cars is getting better and better each year. In fact I remember them being ranked very very high this year. Plus with a 10yr/100,000 warrenty... why shouldn't it sell? It's the perfect car for people who don't really care about brand image and want something diffrent.

But better then the Avalon? My *****.