korean cars
LA 2009: Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Turbo Models Due Out Next Year
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After having just debuted the all-new 2011 Sonata with an impressive new direct-injection 4-cylinder engine, Hyundai has announced it will offer a high-performance turbocharged model (as well as a hybrid) starting next year. The news of the hybrid model has been known for quite some time, but this is the first Hyundai has said about…
LA 2009: 2011 Kia Sorento Debuts in LA, Marks Korean Automaker’s First U.S. Built Vehicle
Korean automaker Kia has officially announced the introduction of the all-new 2011 Sorento compact crossover to the U.S. market – where it will be built. The Sorento’s new design and corporate front-end design come from the KND-4 concept first shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show back in 2007. Following in the tire-treads of the…
LA 2009: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Gets Stylish New Look, Powerful and Efficient Engine
Hyundai is all set to stir up the family sedan segment with the stylish, powerful and efficient 2011 Sonata. The latest in Hyundai’s new lineup of products, the Sonata gets a coupe-like shape reminiscent of the Volkswagen CC. And that’s a very big compliment to be sure. The car is one of just a few…
Report: Kia Cadenza Debuts in Korea as Successor to Amanti
Just unveiled in its domestic market of South Korea, the all-new Kia Cadenza is set to be introduced throughout several markets in the months to come, including in the U.S. where it will replace the Amanti. Contrary to speculation the car does not ride on the Genesis sedan’s rear-drive architecture (sigh…) but rather on an…
Report: Direct-Injection Likely For All Engines Says Hyundai Motor America’s Top Engineer
All future Hyundai products are likely to get direct injection technology, boosting both fuel economy and performance and allowing for smaller and lighter displacement engines to take the place of larger units. The news comes from Hyundai Motor America’s top engineer John Juriga, who made the comments during a technical presentation at Hyundai’s North American…
Report: Hyundai Officially Debuts 200-hp Direct-Injection Four-Cylinder for 2011 Sonata
Hyundai Motor America has confirmed the introduction of the company’s first direct-injection gasoline engine will debut in the 2011 Sonata. Called the 2.4 GDI Theta II, the engine will make 200-hp at 6300 rpm and 186 ft-lbs of torque at 4250 rpm in the SE model. Hyundai has also confirmed that despite the engine’s 11.3…
Report: Hyundai to Equip 2011 Sonata With Automaker’s First Direct-Injection Engine
Hyundai won’t be offering the all-new 2011 Sonata with a V6 engine, opting instead to go the four-cylinder route. It’s not clear if the automaker plans to offer two different four-cylinders, but this week in South Korea, Hyundai did take the wraps off of the company’s first direct-injection engine, a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. Using direct injection…
SEMA 2009: Trio of Tuned Kia Souls Debut in Vegas
Kia’s big news at the 2009 SEMA Show was the announcement of the brands foray into motorsports, but the track-ready Forte Koup wasn’t the only car on display at the Kia Motors booth. In fact, three more traditional SEMA vehicles were on display. Competing in the youth-oriented box-car segment, the Soul is a hit with…
SEMA 2009: GReddy Gives the Hyundai Genesis Coupe a Total Tune-Up
As promised, import car tuner GReddy debuted its X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe at the 2009 SEMA Show. Apart from the wild and wacky paint job (a SEMA necessity), the modified 2.0T model is the kind of car we’d like to have in the driveway. The philosophy behind the build was to improve performance in all…
SEMA 2009: Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec World Premiere
Hyundai couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate venue for the launch of the tuner-friendly Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec than the SEMA Show. Shown for the first time at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, the R-Spec model gets all the goodies included in the excellent Track pack, but without all the…
SEMA 2009: Rhys Millen Racing Unveils Mid-Engine V8 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
After much anticipation, Rhys Millen Racing has finally unveiled its mid-engined V8-powered Genesis Coupe at the 2009 SEMA Show. The RMR460 gets its name from the powerful Tau 4.6-liter V8, that has been borrowed from the Genesis Sedan. But RMR wasn’t satisfied with leaving the engine stock, instead choosing to upgrade the engine’s internals (with…
SEMA Preview: Kia to Announce Forte Koup Motorsports Initiative?
Kia appears to be readying an announcement that for 2010 it will launch a motorsports initiative using the Forte Koup. We just received a brief (very brief) email from Kia Motors America stating that the Korean automaker will, “be accelerating its brand transformation” with an announcement at the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) Show next…
Report: Kia Cadenza Unveiled as Successor to Amanti
Kia has just revealed the first photos of the Amanti’s successor. Based on the KND-5 Concept, this new full-sized sedan will be called the K7 in Korean and sold as the Cadenza elsewhere. The new car gets a complete redesign with Kia’s new corporate front fascia and an overall look that is more luxurious than…
Report: 2010 Hyundai Accent Blue Edition Gets 36 Highway MPG
Hyundai has just announced that a new “Blue Edition” Accent model will join the “Blue Edition” Elantra, offering improved fuel economy for a car that’s already great on gas. Hyundai says the new 3-door hatchback model offers a 9 percent improvement in fuel economy with a new rating of 27/36 mpg (city/highway) with either the…
SEMA Preview: GReddy Tuned Genesis Coupe to Make Over 350-hp
As though there was any doubt, the 2009 SEMA Show is gearing up to be an exhibition of modified Hyundais. The tuning experts at GReddy have announced that they will be bringing a Genesis Coupe 2.0T, with all sorts of aftermarket goodies and an expected power output of 350-hp and 320 ft-lbs of torque. Called…
Report: Honda CEO Calls Hyundai “Awesome”
Japanese auto manufacturers consider Korea’s Hyundai to be their biggest threat, according to a report by The Associated Press. As automakers around the world struggle to survive the weakened economy and up-and-coming Chinese companies seek to make a name for themselves, Hyundai has emerged as a major player. “Hyundai is awesome,” Honda Motor Co. chief…
Report: Viper Tuner Hennessey Planning 500hp Genesis Coupe for SEMA
How’s this for a school assignment: take a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, construct a twin-turbocharger system to make it pump out 500hp and present your work at SEMA. That’s the task facing students at John Hennessey’s Tuner School. Best known for his work with Dodge Vipers, Hennessey has assigned students at the State of Texas-accredited…
Breaking: Hyundai Equus Stretch Edition Unveiled in Korea With New 5.0-liter V8
Hyundai has just unveiled a “Stretch Edition” of its flagship Equus luxury sedan in Korea, measuring a massive 215-inches in length – a foot longer than the standard sedan model. For the record, that’s just over half a foot longer than the extended-wheelbase BMW 750Li. It’s also just 15-inches smaller than the simply massive Rolls-Royce…
Report: Hyundai Drops V6 Option for Next 2011 Sonata
When Hyundai recently unveiled the all-new 2011 Sonata in South Korea there was no mention of a V6 engine, but that’s not unusual for markets outside North America. Now word is out that there won’t be a V6 at all. Instead, the company will offer a base four-cylinder engine as well as a direct-injection version…
Report: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Officially Revealed in Korea
Hyundai has just officially revealed the 2011 Sonata model in its home market of Korea. As the numerous spy photos have shown, the Sonata has a coupe-like design and is certainly no boring family-hauler. There is no specific word on what will be under the hood when the car launches in the U.S., but in…
Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai Premieres New Tucson ix35
Hyundai introduced its new Tucson SUV at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The new Tucson, named the ix35 in Europe, is an example of what Hyundai calls its new “fluidic” design language with its sweeping, curved lines. Hyundai lowered the overall height of the new Tucson while still promising extra legroom and headroom. A new dual-panel…
Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai Introduces ix-Metro CUV Concept
Hyundai introduced a futuristic crossover concept model, the ix-Metro, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Drawing inspiration from NASA, science fiction and pine cones (yes, pine cones), the Hyundai ix-Metro was the result of an internal design competition. Design features such as faceted surfaces and triangulating lines along the bonnet, side and rear panels are a…
Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga Unwrapped
Kia pulled the covers off the Venga, its new B-segment MPV at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Based on the No. 3 concept shown at the Geneva show earlier this year, the Venga will be sold across Europe with Kia’s seven-year drive train / five-year whole car / 150,000 km warranty, as well as a ten-year…
Frankfurt Preview: Kia Venga MPV Revealed Ahead of Official Debut
Kia is unveiling its new MPV, the Venga, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Based on the No. 3 concept model Kia displayed at the Geneva show, the Venga has a 103-inch wheelbase, longer than most cars in its class. Kia says the interior will also be roomier than its competitors with space typical of a…
