I found this one on Motor Trend:

The funky-looking Hyundai Veloster has an unusual name to help sear it into consumers’ memories. It’s also left quite an impression on the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, winning a Good Design Award.

Just to be clear, this is the Hyundai Veloster we’re talking about. Different? Sure. Fuel efficient? Yep, still with you. Good design? You lost me.

There’s just nothing good about the design of the Veloster. Sorry.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. Hyundai Veloster Design Award Winner? is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is rated at a not-too-shabby 40 MPG on the highway. That’s not good enough for a fellow by the name of Wayne Gerdes, though. See, Wayne is the ultimate hypermiler. He takes regular cars and extracts every mile from a tank of gas. Take a look at what he did with the Sonata Hybrid:

CleanMPG’s own Wayne Gerdes left the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, CA on December 26, 2010 and completed the challenge drive to the Atlantic on Jekyll Island, GA on January 1, 2011. The drive required just one stop for refueling after driving 1221.2 miles. The run totaled 2339.5 miles and averaged an impressive 61.42 miles per gallon with a meager 38 gallons of fuel consumed for the entire trip.

That’s over a fifty percent improvement from EPA estimates. Unreal.

Source.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Gets 61 MPG is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

Priced from $26545, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is the Korean automaker’s first entry into the hybrid market. The Sonata Hybrid bucks the normal hybrid trend by performing better on the highway than in the city, with EPA ratings of 35 MPG city and 40 MPG on the highway.

Though it can’t touch the Ford Fusion Hybrid’s 41 MPG city number, the Hyundai manages to slip under the Fusion by over $3000. Three grand buys quite a bit of gas these days, and should help smooth over any worries about efficiency. When you consider the superior highway efficiency (40 vs 36), the Sonata starts to make even more sense.

What’s under the hood?
Hyundai decided to skip the whole old-school NiMH battery technology and go right to the cutting-edge Lithium Polymer stuff. Featuring a 1.4 kWH LiPo battery pack that’s 20-30 percent lighter than a comparable NiMH pack, the Sonata Hybrid manages to keep curb weight down to a reasonable 3457 lbs.

A 169 HP 2.4 liter four-cylinder engine provides most of the power, and it is aided by a 30 kW electric motor. Combined power is estimated by Hyundai to be 209 HP and 194 lb-ft of torque. That bests the conventional four-cylinder Sonata by a bit, which should help make up for the slight weight penalty. Instead of the normal hybrid choice of a CVT, the Sonata Hybrid makes due with a six speed automatic transmission. That’s somewhat of an odd choice, considering the CVT’s inherent efficiency advantages. Check out the pics after the jump.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Gallery

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

What does Hyundai have for us at the LA Auto show for 2009? Nothing less than a shiny, brand new 2010 Tucson, of course. Bigger than last year’s model ( as is the trend in the auto industry ), the 2010 Tucson actually weighs about sixty pounds less than before. That’s not something we see often, and it’s definitely worth mentioning. So, what about the looks? Well, it looks pretty dang nice for the segment. It does follow the design trend of the day, with that upward-curing rear end, and the tiny little windows. While it’s a stylish look now, the blind spots that result aren’t exactly fun.

Visibility issues aside, the 2010 Tucson is an extremely attractive car outside, and has some *very* high quality materials inside. The center stack takes some getting used to, but it does appear to be simple, which is refreshing.

2010 Hyundai Tucson Specs

• 176 HP 2.4 liter four cylinder engine
• All-new 6 speed automatic transmission
• Curb weight: 3203 lbs
• EPA Ratings: 23 MPG city / 31 MPG highway

Holy gas mileage Batman. That’s only 1 less MPG than the ridiculously frugal 2010 Equinox. Also equal to the 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid on the highway. The biggest key to the impressive gas mileage is keeping weight down – the Tucson is among the lightest vehicles in it’s class. Also, Hyundai didn’t go overboard with horsepower – the 176 HP is very competitive within the class, but not pack-leading. Nor does it need to be, as small CUV buyers aren’t looking to race from stoplight to stoplight.

Will the 2010 Tucson take over the mini CUV sales crown from Honda’s CR-V? No. But it will make buyers think before going the “safe” route. And I’m surely Hyundai will capture their fair share of sales. Good for them.

2010 Hyundai Tucson Gallery

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2010 Hyundai Tucson is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

Hyundai’s New Rep

Ever since the launch of the anticipated Genesis, Hyundai has been stepping up to the plate. The Genesis sedan took it’s first North America Car of the year award for 2009. After judged by 50 full time automotive experts who have critically analyze each and every car from the market, with months of road testing. It had proven itself worthy to be one of the most top honored cars in North America. Ever since then Hyundai’s image has changed.

Despite the “Economic Downturn” Hyundai managed to jump from 72nd place in 2008 to 69th place in 2009 as the top 100 brands in the world. With only a -5% change in value from 2008, this $4,604,000 Hyundai icon stayed under the average -7.4% in brand value change with other automakers. They even topped Porsche’s 75th place with a -8% in their $4,234,000 brand value. And Ferrari with their $3,527,000 brand taking 88th place with no change in value. And Coke tops #1 on that list, no surprise right?

Anyway I said all that to make a point. Ever since the launch of the Genesis taking them into the  luxury/ RWD platform. They are changing their image to reach people who have different needs and wants. From a 10k small nibble work a day car like the Accent. To a 33k high end Luxury BMW fighter Genesis Sedan. Hyundai has a car for everyone. I believe Hyundai is indeed becoming the next generation Honda. I expect more from them in the future.

Source Cited

http://www.hyundainews.com/Corporate_News/Corporate/01_11_2009_2982.asp

http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx?year=2009&langid=1000

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. Hyundai’s New Rep is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

Just a single, heavily camouflaged spy shot of the 2012 Hyundai Accent here. The basic shape is visible, and looks pretty nice from what you can see. All the design details are hidden though, and they can make or break a car.

Specs are unknown, except for an unconfirmed rumor of a 140 HP direct injected 1.6 liter I4.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2012 Hyundai Accent Spy Shot is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

Hyundai has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success here in the US over the last few years.  They have avoided the hybrid market segment so far – leaving it to Toyota.  Well, it seems they’ve re-thought that strategy, and plan to introduce a Sonata Hybrid in 2011, as a 2012 model.

Word is that Hyundai plans to use the newer-technology lithium-ion batteries, instead of the current generation NIMH.  Lithium-ion allows for smaller, lighter, more powerful batteries, potentially giving the Sonota hybrid better fuel economy and a longer electric-only range.  Interesting choice, considering the fact that lithium-ion batteries are more expensive than NIMH.  Hyundai usually plays the value card, pricing their vehicles lower than similar Toyota and Honda vehicles.  With li-ion – that may be tougher.  Stay tuned for details.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Spy Shot is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

Hyundai has gotten really good, really quickly over the past few years.  These shots of the new 2011 Sonata seem to follow along that design.  Though it’s covered in cool camouflage,  we can get a good view of the profile.  Though I hate the term, you have to think “four door coupe” when you see this profile.  It’s sleek and sexy – something that we need more of in the midsize sedan arena. 

I’m a “less is more” kind of guy when it comes to wheel spokes, but at least the wheels do look nice, if not my first choice.  The interior looks solid too, if not extravagant.  I’m looking forward to some more spy shots, and some specs.  As soon as I see em, I’ll pass em on.  Nice work so far, Hyundai.

Source.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 2011 Hyundai Sonata Spy Shots is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

Attention owners of 2008 Hyundai Elantras equipped with the 2.0 liter “Beta” engine – Hyundai will be mailing you a letter soon.  This recall affects roughly 65,000 Elantras – not a small number given Hyundai’s sales numbers.  What’s the big deal, you wonder?  Nothing horrible, actually.  Ethanol present in gasoline ( such as the E10 sold pretty much everywhere ) can cause a film buildup inside the fuel pump.  Theoretically this could cause hesitation while driving.  No accidents have been reported, and it’s doubtful there would be.  Good job Hyundai, on reporting the problem anyway.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. 65,000 Hyundai Elantras Recalled is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.

With the pending release of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, there’s no real room anymore for the Tiburon.  As such, Hyundai has announced that 2008 will be the last model year for this quirky little “sport” coupe. 

All in all the Tiburon wasn’t a bad car.  It certainly won’t become a classic, but it offered a decent package for the money.  Here’s hoping the Genesis coupe and it’s RWD-goodness will hit the ground running, and make us all forget about the Shark.

Hi there – could you help spread the word about Houston Cars? I could really use your help in getting my work out to new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would appreciate it. Hyundai Tiburon to go the way of the Commander is a post from: Houston Cars, home of the best darn car reviews around.