Toyota, Hyundai refute report of discontinued models

2010 Toyota Matrix – Click above for high-res image gallery

In a U.S. News and World Report story distributed via Yahoo dubbed "The 10 Best Discontinued Cars," author Rick Newman spoke with an unnamed analyst at Kelley Blue Book in an effort to help new car shoppers find


exceptionally deep discounts on new cars. Here's where it gets hazy: As part of that process, Newman sought to:

"...identify models likely to be discontinued over the next couple of years. For some of these models, the manufacturers have confirmed that the car is being axed; others made the list because of strong indicators that they're being discontinued, such as manufacturing changes or declining shipments to dealers."

Note the word usage of "likely" and "next couple of years" coupled to that very misleading title. To Newman's credit, he notes "unconfirmed" when discussing vehicles that haven't been officially killed off, but to our eyes, the title is misleading and the execution of the list itself strikes us as disingenuous, particularly as it mixes vehicles that have already been officially nixed (Honda S2000, Mercury Sable, Pontiac G8, Saturn Sky, Volkswagen Jetta GLI) with end-of-life models that are likely to be replaced or die out in due time (Chevrolet Colorado, Lexus SC430), as well as nameplates that have been facing declining or slow sales (Toyota Matrix and FJ Cruiser, Hyundai Veracruz). We spoke with Curt McCallister, Toyota's Midwest Public Relations Manager about the fate of the Matrix and FJ Cruiser, and he offered us the following guidance:

"There are no plans to discontinue either model. The Yahoo story is erroneous in that it was based on conjecture from unnamed analysts from Kelley Blue Book. The reporter (Newman) was informed of the factual errors in his story, multiple times yesterday. He was also questioned on why we weren't allowed to confirm or deny these assumptions. It was poor reporting that unfortunately has an Internet reach."

Click through to the jump for the rest of the story, including a comment from Hyundai.
[Source: U.S. News and World Report via Yahoo]

We also spoke with Hyundai spokesman Dan Bedore, who told us that the 2010 Veracruz is "an important part of the Hyundai lineup as our only three-row crossover" – he informed us that unlike last year's model, the facelifted 2010 Santa Fe will only offer two rows of seats.

One final thing: We note that in "The 10 Best Discontinued Cars," Newman also says that General Motors is "streamlining" its Buick lineup, something we can't find much evidence of. The brand only has three vehicles for the 2010 model year (Enclave, LaCrosse and Lucerne) and while the latter is likely to disappear, GM is actually expanding the TriShield's lineup, with the soon-to-arrive 2011 Regal, an upcoming entry-level sedan and likely a small crossover.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Officially Revealed: First High-Res Photos and Details

Who would have imagined a few years back that there would be so much interest in a new generation of the Hyundai Sonata that it would be totally justified for us to stay up until the early morning hours to write a post on the car... But times change, GM went in and out of bankruptcy protection, the Fiat Group acquired Chrysler and surprise, surprise, Hyundai overtook the Ford Group in the first half of the year to become the world's fourth largest automaker.

So there you have it. But let's wind back back to the Sonata. After more leaks than a New Orleans levy, the Korean maker formally introduced the four-door sedan in its home market today.
"The Sonata will set a new standard for world class mid-size sedans with state-of-the-art technology, superior build quality and emotional design," said Euisun Chung, Hyundai's Vice Chairman at the launching ceremony for the car in Seoul. "The new Sonata will raise Hyundai's brand values."
It might not be an Alfa Romeo, but compared to its dull and unimaginative predecessors, we'd say that the sixth-generation Sonata makes a huge step (call that a leap) forward in terms of design. Some will even claim that it clearly adopts styling cues from the so-called four-door coupe segment such as the swooping roofline and the stubby rear end, and they're probably right.
The Sonata also boasts a fresh interior with a contemporary styling that's in line with the Korean firm's latest products such as the new Tucson / ix35 SUV that was revealed at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Size-wise the Sonata is 4,820mm long, 1,835mm wide and 1,470mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,795mm making it a little longer and wider but slightly lower than the outgoing model.
The Sonata, which may be sold under a different name in some regions (e.g. i40 in Europe), will be offered at launch in its home market with a 2.0-liter Theta II MPi gasoline engine with 165HP and an LPG version that makes 144HP. Both engines are paired to a new six-speed automatic transmission.
Hyundai said that it plans to add 2.4 liter Theta II GDI gasoline engine to the range in January next year. This engine will be offered as standard on the U.S. market model.
All versions of the Sonata will be equipped with a standard Vehicle Dynamic Control with Hill-start Assist Control and Brake Assist System functions. Other highlights include an available three-piece panoramic sunroof and a new Parking Guide System (PGS) that allows the driver to avoid obstacles during parallel parking or when driving in reverse - or so the company claims.
Hyundai said that it began developing the new Sonata in 2005 under the codename YF with the project costing a total of 450 billion won (US$ 372 million) to go from concept to production.
The company plans to sell 60,000 units of the new Sonata in Korea this year. With the addition of production in its U.S. plant in Alabama plant in early 2010 and in China the following year, Hyundai expects that number to raise to 450,000 units annually worldwide from 2011.
In South Korea, the new Sonata's prices range from 21.3 million Won to 25.95 million Won (US$17,600 to US$21,450).

Hyundai Tiburon Replacement First Headed to U.K. in 2011

The long-rumored successor to the Hyundai Tiburon will be stopping in the United Kingdom before coming to the States.

The compact Hyundai two-door, known as the Coupe in the U.K., is slated to go on sale in Britannia in early 2011 according to U.K. outlet Autocar. The British rag recently spotted the compact four-seater in the flesh on a trip to South Korea and noted the small Hyundai looks exceptionally similar to the oft-mentioned Veloster concept. The upcoming 2+2 Coupe will be equipped with Hyundai's direct-injected 1.6-liter inline-four developing around 140 horsepower.



If the Coupe makes it to the United States under the resurrected Tiburon nameplate, it will provide a more affordable (and front-wheel drive) alternative to the Genesis Coupe. Expected to arrive in Fall 2011 for the U.S., Hyundai hopes to achieve 40 mpg without a hybrid powertrain and take on the Honda CR-Z. A high-performance model may also be in the works.

The new Hyundai coupe will make its European debut at the Paris motor show this October.

Source: Autocar,automobilemag

Rhys Millen Scores First Podium Finish for Hyundai Genesis Coupe

The main attraction at last weekend's Formula Drift event in Long Beach was the final bout between Ford driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Hyundai pilot Rhys Millen.

Gitten Jr. got the upper hand this round in his 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang GT, but with the collection of considerable talent in the series, the Maryland native will have to work hard to defend his crown.



The knockout series witnessed the competition whittle down to Gittin Jr., Millen, Tanner Foust, and Fredric Aasbo in the semi-finals. Foust, two-time Formula D champion, took third position in his 800-horsepower, NASCAR-powered Scion tC. Millen had a terrific showing for Hyundai, putting his 650-horsepower Genesis Coupe in second place and erasing any competitive doubts stemming from the 2009 season.

“I was in sync with my Genesis Coupe during the entire campaign and step one was to qualify first,” said Millen. “The car had so much grip and power I was able to put it close to the walls and mirror the other competitors’ cars’ every move. Nothing compares to the pressure and thrill of the ‘win it or lose it’ factor while competing against more than 50 other cars and drivers.”

The next round of the 2010 Formula Drift season will be held at Road Atlanta May 7-8.

Sources: Formula Drift, Hyundai

Unlimited Potential: First Look at Rhys Millen’s New Hyundai Pikes Peak Car

When it comes to the “unlimited” class at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the sky is literally the limit. Drivers have been fielding some wild vehicles in the group for decades on end, but none has been quite as intimidating as Rhys Millen’s latest ride, the Hyundai Genesis RMR PM850.



“This is the package I need to break the record,” Millen said. “We are building a car for today’s [course]. The car will have a sleek aerodynamic body, the grip of Toyo Proxy tires, and the power and durability of a Hyundai engine.”

That engine, along with the Hyundai emblems, may be the only thing remotely associated with a production Genesis Coupe. The PM850 looks as if it’d be more at home on the Hunaudières Straight than a Hyundai showroom floor. Closely resembling a contemporary Le Mans prototype, the PM850 makes use of a chromoly frame and roll cage, along with a body crafted entirely of carbon fiber.

Although Rhys Millen Racing started with a stock 3.8-liter “Lambda” V-6, the finished product is radically different than the six-cylinder found in the Genesis Coupe. RMR stroked the engine, bringing its displacement up to 4.1 liters, and then mated the six-cylinder with a HKS T04Z turbocharger, an intercooler, and customized exhaust manifolds. At this point, the team says the engine is capable of producing nearly 750 horsepower.

Harnessing that power may prove to be difficult, but RMR thinks a custom all-wheel-drive system may do the trick. The turbocharged Lambda is mated to a semi-automatic transmission supplied by Weismann, which then channels power through an active center differential to two Quaife differentials. According to Hyundai, the active center diff will allows Millen to send anywhere from 10 to 100 percent of all torque to the front wheels -- important for configuring the car for both the asphalt and dirt portions of the run.

The important question, however, is if the PM850 will be enough to knock Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima from his record, which stands at 10 minutes and 1.408 seconds. The quest is nothing short of a family affair, as Rhys’ father, Rod, set the previous Pikes Peak record in 1994, racing to the top of the mountain in 10 minutes and 4.06 seconds.

“Breaking into the 9s has been a desire of mine for the last 10 years,” Millen said last week. “I finally have the team, support, and infrastructure to put in a serious effort to go after the world record.

“The main focus is to be the fastest car up the hill, slay the monster, and get the record back in the family name -- the Millen name.”

Source: Hyundai/ RMR

Review: 2010 Hyundai Tucson Take Two

Conventional SUVs are all but dead, yet interest in sedans has not been surging. Instead, car-based SUVs with some promise of respectable fuel economy are currently hot. So a redesigned, four-cylinder-only Hyundai Tucson could not arrive at a better time. But it’s a crowded field. Why buy this one?

Along with the new Sonata, the redesigned 2010 Tucson expresses Hyundai’s intent to offer cars that appeal to the emotions and not just the pocketbook. With tall bodysides, creased fender bulges, and a complex angularity that resembles some recent designs from Ford of Europe, the new Tucson isn’t exactly beautiful, but does possess a upscale dynamism missing from previous Hyundais and is at least not forgettable or boring. The half-size-larger Santa Fe appears bland in comparison. The new Tucson’s grille might be a bit overdone, but it works with the rest of the design and is tasteful compared to some others in the segment (e.g. Honda).

Hyundai’s newfound emphasis on styling continues inside the 2010 Tucson, with complex surfaces, shapes, and color combinations successfully melding on the instrument and door panels. Though you’d never guess it from my photos, materials are perhaps the best in the segment. The plastics are hard, but those you’re most likely to touch are coated with soft-touch paint. The seats in the tested GLS are a combination of leatherette and sportily textured cloth and the armrests are comfortably padded. Hyundai seems to have finally figured out that slick leather has no place on a steering wheel; the leather wrapped around the Tuscon’s wheel actually enhances one’s grip (imagine that). Nothing looks cheap and everything feels unusually solid—almost European.

Alas, the IP’s functionality leaves much to be desired. First off, the center stack’s cap and satin-finished surround are both highly reflective, and proved hard on the eyes (and camera lens) on sunny days. The rear defrost button isn’t grouped with the other HVAC controls. Instead it’s located where a keyless start button would normally be found, and likely is found in Tucson’s so optioned. The console-mounted grab handles look nifty, but are too far away to actually be used. On the other hand, the mirror controls fall readily to hand. In too many cars one must lean to operate them, which makes proper mirror adjustment unnecessarily tricky.

One ergonomic sin could prove deadly. The slope to the center stack combines with the control layout to place the audio system’s tuning knob so far away that it cannot safely be turned while driving. Note to car makers, many of which now commit this sin, if usually to a lesser extent: do not place the tuning knob on the right edge of the head unit unless said head unit is located close to the driver. Adding insult to injury: the satellite radio tuner takes a few seconds to go from one channel to the next. I’ve noticed that some satellite radio tuners do this as quickly as a conventional radio tuners, others not. The Hyundai’s falls in the “not” column.

Typical of the segment, you sit high, but not so high as to feel tippy. The windshield is neither overly upright nor overly laid back—no A-pillar windowlettes needed. The front seats are comfortable and, between their bolsters and cloth center panels provide better-than-average lateral support. The Tucson might be Hyundai’s smallest crossover based on exterior dimensions, but it provides more rear legroom than the next-up Santa Fe. The rear seat could be a little higher for optimum thigh support, but comfort is generally good. Missing from the previous generation: a front passenger seat that folds forward to further extend the cargo floor—I’ve found this feature to be very handy in one of my cars—and a manual recline adjustment for the rear seat.

Why buy the Santa Fe if the Tucson has more distinctive styling and more rear legroom? Two possible reasons, now that a third-row seat is no longer offered in the larger SUV. The first: cargo volume. The Tucson is about ten inches shorter than the Santa Fe, and much of the dimensional difference is aft of the second row. There’s still a fair amount of cargo room in the Tucson, but some people will need more.

The second possible reason: the Tucson is only available with a 176-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder, at least so far. While more powerful than the 2009 Tucson’s optional 2.7-liter V6, for 2010 the Santa offers a 276-horsepower 3.5-liter V6. If you want to race a Hyundai for pink slips in the SUV class, the Santa Fe V6 is clearly the better choice.

That said, the new four performs unexpectedly well in the new Tucson. It no doubt helps that, at 3,382 pounds even with all-wheel-drive, the Tucson weighs a quarter-ton less than the Santa Fe and Sorento. Even saddled with all-wheel-drive the four-cylinder engine never feels weak, and it can feel downright frisky on a curvy road when using the six-speed automatic transmission’s manual shift to keep the revs up. A six-speed manual transmission is also offered, but only with front-wheel-drive. The engine feels smooth throughout its range and is quiet up to 5,000 rpm. The noises it does make aren’t bad for a four. Unlike in the Kia Sorento (a close relative of the Santa Fe), I didn’t feel a strong need for a V6–though a turbocharged and/or direct-injected version of the four wouldn’t be unwelcome.

The automatic transmission was designed by Hyundai, offers a good choice of ratios (the four-cylinder engine would be less impressive otherwise), and avoids hunting among them. In other ways, it’s a typical fuel-economy-minded automatic. Shifts when using the manual shift aren’t immediate, and the transmission programming lugs the engine when driving in the 40-50 MPH range.

Fuel economy is better than I observed in the Sorento, again probably because of its relatively low curb weight. In typical around town driving, the trip computer reported 21.5 miles-per-gallon. Pressing the “eco” button added perhaps one MPG, with a minor impact on driveability. Aggressive driving reduces the reported miles-per-gallon to about 18.5. The EPA ratings suggest that a front-wheel-drive Tucson would do a couple MPG better.

An even bigger surprise than the performance of the four-cylinder engine: the new Tucson’s chassis tuning. Korea’s roads must not be the best, since Hyundai’s have traditionally been softly sprung. Not this one. The Tucson’s chassis tuning feels German more than anything else, with a very taut feel. A solid-feeling body structure assists. The downside of this tuning: in casual driving the ride can feel annoyingly nervous, and even modest bumps elicit thumps. The upside: driven aggressively on a curvy road, the Tucson is actually fun. Sure, with a high center of gravity and nose-heavy weight distribution it feels tall and understeers, but the chassis feels tight and precise. If only the somewhat heavy steering provided some feel of the road, the Tucson could well be the enthusiast’s choice in this segment.

Either because higher cost mean they must or simply because they can, Hyundai isn’t offering the Tucson at a bargain price. The 2010 starts at $19,790. Add the automatic, all-wheel-drive, the Popular Equipment Package (cruise, alloys, other things most buyers will want), and nav, as on the test vehicle, and you’re suddenly looking at $25,990. Which sounds high for a car without leather, sunroof, or power driver seat, but just about anything comparable is higher. Just not as much higher as it would have been in past years. Honda only offers nav with the CR-V on the EX-L. Lose the nav and compare the Tucson GLS to the CR-V EX, and the Korean SUV lists for $1,815 less. A good chunk of the difference is in dealer margins, though. Compare invoices, which more closely reflect what you’ll actually pay, and the difference is about $1,100. A Toyota RAV4 runs a few hundred higher than the CR-V. Like the Santa Fe, both the CR-V and the RAV4 offer substantially more cargo room than the Tucson. Otherwise they’re closely matched.

The Hyundai Tucson is surprisingly good in some key areas, especially styling, four-cylinder powertrain performance, interior materials, and handling. It’s already worth consideration by anyone shopping for a vehicle in this segment. But there are nevertheless some shortcomings. One of these, class-trailing cargo volume, cannot be fixed without a complete redesign, and unless the Santa Fe grows there’s little need to fix it. Others Hyundai could and should work to improve. Make the steering as good as the rest of the chassis and redesign the center stack, and the new Tucson would be a clear winner. Add the turbocharged four that’s been announced for the Sonata midsize sedan, and even driving enthusiasts who desire the packaging of an SUV (they’re alleged to exist) would flock to Hyundai showrooms.

Source Thetruthaboutcars