2012 Hyundai Azera Gets Complete Makeover, Debuts at L.A. Auto Show

With Hyundai’s Accent, Elantra, and Sonata all benefiting from extroverted redesigns within the last year, the Azera looked especially out of place—even more than it normally does, what with being wedged uncomfortably between the trendy Sonata and the well-appointed Genesis sedan. Introduced at the Los Angeles auto show, the revamped Azera has much to celebrate, and looks perfectly at home in Hyundai’s lineup. Its name, front-drive layout, and the engine basics are about the only things that carry over from the previous model.

Riding on a completely different platform than before, the Azera has 2.6 inches of additional wheelbase now, for a total of 112. Overall length stays the same, at 193.3 inches, and width increases 0.4 inch. Underneath the hood of every Azera is a revised 3.3-liter V-6 that now includes direct fuel injection. With the higher compression ratio (11.5:1 compared to 10.4:1) enabled by DI, the 3.3 produces 293 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque—increases of 33 and 22, and 10 hp more than last year’s 3.8-liter V-6—while achieving a projected 20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway (the former is the same, the latter is a 1-mpg increase). A six-speed automatic transmission is standard.

It wouldn’t be a modern Hyundai if the list of other standard equipment didn’t include a few items that raise the brow. Base models roll on 18-inch wheels and include nine airbags, navigation, a rearview camera, leather seats that are heated in the front and outboard rear, two-zone automatic climate control, a cooled glove box, Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics system, and an abundance of safety tech. The optional Technology package adds 19-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, and a 12-speaker, 550-watt Infinity sound system, among other bits.

While all of the standard features make for easy marketing, the Azera’s striking new sheetmetal and interior should be enough to lure customers into the showroom. Beginning with a grille that is said to be inspired by “great wings,” the car’s aggressive nose is now as sleek as any other Hyundai’s. Its greenhouse has a sportback-like slope, while the sharp crease sprouting from the rear door creates a defined shoulder that flows back into the peak of the decklid. LED taillights and the integrated dual exhaust finishers give the Azera’s rump a clean and refined look.

Inside, you’ll find the now-familiar Hyundai design, with a dash layout that swoops in from the door panels and down the center stack. The show car we sat in had leather of vastly superior quality than the old Azera’s, and the skin will be available in three colors including Camel, Graphite Black, and Chestnut Brown. Buyers will have the choice of eight exterior colors, including pearl and metallic finishes.

The Azera will go on sale in the first quarter of 2012; pricing has yet to be disclosed. If Hyundai continues with its current strategy, you can bet that we won’t see too much of an increase from the previous car’s $26,270 entry-level sticker. Now, if only the Genesis and Equus didn’t look so dowdy.

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Hyundai USA: design videos

Two official videos that give some insights on the activities of the Hyundai Design Center for North America and on the design of the 2011 Sonata.

The first video is a short behind of the scenes on the design process at the company’s Design Center for North America, with comments by Design Managers Andre Hudson and Osamu Shikado and other designers and modelers.

The second video includes commentaries by Hudson and Shikado on the design of the 2011 Sonata, and how it makes use of the “Fluidic Sculpture” surface language.

The last clip, released in 2009, includes an interview with former Hyundai Chief Designer Joel Piaskowski  - who moved to Ford in 2010 – and a presentation of the Irvine-based design studio.

(Source: Hyundai USA)

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Face-Lifted 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: 271-hp Four, 345-hp V6, Eight-Speed Auto

Hyundai revealed its updated Genesis coupe on Facebook last week, but the cosmetics are just sizzle. The new fascia looks, uh, new, but the red meat is under the sheetmetal. At a relatively small event in Korea today, the company confirmed big updates to both the four- and six-cylinder powertrains.

The base 2.0-liter turbocharged four, an uncharismatic, gruff engine that previously offered just 210 hp and 223 lb-ft, is now good for 271 hp and 275 lb-ft. The change comes by way of a larger intercooler and a new twin-scroll turbocharger.

More exciting, the optional 3.8-liter V-6 gets a shot of steroids. This engine uses direct injection—its now functionally the same engine as in the 2012 Genesis sedan—and boasts 345 hp and 295 lb-ft. (These are increases of 39 and 29, respectively, over the coupe’s outgoing V-6.) Hyundai also claims it’s addressed one of our many complaints about the Genesis coupe: the gruff, unpleasant cacophony of the six. “In order to raise the emotional quality in the Lambda 3.8 GDi model, a sound generator is applied to replace the rough engine sound with a classy and sporty sound.” It’s a little unusual for an automaker to be so candid about a shortcoming like this, but the acknowledgement good news and we’re eager to see whether the “sound generator” is a special exhaust baffle or a set of Infinity speakers.

Both cars are now available with an eight-speed automatic transmission, a unit designed in-house by Hyundai. We hope it’s quicker-reacting in this application than it is in the Genesis sedan. Also on the gearbox front: The Korean-market press release for the new Genesis coupe makes no mention of manual transmissions, but we’d bank mortgage money on the company continuing to offer sticks in both cars here.

On paper, these are good, necessary updates. The engines always needed work, and the upgrades create more separation between this rear-driver and the upcoming 200-plus-hp turbo Veloster, which is FWD. But the biggest problem with the Genesis coupe, regardless of powerplant, is the punishing ride. We’ll have to wait until we can get behind the wheel to report on whether that’s been addressed. In the meantime, more pics should be coming from Korea soon. The U.S. debut is set for January’s Detroit auto show.

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Hyundai Elantra Coupe Confirmed for Chicago Debut

At a media preview today, Hyundai reconfirmed its plans to offer an Elantra coupe. The company even showed it to us, but since we won’t get to share camo-free images until the car debuts at the Chicago auto show in early February, readers wanting a look at the car will have to check out our spy photos. So the news is that the car’s timetable has been shifted slightly: Hyundai originally told us the car would appear toward the end of this year as a 2012 model.

Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik says the coupe “will have a sporty feel with different gearing, as well as a sportier trim,” compared with the Elantra sedan. We take that to mean it will use the same 148-hp, 1.8-liter four as the four-door. Krafcik also reminds us that this is not Spinal Tap. “Think of it as turning the knob from 3.5 to 4.5 on the performance dial. Not up to 10.”

Hyundai expects somewhere around 20 percent of Elantra sales to be two-doors. That figure, however, doesn’t include the Elantra Touring hatchback. The Touring suffix, by the way, may change, as Krafcik will only refer to it as “the five-door.”

Tags: Hyundai, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Elantra Coupe |

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Peek-a-Boo: Hyundai Posts Full Images of 2013 Genesis Coupe on Facebook

Yesterday we brought you a few “teaser” images of the 2013 Genesis Coupe that Hyundai posted on its Korean blog. Today, the automaker released three full pics on its Facebook page. Between all of the spy photos and sneak peeks we’ve gotten of the 2013 Coupe, we already knew what it would look like—kinda the same, but with a weird front end—and what kind of changes to expect beneath the skin. The freshened Coupe will make its North American debut at the 2012 Detroit auto show in January, by which point we should have all the details.

Tags: Hyundai, Hyundai Genesis coupe |

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Hyundai Shows Teasers of 2013 Genesis Coupe, Announces Korean-Market Model to Debut November 12th

It looks like we are close to seeing the refreshed 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe in the buff. Hyundai announced the updated Coupe would debut November 12th in Korea and released a few teaser images of the car on its Korean blog. Spy photos of the 2013 Coupe taken this past summer showed the car wearing Hyundai’s new familial front-end styling, which integrates various elements from the latest Elantra, Accent, and Veloster. None of that appears to have changed in these official photos, but the shots reveal a few more details that we hadn’t seen before.

The spy photos we ran a few months ago were dark, blurry, and grainy, which made it difficult to pick out the new Genesis Coupe’s stylistic nuances. Hyundai’s (much clearer) photos show off a lot of subtle creasing on the Genesis Coupe’s hood and fascia. The hood strakes, specifically, look a lot like those on the outgoing BMW 3-series and toughen up the Genesis’s front view noticeably. The wheels on this Korean-market “380 GT” model—which is roughly equivalent to the 3.8 R-Spec trim we get here—look like larger versions of the up-level rims available on the Veloster. Finally, the shape of the taillights is unchanged, but the detailing is new and matches the upscale headlight elements. We think the updates make for an even better-looking Genesis Coupe, but we hope that rear spoiler is optional.

The cosmetic tweaks likely won’t be the only updates the 2013 Hyundai Genesis receives; the interior will be mostly new (you can see for yourself here) and a few mechanical updates also are in the cards. We expect the coupe’s current 3.8-liter V-6 engine will be replaced by the 333-hp, direct-injected 3.8-liter that was recently added to the Genesis sedan’s engine lineup. It’s not yet clear whether the Genesis Coupe also will poach Hyundai’s new eight-speed automatic from the Genesis sedan, or keep its current six-speed unit. Interestingly, the November 12th debut listed on Hyundai’s Korean blog is nearly two months ahead of the 2013 Genesis Coupe’s anticipated North American unveil at January’s Detroit auto show.

Tags: Hyundai, Hyundai Genesis coupe |

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The 2012 Hyundai Sonata Video Review

The 2012 Hyundai Sonata, a mid-size sedan that could become one of the city car of your choice. With the luxurious design and powerful features that can deceive us about the price, but it turns out this car around $ 20,000. To complete our review about 2012 Hyundai Sonata, Automizel choose some videos about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata reviews.

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RMR RM500: Rhys Millen and Hyundai Stuff Tau V8 in Genesis Coupe

Hyundai and drifting/rally driver Rhys Millen have an established history of creating crazy, lampshade-on-the-head hooligan rides, including a 550-hp Genesis coupe drift racer, a 500-hp, rear-engined V-8 Genesis coupe, and even a purpose-built, 750-hp Pikes Peak racer.

For the 2011 SEMA show, Millen’s company, RMR, and Hyundai once again dropped a V-8 into a Genesis coupe, but this time, they’ve “kept it real,” so to speak—i.e., drivable, recognizable, and actually somewhat plausible. How plausible is cramming Hyundai’s largest and most powerful mill into the snug confines of the Genesis coupe’s engine bay? Well, according to Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson, the 5.0-liter Tau V-8 “fits right in,” saying that modifications included the engine mounts but little else. Based on conversations we’ve had with Hyundai engineers in the past about this exact subject, however, there may be more than a few other things that need to be changed, and a production V-8 Genesis coupe remains forbidden fruit. (A supercharged V-6 continues to tantalize, however; another 2011 SEMA car called the Genesis Hurricane SC featured such a powertrain, and blown Genesis mules have been spotted.)

Other RMR contributions to this one-off include a custom stainless-steel exhaust system, plus a new oil cooler, a rear differential cooler, an RMR lightweight clutch and flywheel, and an RMR adapter plate. In the process, RMR unlocked another 21 horsepower for a total of 450, compared with the 429 hp of the Genesis 5.0 R-spec sedan. Considering that the coupe’s top-dog mill soon will be a naturally aspirated, direct-injected 3.8-liter V-6 making 333 hp, 450 hp would vault the sports coupe into the Mustang GT and Camaro SS’s league.

Still, Millen and Hyundai might have slapped some turbos on the Tau and received 600-plus ponies for the effort, but they didn’t. While the RM500 isn’t exactly a snooze to look at, a similar sort of judiciousness characterizes most of its other modifications. These include Brembo-sourced carbon-ceramic front brakes, 19-inch HRE wheels, Hankook Ventus tires, Sparco seats, and RMR-designed carbon-fiber body addenda (front lip, rear diffuser, decklid spoiler, side skirts, roof overlay, grille, and fog-lamp inserts). RMR also provided yellow fog-lamp lenses, a one-inch steering-column extension, new seat brackets, and suede upholstery.

Floating It Out There, But Don’t Hold Your Breath

The chief reasons for building the RM500, according to Johnson, are to showcase how the Genesis coupe can perform with Hyundai’s new Tau V-8 under the hood, and more significantly, to gauge customer interest in such a package. We’re pretty confident that the RM500 is riotously fun to drive, but even if Hyundai somehow found a way to make Tau installation work in the coupe, we know that it will then have to federalize the car according to emissions and crash regulations. And then sell enough of them to pay for that. And hopefully then make a profit. Good luck.

In any case, the RM500 represents Hyundai’s most visible effort yet to explore fiercely loyal V-8 sports coupe segment. We’re no more optimistic than before that a V-8-powered Genesis coupe will happen, and even if it does, there’s no guarantee it will succeed in winning over any members of the muscle-car crowd. We’ll admit we wouldn’t mind seeing Hyundai try.

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