Hyundai Sonata

Hyundai Sonata hybrid needs to be heard, delivery delayed

The majority of hybrid edition of the new Hyundai Sonata will not be delivered to the United States until late March or early April after the South Korean carmaker decided to postpone the launch to change its virtual engine sound system. Under a U.S. law signed in January, automakers must gradually add devices to their hybrid cars that emit artificial engine sounds. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (HHTSA) is currently finalizing specific rules. Hyundai is altering its noise device to boost the volume and remove a switch to turn it off. The decision to modify the Sonata Hybrid’s virtual engine sound system was made late came last year after hearing that NHTSA banning any switch or button that would

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Kia Optima joins elite club with top NHSTA safety rating

The 2011 Kia Optima has just joined an exclusive automotive fraternity. It’s the first Korean car and among only 13 vehicles awarded in 2011 a five-star rating under the recently revamped crash safety testing system conducted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administation (NHSTA). The midsize Optima, redesigned for 2011, achieved an overall five-star rating after attaining five stars in each of the ratings categories. Earlier this year, the Optima was a recipient of a “Top Safety Pick” award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The additional 12 vehicles earning five-star NHTSA ratings for 2011: Acura MDX, BMW 5 Series, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, GMC Sierra, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Volvo XC60 and

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Honda gets "green" car top honors, Chevy Volt shorts out

For the 8th year, the 2011 Honda Civic GX has claimed top honors as the “greenest” car in the United States, according to the 14th annual ratings for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Some newcomers — including an electric vehicle and a plug-in electric hybrid — did well, while several of the regulars held their ground and other cars, most notably the Chevrolet Volt, fared poorly. This year’s ratings reveal a face-off among plug-ins, gasoline hybrids, diesels, natural gas vehicles, and improving “conventional” gasoline vehicles. notwithstanding changes to Green Book® rating methods that boost. The all-electric Nissan Leaf places second, followed by the gasoline-powered Smart Fortwo. Hybrids take the next three spots, followed closely by Ford’s new

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Kia Optima tops BMW, Honda, Chevy, Nissan for Cars.com Best of 2011 award

Kia, the once not-so touted cousin of the equally once not-so lauded Hyundai, has joined its midsize brethren in the honors line. Cars.com has given the Kia Optima its “Best of 2011” award. The editors of the web site cited the Optima’s outstanding fuel economy overall driving. Hyundai, which owns Kia, has received its share of honors for its Sonata and other vehicles in the Korean manufacturer’s lineup. The editors of Cars.com said: “With its value, sharp packaging, outstanding fuel efficiency and lofty features, the Optima gives all family-car shoppers a shot at something far more compelling than the segment represents.” The BMW 5 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt (recently named North American Car of the Year), Honda Odyssey and

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Chevy Volt, Ford Explorer take Detroit Auto Show top honors

The Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car and Ford Explorer claimed top honors as the North American car and truck of the years honors at the Detroit Auto Show. The Volt, the General Motors’ centerpiece contribution to the advancing green car industry, has already earned the 2011 Green Car of the Year and Motor Trend Magazine’s Car of the Year. It edged the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Sonata for the Car of the Year award, voted on by a panel of 49 automotive journalists. Ford Motor Co’s latest incarnation of its Explorer sport utility vehicle was named 2011 Truck of the Year, edging the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. It was the third year in a row that

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Buick Regal 2011 car review

Now in its fifth generation, but first year in the United States since 2004, the Buick Regal is back in 2011 to meet the stiff competition in the midsize sedan category. Based on the Opel Insignia, the Regal re-emerged in China in 2008 as a 2009 model and is available in the U.S. in only a CXL trim level. It’s the latest offering of the midsize car introduced by General Motors for the 1973 model year. The 2011 edition is a departure and catapults the Buick into the modern age. Standard equipment includes: 18-inch alloy wheels, foglamps, heated sideview mirrors, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, full power accessories, OnStar, leather upholstery, a power driver seat, heated front

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Audi, Ford, Lexus on The Weekly Driver's 2010 Best List

Recall was likely the most used word in the automotive industry in 2010. Toyota topped the list of manufacturers’ whose cars were retrieved by the millions with myriad issues. Regardless, of the 20 million recalls. it was another remarkable year for cars. The Hyundai Sonata for the first time in some monthly totals outsold the Honda Accord. The Chevy Camaro returned in 2009 as a 2010 model. Honda introduced the attention-grabbing Crosstour and discontinued the Element. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf made their public debuts amid an enormous public relations joust and with the future of hybrid and electric vehicles still largely unclear. The specialty car market was constantly in the news. Premium prices were dished out at auctions

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Kia Optima (Turbo) 2011 car review

The impressive turbocharged four-cylinder engine offered for the Kia Optima Turbo turns the standard recently introduced all-new 2011 Optima into a genuinely hot model. The two-liter engine is in the $24,495 Optima EX Turbo and the $25,995 SX Turbo versions. The standard front-drive, mid-size Optima sedan has a non-turbo 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 200 horsepower. Non-turbo Optima list prices start at $18,995 with the standard 2.4 engine. While the regular engine provides good performance, the Optima Turbo engine is a pistol. It has very efficient direct fuel injection and other nifty features, such as a turbocharger with a unique twin-scroll design. It offers better combustion efficiency and more available low-end power, compared to more traditional single-scroll turbo systems. The Turbo engine

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Hyundai, VW share top 2011 safety institute honors

Hyundai and Volkswagen combined to earn 18 of 66 Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the independent nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to reducing the incidents on American highways. Hyundai and Volkswagen each had nine winning models, the most of any manufacturer. The IIHS introduced more difficult standards for 2010, adding roof strength to its criteria by testing protection in rollover crashes. “In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick,” said Adrian Lund, the Institute president. “That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV — from economy to luxury models — plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms.

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Hyundai surpasses 500,000 yearly U.S. sales for first time

For the first since it debuted in the United States in 1986, Hyundai Motor Co. has sold 500,000 vehicles during a year in the United States. The South Korean automaker previous U.S. sales record was 467,009, in 2007, and, surpassed the half-million sales point in early December. It expects to sell 530,000 vehicles in the country by the end December. Hyundai sold about 160,000 Excel compacts in 1986 when it launched exports to the U.S. The following year, sales improved to more that 260,000. Quality issues prompted a sales decrease and Hyundai sold only cars 91,217 in 1998, its lowest sales year. Hyundai launched a concerted effort to improve its vehicles in 1999. It began offering a quality assurance program

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Consumers Digest awards 35 ‘best buy’ for 2011 models

Thirty-five 2011 vehicles and seven companion models have been selected from more than 250 models and received Best Buy ratings from Consumers Digest magazine. The ratings, published in the December issue (on sale now), span 12 categories: Subcompacts, Compacts, Family Cars, Luxury Cars, Sporty Cars, Full-size Pickups, Small Pickups, Minivans, Compact SUVs, Midsize SUVs, Full-size/Luxury SUVs and Hybrids. The Best Buys — based on behind-the-wheel assessment, safety ratings, ownership costs, warranty, price, comfort, ergonomics, styling and amenities — reflect the publication’s view the vehicles offering exceptional value. “Value, as we see it, is based on purchase price and ownership costs relative to quality, performance and subjective factors like comfort and design,” says Randy Weber, CD’s publisher. Performance characteristics evaluated include

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BMW, Hyundai get only 5-star grades in new NTHSA ratings system

The upgraded ratings system will now evaluate side pole crash testing and crash prevention-technologies. Also, for the first time, it will utilize a petite female crash test dummy to simulate crash scenarios involving female vehicle occupants. Ratings for 33 of the 55 vehicles to be tested under the new system this year were announced, with the BMW 5 Series 4 DR RWD and the Hyundai Sonata as the only vehicles receiving a 5-star overall rating score under the new ratings system. Twenty-eight other vehicles received a 4-star overall rating score. The full list of newly rated vehicles as well as safe driving statistics, vehicle defects, safety recalls and passenger safety, are available at the official website for the federal government’s

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GM, Nissan dominate North American best car nominees

The 18th annual awards are chosen by automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION Auto Shipping Quote–Car Financing–Car Insurance Quotes–Car Loans–Online Car Insurance–Rental Cars–Used Cars Twenty-seven new cars were eligible for the 2011 North American Car of the Year award and 14 have been selected as semi-finalists. The jurors did not vote on the trucks because there were only 14 on the original list. The North American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year will be announced in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Audi A8 Buick Regal Chevrolet Cruze Chevrolet Volt Ford Fiesta Hyundai Sonata/2.0T/Hybrid Infiniti M37/56

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Hyundai Sonata on pace to outsell Honda Accord for the first time

But Hyundai has been closing the gap, with Sonata sales increasing to 17,836 units in July, just 5,100 less than the Accord. Part of the reason the Accord is losing its edge as it ages. The current model was introduced three years ago, while the latest Sonata debuted in the U.S. early this year. Sales of the Accord have slid from 39,726 units in August last year to 23,032 in July and 22,506 in August this year. The increase in Sonata sales has resulted in a delivery backlog. Hyundai is boosting output at its plant in Alabama where the Sonata is produced alongside the Santa Fe crossover SUV. Production of the Santa Fe is being moved to Kia Motors’ plant

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Consumer Reports to Sean P. Diddy Combs: Cars for young drivers

Sean P. Diddy Combs recently attracted a lot of attention when he gave his son a new Lamborghini valued at $360,000 for his 16th birthday. The presentation was held in front of MTV cameras and a celebrity crowd gathered in New York in part for a Haiti relief fundraiser. Consumer Reports didn’t pass judgment on Combs’ actions. Instead, it compiled a list of cars it has determined as “appropriate for young drivers.” In part of story detailing its selection, the Consumer Reports’ reporter wrote: “We did not consider cars with 0-to-60-mph acceleration times faster than 8 seconds or slower than 11 seconds, those with braking distances longer than 145 ft. in dry conditions, or those with mediocre emergency-handling scores. Many

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Cars.com selects Smart ForTwo, Chevrolet Malibu as worst, most improved cars of the decade

But approaching the end of the first decade of the 21st century, editors at Cars.com have decided publish lists of the top-10 most improved and top-10 worst cars of the decade. The much-maligned Pontiac Aztec is on the list of the top-10 worst cars of the decade, but it isn’t worst. And the Chevrolet Malibu is the most improved car of the last decade? Really. Suffice is to say the lists are surprising. In reserve order, here are the top-10 worst cars of the decade and the top-10 most improved with a comments on the No. 1 worst and No. 1 most improved from each list. The 10 Worst Cars of the 2000s: 10. Pontiac Aztek (2001-05); 9. Daewoo Anything

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