Car Throttle

Hyundai's Genesis Sedan was a complete surprise when it debuted in 2008. No one was really expecting Hyundai, of all brands, to come out with a full-size, rear-wheel drive pseudo-luxury sedan.  Even fewer people were expecting it to be as good as it was, either - it was more than a match for luxury-biased mid-sizers like the Lexus GS, Acura TL, Chrysler 300C, etc. But even with a really good product, it's basically market suicide to leave it untouched on the market for a few years as the competition gets better.  So Hyundai has made some changes and updates to their now 2nd-tier luxury sedan (since they started selling the LS460-sized Equus in the US.) The biggest changes occur under the skin.  All the Genesis sedan

After a lot of anticipation following the Veloster Concept, Hyundai introduced its production Veloster at the North American International Auto Show this week. The Veloster is the sixth vehicle in Hyundai’s 24/7 version 2.0 product initiative (seven new models in 24 months) that has included the new Tucson, Sonata, Equus, Elantra and will be completed with the new subcompact Accent coming later in the year. For now though the Veloster is the latest new Hyundai to garner attention form the press. We haven't been too keen on the car's awkward interpretation of Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language. We speculated that it may grow on us, and it seems to a bit after time and some video photography. Hyundai has released a video of imagery

The past year was pretty good to nearly all the auto manufacturers, but especially to Hyundai. The brand has seen sales for both Hyundai and Kia brands go up significantly, on the back of desirable new products that challenge the status quo. There has no doubt also been some image-building thanks to models like the Genesis and Genesis Coupe. One thing that has never really been a big part of the Hyundai equation is performance, except for the Genesis Coupe. Many pinned their hopes on the Veloster to change that. After a concept preview model and teasing, the Veloster is finally here. Hyundai's styling has often been criticized for being derivative and unoriginal. Models like the Genesis and Sonata haven't escaped that, despite no doubt being

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

The automotive industry is a cutthroat industry - with many available options and competitive vehicles vying for the consumer's dollar. A new car can come along and change the dynamics of the segment it competes in. Hyundai has changed the dynamics with its lineup of new products. The remarkable transformation has extended from the mainstream to luxury spectrum. With these new models under their belt, Hyundai still isn't content to rest on its laurels. Autoblog has attended a Hyundai product briefing that revealed details about the brand's next-generation V-8 engine for use in high-end products. We know that Hyundai didn't spare much expense with its luxury forays, developing a new rear-wheel drive platform and V-8 to properly compete in the luxury market. The V-8 powerplant is dubbed "Tau" and

If the Hyundai Equus doesn't wake you up to the fact that something has drastically changed at Hyundai, we don't know what will. The brand has quickly gone from an also-ran to a product leader in the marketplace . Hyundai has consistently pushed the envelope at a breakneck pace with its rear-wheel drive Genesis sedan and Coupe models. The best example yet of how far Hyundai has progressed comes in the form of the Equus - and its price tag. $58,000 - yes you read that right....$58,000 for a Hyundai. 5 or 10 years ago that would have been unthinkable. However, today it is a different story. The Equus differentiates itself from failed attempts at the luxury segment such as Volkswagen's Phaeton by its value proposition. While the Phaeton

Don't look now, but there is no doubt Hyundai is on a roll. The brand's products are highly competitive entries in their respective segments up and down the spectrum. Perhaps most startling though has been Hyundai's upmarket ascension. It began with the Hyundai Azera and really came into its own with the Genesis. CarThrottle experienced it for ourselves with our review of the Genesis Coupe earlier this year. The next step in Hyundai's product blitz is the Equus. Hyundai isn't content to rest on its laurels though, as word has come of further improvements. Perhaps one of the greatest things to enthusiasts and those looking for a true luxury experience is the fact that Hyundai has offered up a credible rear-wheel drive platform. This platform underpins the Genesis,

We're big fans of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe here at CarThrottle. When our writer Tony reviewed it this March, he came away impressed with the car's looks, performance, and refinement.  In just 2 short years the Genesis Coupe has become a major player in the affordable performance market, and for 2010 it's going to get even better. Those familiar with the GenCoupe lineup know all about the Spec-R.  The deal with options on the Genesis goes like this: there's a base model, then an "uplevel" model with things like automatic headlights and climate control, leather seats, a crazy stereo, etc.  At the top of the range is the track model, which has all those goodies plus stuff that matters like a limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, stiffer

I love viral marketing.  It's way more amusing than real marketing. Whereas real marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry that bets on the fact the average consumer is dumber than the average advertising department, viral marketing is a bit more grass-roots, personal, and often times humorous.  I mean, who can forget the whole Audi vs. BMW billboard battle?  Or Bob Lutz's "The CTS-V will smoke anything on a racetrack!" challenge? The latest brand to cash in on this less-professional advertising tactic is BMW's Mini division.  As you may have heard, Mini challenged Porsche to a race-track duel at Road Atlanta in June.  Porsche, in their typical snobby way (hey, with a history like Porsche you're allowed to be snobby) said no.  Mini responded by

2010 is undoubtedly the year of eco-consciousness among automotive companies. I mean, there have been some exciting gas-guzzling debuts (hello, Audi R8 V10 Spider, 2011 Mustang GT500, and Ferrari 458 Italia!) but for the most part the focus of the industry has been on boring things, like diesels and hybrids and, god forbid, diesel-hybrids.  Still, there's a whole heap of fresh metal coming out this year, and there's quite a bit to be excited about.  What upcoming cars are you the most stoked to get your greasy little paws on in 2010? For me, it's a pretty long list.  And atop it is Honda's polarizing CR-Z.  While "Hybrid" and "Sports Coupe" seem to go together like peanut butter and salmon, it's an intriguing concept to me