Car Throttle

When the Hyundai Equus first was shown last year, no one knew whether it would be coming to the United States market. Many speculated that it would remain a Korean-market only vehicle. However, that hasn't been the case. At the time, we mentioned Hyundai doing a coupe version of the model. The styling of the Equus would lend itself perfectly to a coupe, and it could be an inexpensive competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CL (now called the S-Class Coupe) and even the BMW 6-Series. We weren't the only ones to think it is a good idea too, as witnessed by this rendering of what the car could look like. The rendering was done by website This Week In Motors, saying such a car would be able to

CarThrottle just recently tested the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Track model. During its one-week stay we were impressed with it's performance prowess and how far Hyundai has come with a performance vehicle. Last time around, the Tiburon was Hyundai's entrant into the segment, and wasn't nearly the vehicle the Genesis was. Due to it being rear-wheel drive (a nice departure from the Tiburon) and it's price range, it has often been pegged as a competitor to the traditional muscle cars - the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challengers. The Genesis is really a different type of vehicle than those, but comparisons have persisted. Motor Trend will undoubtedly keep them going with this new test, pitting the Genesis Coupe against the aforementioned muscle car trio of the Ford Mustang,

Hyundai/Kia is definitely the talk of the New York International Auto Show. Usually the automotive press declares a show "winner" and in New York, that would definitely have to be Hyundai/Kia. New introductions have included the Hyundai Sonata Turbo, Sonata Hybrid, Equus and the Kia Forte 5-door as well as the official pictures and information drop on the Kia Optima. The Optima is one handsome mid-size sedan - and expensive looking too. Kia has clearly settled on a design language with its newest products, and it is one we really like. It looks solid and technologically-oriented. One thing is clear, that while the Sonata and the Optima share platforms, the two are nothing alike. This is platform sharing done right. Our favorite view is of the rear. It looks really different and is

Hyundai and sister company Kia have been on a rapid upswing the past few years. The quality of their products has seen such a dramatic increase that they don't fall apart all the time, the technology and engineering has gotten to the point where frequently their cars are the best-in-class, and people take them seriously.  Clearly, something needed to be done. "Our cars have gotten so good that people can't make any jokes about them any more!" said Richard Crapcar, head of PR for Hyundai USA.  "We've abandoned our brand values and are paying the price for it with increased sales, customer loyalty, and a shiningly positive reputation in almost every market we inhabit.  We've got to do something about this before it's too late." And that

Hyundai's new Sonata sedan has been a press darling these days. It's got everything that mid-size car buyers are looking for: great looks, a reasonable price and a long warranty, plenty of space and quality, and a remarkable power-to-efficiency ratio.  Hyundai just debuted the 2011 Sonata Turbo at the New York Auto Show, and if anything the media love for the new four-door is about to reach a fever pitch. Let's talk numbers for a minute.  The regular Sonata uses a 2.4L 16v I4 with gasoline-direct-injection to produce a healthy 198bhp and 189lb-ft of torque, which is more than any of the four-cylinder competition in it's class, all at an "are you serious?" 35 highway MPG.  That's impressive in it's own right - they're out-Honda-ing Honda

Hyundai and Kia have come a long way - never is that more evident than in our recent review of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. While Hyundai has gone and is going far upmarket with cars like the Genesis and Equus, Kia is moving up but not quite as far (for now, at least). Vehicles like the Soul have shown a fun, sporty side of the brand that we really like. The Cadenza was recently introduced and looks to be a strong contender in the segment. One vehicle that we never have been particularly impressed with from Kia though is the current Optima, but Kia is looking to change that in a very big way for 2011. For one, the car is bigger, whereas the

Test vehicle: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L V6 with 6-speed ZF Shiftronic Automatic Transmission Throughout the history of the automotive industry and other industries too, there have been times (admittedly rare) when a company not only manages to survive in a difficult climate, but thrive. An example of that would no doubt have to be Hyundai and its sister brand Kia, both of which have managed to increase market share and sales, on the strength of strong product. One of the turning points for Hyundai was the Buyer Assurance Program that offered the ability for an owner to give a purchased vehicle back to the company in the event of losing their job. The program proved to be very successful, enabling customers worried about their job security to get

Hyundai's big introduction at the Geneva Auto Show is the just-named i-Flow Concept. The car is intended to show off Hyundai's dizzying pace of evolution and indicate what to expect for the company's new D-segment vehicle. So how to build buzz? Why, a teaser of course. Lexus already gave it a go with the CT 200h teaser image earlier today. Thankfully, this one shows more than just a taillight. Now that's a teaser! And more important is the car it is teasing. The new i-Flow Concept looks like a stunner based off of this revealing rendering. The car continues Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language that has debuting on the company's recent vehicles. We like it on the company's current new cars such as the Tuscon and Sonata -

At CarThrottle, we love drag racing videos, and we assume you probably do too. One we thought particularly interesting and that garnered a lot of attention is the Ford-sponsored one between the Ford Taurus SHO and the Audi A6 4.2 FSI. Manufacturer-conducted races are pretty much a foregone conclusions for the company conducting it, but that doesn't mean they aren't interesting to watch anyway. This one done by Hyundai in Korea pits two cars that don't seem like the likeliest candidates for drag racing - the new Sonata against with it's 2.4 GDI 4-cylinder against the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder in the Camry. The results are pretty interesting - the Camry is clearly quicker off the line but the Sonata overtakes it later on. The Korean language means most of

Hyundai and its counterpart ended 2009 with a bang, increasing sales and most importantly, debuting some impressive new models. For Hyundai, the Azera started the initial move upmarket, followed by the Genesis and the new Equus. Kia recently debuted the new Cadenza, but rumors are swirling about a move even further upmarket. The Cadenza has sometimes been mistakenly referred to as being based on the Hyundai Genesis - it isn't. That would be the K9 (no, not a dog and that is just the media's name for it). The Kia Amanti-replacement project goes under the code name "CH"  (no, not a dog - and that isn't the finalized name) sedan. A graphic of the front end appeared recently on screen at a Kia design presentation. From that,