Car Throttle

Hyundai's home branch in South Korea has been a good source of early information about the company's lineup in the United States. New models are introduced there first and that is often where the first spy shots and renderings come from. That has been the case with the new Azera, called the Grandeur in the South Korean market. The company is readying a new replacement to its full-size model, and what was formerly its flagship. The Azera is set to move upscale, positioned as an upscale alternative to the rear-wheel drive Genesis. As Hyundai has moved forward with its luxury models like the Genesis and Equus, it has been easy to forget about the Azera. The new model should change that significantly, with a elegant

We've covered the Kia Cadenza in the past when the VG Concept debuted at the Seoul Auto Show and more recently when Kia released new renderings of the sedan. Since then, the car has gotten an official name for production - Cadenza. At least it is different, right? Some production images of the car have been shown before, but these new ones are so far the first "live" images (not in the studio) to turn up. Also, they give us our first glimpse at the rear view of the production car. The good news is that the Cadenza's looks have remained true to the VG preview concept. While breaking no new ground, it ups the ante for Kia considerably. So far it looks to be

Hyundai has been continuing on a relentless drive upmarket, and has met a lot of success doing so. Each model has improved so much with ever passing generation, and entrants like the Azera and Genesis have been met with critical acclaim. This month's sales being up The next leap is set to come with the Equus full-size luxury sedan. For now though, Hyundai is turning to it's mid-size sedan, a crucially important segment for any volume manufacturer. Mercedes-Benz CLS, is that you? No, it's the Hyundai Sonata - but that's what Hyundai wants you to think of when you see the Sonata. There is a clear "inspiration" here from that car, and it's never a bad thing to be compared with the CLS. The CLS started this

Kia's image in the US is a mixed bag.  There isn't really a whole lot of brand continuity, and Kia is aiming to fix that with a solidified image.  The first step towards this goal will be the VG, which Tony previewed in his post yesterday. Well, the VG debuted at the Seoul Auto Show in South Korea, and it looks like a great first step.  This concept will supposedly be quite close to the production version, and it is to replace the aging (and awful) Amanti pseudo-luxury barge.  This fully modern near-luxury offering has the kind of sharp, clean lines you just wouldn't expect from Kia, but this here is progress- and progress is good. Power is supplied by a 3.5L derivative of the Lambda

Remember that? That's the Azera. It was hailed as a big step forward for the brand when introduced. Then they had to come along and outdo it with the Genesis. Hyundai and Kia have been on a roll lately! They're the only volume automaker other then Subaru to see sales increases in a falling market. A large part is due to the Assurance Program, but also to customer's recognition of the impressive new vehicles they've been putting out.  Let's get to the news here though. That's the Kia "VG" Concept, codenamed KND-5. It's based on the Hyundai Azera, and in my opinion is a big improvement on the car. While nice, the Azera is clearly a generation behind in the company's styling evolution. The Kia VG Concept illustrates this very well. It's very