Hyundai wants to be more American than Ford, GM, and Chrysler by Building 80% of its U.S.-sold cars in the States

Hyundai, in another bold move to continue attracting American consumers and impressing the public, will soon be building up to 80% American-sold cars in the US (as long as the Elantra makes as big a splash as the Sonata). That would make the little Korean-that-could as "American" as Ford, GM, and apple pie. While this sounds impressive, the numbers are a bit skewed.

For example, the 80% (or "closer to 70%" if listening to J.D. Power analyst Jeff Schuster) is significant when strictly discussing percentages. If discussing volume, the major US automakers still hold the cards. CNN Money reports that if GM were building 66% of American-sold cars here, the number would triple Hyundai's current volume.

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2011 Hyundai Equus Flagship Starts at $58,900, Includes 5 years Valet Service [+ 60 Photos]

Hyundai's second attempt at the luxury segment after the Genesis, the all-new Equus full-size sedan, will arrive in U.S. showrooms in December with prices set at US$58,900 for the Signature version and US$64,900 for the Ultimate that gets all the bells and whistles, the South Korean automaker announced today.

Both prices include a $900 destination charge as well as free maintenance for 5 years or 60,000 miles, a complimentary valet service which includes a dealership employee picking up and delivering the car for maintenance, and an iPad that replaces the traditional owner's manual.

Not surprisingly, the Equus is priced much lower than other entry-level proposals in the in the luxury full-size sedan segment such as the Mercedes S-Class [S400 295HP V6 Hybrid $91,000], BMW 7-Series [740i 315HP six-cylinder $70,650] and the Jaguar XJ [385HP 5.0L V8 $72,700] and Lexus LS [LS 460 380HP 4.6L V8 $65,380].

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Hyundai i10 and i20 Designed by Italian Fashion House Fiorucci

Not to be outdone by the likes of Fiat and its range of fashion house designed special edition models, Hyundai's Italian arm partnered with Milanese fashion brand Fiorucci to create a special series of models based on the i10 city car and the larger i20 supermini.

Both the i10 and i20 by Fiorucci models are characterized by the unique color combos inside and out as well as their upgraded standard equipment and the use of exclusive materials in the cabin.

The most vibrant proposal is the i10 by Fiorucci. It is available with a choice of five colors including Deep Ocean Blue, Oyster Gray, Sleek Silver, Stone Black or Crystal White, with details such as the mirror caps and grille finished in either Fuscia (pink) or Verde Lime (lime green).

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Rhys Millen Sports-up Hyundai's Equus Flagship for 2010 SEMA Show

The soon-to-be-launched onto the U.S. market Hyundai Equus doesn't exactly scream SEMA Show material, but that hasn't stopped the Korean firm from allowing Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) to customize their flagship limo for the Las Vegas tuning convention. Dubbed the RMR Signature Edition Equus, the S-Class sized saloon will be upgraded with a variety of exterior, interior and performance parts.

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US Trying to Perfect its Safety Rating System; Can't we Just Meet EU Standards and Call it a Day?

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has announced a new and improved 5-star safety rating system for 2011 vehicles. If you're interested about your new car, scroll on down for some of the vehicles tested. As of now, the BMW 5-Series (RWD) and Hyundai Sonata are the only vehicles to be top-rated (33 of the 55 models to be tested have been graded thus far).

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Galatea's Hyundai Tiburon / Coupe brings Italy and Korea together, Results Questionable

"Long live the GK Tiburon!" has got to be the rallying cry of Galatea Automobiles, the company that's responsible for the creation of the Revision. Beneath the newly styled body - they're calling it a "kit car" - is a typical, everyday, underpowered second-gen Hyundai Tiburon coupe with leather, a V6 powerplant, and a sunroof.

The Revision is Galatea's masterpiece, showcasing its achievement of "designing a car that is both exclusive and beautiful, without the associated expenses of owning an exotic car."

The Revision was penned by Robert Fechtmann with the intent of emulating Italian style for a steal: $5,180. For the five g's, owners will get the new lights, hood, fenders, bumpers, and installation guide.All told, it should cost around $16,000 to build; in my opinion, that's about $16,000 too much to invest in an old Hyundai.

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Desert Drifting a Sonata: Knowing When to Stop is a Sign of Wisdom...

What happens when you live in / near the desert and have a bunch of money to waste? Cars get destroyed, that's what. Here's a small clip of somebody taking their Hyundai Sonata out for a little slideways action and utterly shredding the rear passenger side. I'd venture to say it's totaled, considering the rear wheels aren't meant to be pushed up into the wheel well like that.
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A Tale of Two Hyundais Fighting Over a Third Hyundai...

Bear with us, as this could get very confusing. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the Hyundai that manufactures cars [aka the Hyundai Motor Group] and the Hyundai that builds ships and makes elevators [aka the Hyundai Group] are competing for a US$3 billion stake in the Hyundai that constructs buildings [aka the Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co.]

We warned you this could get confusing...

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2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0-liter Turbo with 274HP Priced from $24,865

The newest member of the 2011 Sonata family, the 2.0 Turbo model, will soon be hitting dealer lots across the States so Hyundai released pricing, which starts at $24,865 MSRP for the Sonata SE 2.0T and $27,765 for the Sonata Limited 2.0T, including a destination charge of $720.

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September Sales USA: Chrysler up 61%, Hyundai +44%, Ford +40% and GM +11%

The numbers are in for the month of September, and for the most part, they're looking good as industry wide deliveries were up 28% over a year ago according to a report from Autonews. Chrysler Group exec should be feeling extra happy as sales soared 61 percent over the same month a year ago, rising from 62,197 to 100,077 units.

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SEMA: Hyundai Teases Tricked Out 2011 Sonata Turbo, Says it's Inspired by Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche

Hoping to build some hype around the new 2011 Sonata 2.0-liter Turbo before it arrives in showrooms later this year, Hyundai has teamed up with RIDES and 0-60 magazines to trick out the 274-horsepower-strong saloon for the SEMA show, which will take place in Las Vegas this November.

The South Korean firm has no problem admitting that the car's tune-up is inspired by Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche models.

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Hyundai i20 Sport Edition Bows in at Paris Show

The Paris Motor Show isn't all concept cars and new model launches; some manufacturers use the event to showcase limited edition models to pique the public's interest. One such limited run model is the i20 Sport Edition, co-developed by Hyundai's European R&D team and aftermarket tuners Car Research and Development (CRD) in Germany.

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Hyundai to Recall Nearly 140,000 2011MY Sonata Sedans

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Hyundai is recalling certain 2011MY Sonata sedans over a potential issue with the steering system that could result in a total loss or reduction in steering capability. The recall affects all Sonatas manufactured from December 11, 2009, through September 10, 2010.

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Hyundai Becomes Preferred Supplier for UK Police

Bob Dylan once said, "The Times They Are A-Changin'." If you lived in Britain in the 1950s and '60s, you'd see custodian helmeted policemen driving around in Morris Minors and Ford Anglias. In the '70s you'd see mustachioed policemen driving around in Ford Consuls and Rover 3500s. Then the '80s rolled around and there were policemen and women cruising around in Rover SD1s and Land Rovers.

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ARK Performance and Hyundai Tune Up Genesis Coupe for 2010 SEMA Show

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is no stranger to the SEMA Show; tuned versions of the South Korean carmaker's two-door sports were present at both the 2008 and 2009 Shows. Now, Hyundai has teamed up with ARK Performance Inc. to produce the ARK Track Time Attack Genesis Coupe 3.8L V6 show car that will make its debut at the Las Vegas 2010 SEMA Show in the beginning of November.

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All-New Hyundai Elantra to join Sonata and Sorento in Alabama, U.S. Spec Model to Debut in LA

For some reason (maybe it's a revolution) Hyundai is just all up in everyone's face lately. Whether it's forging the way Stateside with its new Sonata and Tucson or diving head-first into the Russian market with its new Solaris small sedan, the South Korean automaker just appears in the news non-stop like it's no big thing.

Case in point: the all-new and very Soanata-esque Elantra (called Avante in South Korea) is going to be built in good ol' Alabama at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) plant.

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New Hyundai Solaris: Russian-built Accent is Ready for the Ice Cold

What was shown as the Concept RB at Moscow's International Motor Show has become the Hyundai Solaris, a re-nosed Accent [Verna in South Korea] for our Cold War counterparts. Starting in January, the Solaris will be Hyundai's first model to be assembled at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus plant.

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Hyundai's Having a Ball, Sonata and Tucson Driving US Sales to the Moon

According to US Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, Hyundai is looking to set an "all-time" sales record in September partially thanks to high demand for the new Sonata sedan.

Krafcik told Autonews that September "looks fantastic [for Hyundai]. The industry looks decent -- I wouldn't say great -- but I think we're going to be fine." That's because the two latest Hyundai models to arrive have been the well received Sonata and the crisp Tucson.

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Hyundai ix20 Spotted in Poland Prior to (on the way to?) Paris Debut

Carscoop reader Jacek just caught Hyundai's new ix20 small MPV on the road in Poland before its Paris debut. Using Hyundai's new "fluidic sculpture" design language, this car's working hard to not be a box-on-wheels people mover. If it tickles your fancy, you can read all about the little MPV in our previous post. Under the hood, it'll pack 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter diesel and gasoline 4-cylinder engines.

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Kia to get a New All-Electric CUV by the end of 2011

The Hyundai Group is set to launch an all-electric version of an upcoming Kia CUV (not the study shown in the picture above) as early as December 2011. This follows closely on the reveal of the Hyundai i10-based BlueOn EV, the brand's first electric vehicle. The as-of-yet unseen Kia EV will have an effective range of 80 miles (130 km), with its gasoline-powered brethren set to go on sale three months earlier.

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