2011 Hyundai Sonata door latch recall gets official

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Hyundai

A couple weeks back, Hyundai put a stop-sale on its freshly minted 2011 Sonata sedan because a front door latch could malfunction after a rather labored series of steps. The stop-sale was lifted almost immediately, though, as the Korean automaker was able to quickly ship replacement parts to U.S. dealers, at which point the vehicles in stock were repaired. At that time, though, Hyundai promised to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to put out a recall notice for the 1,300 vehicles that had already been sold; a promise that came to fruition this morning as NHTSA put out an official bulletin.

The NHTSA recall notice claims that the front inside door lock switches can remain in the unlatched position under certain conditions, making it possible for the front driver or passenger doors to open while the vehicle is in motion. Hyundai tells us that the latch may malfunction when a front inside door lock switch is held in the locked position while the inside door handle is pulled to open the door.

Sonata owners affected by the recall can bring their vehicle to the nearest Hyundai dealer for the no-cost repairs, which should take about an hour. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.

Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]

Continue reading 2011 Hyundai Sonata door latch recall gets official

2011 Hyundai Sonata door latch recall gets official originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai sued by Louis Vuitton over high-end basketball [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hyundai

There probably isn’t a day that goes by when an automaker isn’t being sued for something. Some suits are extremely serious, while others peg the needle on the frivolity scale. And while Hyundai is flying high on the sales charts right now, the Korean automaker apparently isn’t immune to a trip or two the local trademark infringement court.

At question is a Hyundai Sonata commercial that debuted during the Super Bowl that linked the company’s new-for-2011 sedan to all things luxurious. About four seconds into the spot, a brown basketball with gold symbols is shown. Forgive us if we didn’t immediately notice that the design of the ball is strikingly similar to the colors and symbols of Louis Vuitton, but the world-famous couture company caught on right away. So… are they excited about the free press during the Super Bowl? Not so much.

The Car Connection reports that Louis Vuitton is suing Hyundai because the French purse maker says the Korean automaker tried “to benefit commercially from the fame and renown of the LVM Marks by creating a false association between Louis Vuitton and its automobiles.” So, what does LV want for Hyundai’s alleged trademark infringement? How about “triple damages, punitive damages, a halt to the alleged infringement, and other remedies.” Sounds a lot more expensive than a Louis Vuitton handbag, eh?

We aren’t really up to speed on the legal ramifications of trademark infringement, so we aren’t about to guess as to whether or not Hyundai will end up paying any fines or settlements. We do think it’s a sweet-looking basketball, though, and Louis Vuitton should talk to Hyundai about borrowing that design so they can sell a few $300 $2,300 b-balls. If you don’t remember the commercial in question, hit the jump to see it for yourself.

[Source: The Car Connection | Image: Louis Vuitton]

Continue reading Report: Hyundai sued by Louis Vuitton over high-end basketball [w/video]

Report: Hyundai sued by Louis Vuitton over high-end basketball [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Will Rhys Millen drive a Hyundai Equus at Pikes Peak this year?

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Hyundai, Luxury

Judging by these spy shots of a Hyundai Equus we just received from an alert reader, the Korean brand may be considering giving Rhys Millen a new ride to try and break the class record he set last year at Pikes Peak. Recall that in 2009, Millen ran up the 14,110-foot Colorado mountan-side in 12 minutes, 9.397 seconds at the wheel of a Genesis coupe.

Apparently, Hyundai may be looking to challenge the AMG S63s and Alpina B7s of the world with its new flagship by establishing the performance bona fides of the new Equus luxury sedan with some motorsports activity. Either that or somebody at the Hyundai tech center is just trying to pull a fast one on us to see if anyone is paying attention.

Spy Shots: Will Rhys Millen drive a Hyundai Equus at Pikes Peak this year? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai set to spend Super Bowl-like money to blow out Oscars

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai

If you didn’t get enough of Hyundai at the Super Bowl, we’ve got some good news for you. You’ll see even more of the Korean automaker if you’re watching the Oscars this Sunday. Automotive News is reporting that Hyundai has purchased eight spots during the event at a knee-buckling cost of between $2.5 million and $2.8 million per commercial.

Hyundai’s plan to become a presence at big events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars is beginning to pay off, too, as more customers are reportedly visiting Hyundai’s website to find out more about the company’s products. For example, the Korean automaker notes that since the Big Game, web traffic has surpassed the levels it reached during Cash for Clunkers and overall purchase consideration for the brand is up a reported 250 percent since January 2009.

While Hyundai spent big bucks on the actual air time, the automaker likely spent another small fortune bringing in big-name actors to voice the commercials. Jeff Bridges, who typically voices the Hyundai commercials, is among the actors nominated at this year’s Oscars, so Hyundai had to procure some new talent. Actually, the automaker picked up four new talents, including Charlie Sheen, Richard Dryfus and Kim Basinger. Sheen will talk up the Hyundai plant in Alabama, Dryfus will voice new spots for the Sonata and Basinger will discuss safety. And the Oscar goes to…

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req. | Image: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty]

Hyundai set to spend Super Bowl-like money to blow out Oscars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2010: Hyundai i-Flow Concept gets its fluidic design on

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai, Diesel

This guy, the Hyundai i-Flow Concept, is said to be a preview of a “future D-segment contender” from the Korean automaker.

Showcasing an edgier take on the corporate design language that is currently beginning to infiltrate Hyundai’s very brisk dealership lots, the i-Flow goes for a smaller exterior footprint but more interior space with a severely pared-down cockpit. The frugality continues under the hood with a 1.7-liter turbodiesel hybrid powertrain making it all happen through a six-speed, dual-clutch transmission, and recycling – energy harvesting, that is – is taken almost all the way with flexible solar panels on the roof and additional power produced via exhaust heat. You can take a closer look at Hyundai’s future in our gallery of high-res photos below.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Geneva 2010: Hyundai i-Flow Concept gets its fluidic design on originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2012 Hyundai Accent

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Hyundai

With all the new product coming out of Hyundai, the Azera and Accent are beginning to stand out like the proverbial sore thumbs. To rectify the latter, Hyundai has begun testing the next Accent in the Great White North.

Since the upcoming Veloster will fill the hatch-sized space in Hyundai’s line-up, there’s a good chance that the next Accent will only be available in sedan form when it hits the market in the next two years. In four-door form, the Accent employs the now-standard sweeping roofline of its bigger Sonata sibling, and underneath the camouflage we expect a similar fascia and liberal application of chrome.

Early indications suggest that the i20’s platform will be used to underpin the new Accent, with power supplied Hyundai’s next generation 1.6-liter inline four, capable of producing around 140 horsepower. If all goes according to plan, we suspect the all-new Accent will make an appearance later this year or early next, with sales beginning in the middle of 2011.

Spy Shots: 2012 Hyundai Accent originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ladies love the Hyundai Elantra and, apparently, each other

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hyundai, Canada

Canada. It’s not just that place where Americans go to load up on Olympic medals. It’s also the home of TV spots you’d never see in the U.S. because they’re just too edgy and inappropriate for our young’uns eyes. Case in point: a new Elantra commercial that Hyundai Canada is running in daytime ad buys. In it, a cute brunette is so impressed with an Elantra she comes across that she leaves the owner her lipstick-enhanced digits under the wiper. And the owner? Well she seems pretty jazzed by the possibilities. Watch it unfold after the jump. We now return you to your 24/7 Cialis and Enzyte saturation coverage on U.S. television.

[Source: YouTube via AutoNorth]

Continue reading Video: Ladies love the Hyundai Elantra and, apparently, each other

Video: Ladies love the Hyundai Elantra and, apparently, each other originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva Preview: Hyundai reveals diesel-hybrid i-Flow

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Crossover, Hatchback, Hyundai, Electric, Diesel

Hyundai’s home office in Korea has dropped the first frontal image of a new concept that will be shown next week at the Geneva Motor Show along with some technical details. The i-Flow is a D-segment sedan meant to go up against cars like the Ford Mondeo in Europe. Under the hood, the i-Flow has Hyundai’s first diesel hybrid powertrain including a new 1.7-liter inline-four. The diesel has dual stage turbocharging and is paired up with Hyundai’s Blue-drive system using a new six-speed dual clutch gearbox. Like the upcoming Sonata hybrid, the i-Flow uses a lithium polymer battery pack. With its drag coefficient of 0.25, the i-Flow is claimed to achieve 78.4 miles per gallon (U.S.) and CO2 emissions of just 85 grams/kilometer.

Joining the i-Flow onstage will be a refreshed version of the i30 (badged as the Elantra Touring in North America) and low emissions “blue” versions of the i10, i20, i30 and ix35 (Tucson). These models receive automatic start-stop, low rolling resistance tires and aero tweaks. The four cars all achieve CO2 ratings under 100 g/km while the crossover ix35 gets 135 g/km. Finally, Hyundai will also show a fuel cell version of the new ix35/Tucson for the first time. Hyundai still plans to produce fuel cell vehicles in the thousands annually by 2012.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Geneva Preview: Hyundai reveals diesel-hybrid i-Flow

Geneva Preview: Hyundai reveals diesel-hybrid i-Flow originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BREAKING: Hyundai issues stop-sale on 2011 Sonata over possible door latch malfunction *UPDATE

Filed under: Sedan, Recalls, Safety, Hyundai

With the first units of its 2011 Sonata sedan having just begun hitting dealers, Hyundai is in the unfortunate position of having to issue a stop-sale on its most hotly anticipated new model in some time. According to Hyundai, an estimated 5,000 Sonatas may have a defective front door latch that could require replacement:

The [Sonata's] front doors incorporate a convenience feature that allows a locked door to be unlocked and opened by pulling the inside door release handle without first unlocking the door with the inside door lock switch. If a front inside door lock switch is held in the locked position while the inside door handle is pulled to open the door, the door latch may malfunction. If this occurs, the inside door handle will not return to its normal, stowed position and the door latch will remain in the unlatched position when attempting to close the door.

Because the two rear doors do not incorporate the automatic unlock pull-handle-to-open convenience feature, they are not affected by this issue, but both driver and passenger front door mechanisms could be in need of repair. Spokesperson Miles Johnson tells Autoblog that Hyundai will be working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall vehicles that are already in customer hands (roughly 1,300 units have been sold since the first examples hit dealerships over the past couple of weeks), and the company will begin shipping replacement latches to its 790 dealers tomorrow in order to fix both customer and dealer stock Sonatas as soon as possible. Once the new latches are installed (a process that Johnson says takes about an hour per vehicle), the stop-sale will be ended.

Johnson also acknowledged that Hyundai is keenly aware that the eyes of the media, public and Capitol Hill are on Toyota and NHTSA at this time, and the company hopes to effect a swift and complete fix for this door latch issue on a model range that is expected to remain the company’s volume leader.

*UPDATE: Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson informs Autoblog that the stop-sale has been lifted, as replacement parts have already started hitting dealers and the effected parts have begun being replaced. On average, each dealer has six or seven Sonatas in stock and dealers have been looking at the codes stamped on the latches to see if they need to be replaced. Dealers will not sell vehicles without the replacement parts installed, but because the repair only takes an hour, they are still able to correct the issue and get customers into a new car the same day.

The 1,300 units that were already sold prior to the stop-sale action will be subject to a NHTSA recall, but even prior to that official announcement, concerned owners are advised to bring their cars into dealers for a free inspection (and latch replacement if necessary).

Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

BREAKING: Hyundai issues stop-sale on 2011 Sonata over possible door latch malfunction *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer Reports adds six cars to Top Picks list, touts diversity

Filed under: Budget, Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Sedan, SUV, Truck, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Hyundai, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Luxury, Off-Road

Each year, the automotive editors of Consumer Reports select their Top Pick Cars, representing vehicles that are the best in their individual segments. These cars are deemed to have “average or better” predicted reliability and have scored high marks in government safety testing. In past years, automakers like Honda and Toyota have dominated this list, but since more and more manufacturers are ramping up their quality within each competitive segment, the 2010 list proves to be the most diverse CR Top Picks group in over a decade.

So, which cars garner the most praise from CR? The Nissan Altima has officially dethroned the Honda Accord from the top family sedan spot, the Volkswagen GTI takes honors as the best sporty car, the trusty Subaru Forester takes the cake in the small SUV category, the quirky Mazda5 wins for best family hauler, and both the Chevrolet Traverse and Silverado stand tall as the best family SUV and pickup truck. These six newcomers join the Hyundai Elantra SE, Infiniti G37, Toyota Prius and Lexus LS460L to round out the entire list of Top Pick Cars.

Unlike most automotive media outlets (Autoblog included), Consumer Reports actually buys its own test cars before putting them through rigirous evaluations of handling, braking, comfort, safety and more, and each test car is roughly 6,000 miles older by the time all of the tests have been completed. Follow the jump to read the official press release from CR, and scroll through our attached gallery to see high-res shots of all the 2010 Top Pick Cars.

[Source: Consumer Reports - sub. req.]

Continue reading Consumer Reports adds six cars to Top Picks list, touts diversity

Consumer Reports adds six cars to Top Picks list, touts diversity originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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