New Hyundai vehicle announcement?

[dataguy]

From Hyundai on Facebook:

Something cool is coming. Scratch that, something VERY cool is coming. Tune in here on Wednesday, December 2nd at 11:30 a.m., PST, and watch our livestream as we debut an all-new Hyundai vehicle. We can’t tell you too much, but trust us, you wanna be here. We’ll see you on Wednesday.

 

[dataguy]

My guess is that it's the Equus (or whatever they're going to call it).

 

[Mark_888]

Going back over my notes from the February 2009 chat session with John Krafcik (acting CEO of HMA), I would offer a couple of other possibilities:

1. A new Cross-Over Vehicle, possibly with a turbo.

2. A Hybrid of some type. Krafcik said they hoped to beat the Volt (not sure if he meant delivery date or MPG).

 

[dataguy]

Going back over my notes from the February 2009 chat session with John Krafcik (acting CEO of HMA), I would offer a couple of other possibilities:

1. A new Cross-Over Vehicle, possibly with a turbo.

2. A Hybrid of some type. Krafcik said they hoped to beat the Volt (not sure if he meant delivery date or MPG).

Good points...those definitely make sense too. Hopefully it's not as mundane as, say, the unveiling of the all new Sonata.

 

[Mark_888]

Good points...those definitely make sense too. Hopefully it's not as mundane as, say, the unveiling of the all new Sonata.

I was thinking of the 2011 Sonata also, but since they said "all-new Hyundai vehicle" then I thought it might be one of the others. But Krafcik did say the 2011 Sonata (due in 1Q 2010) might have direct injection.

 

[JOwest]

I think Hyundai will introduce the new 2011 Tucson suv.

 

[dataguy]

Mark is the winner...It's the 2011 Sonata with the Theta II 2.4L gas direct injection engine, under $20K, starting production this month. Krafcik says that turbo and hybrid Sonatas are coming.

 

[dataguy]

More on the Theta II: http://www.hyundaiusa.com/about-hyundai/news/Corporate_newengine-20091120.aspx

 

[dataguy]

Hyundai is stepping up its attack on the Camry and Accord with the 2011 Sonata, which debuted at the L.A. auto show today. Against its targeted competition -- mid-size sedans with four-cylinder engines -- the Sonata's specs are promising. Its base direct-injected 2.4L returns 35 mpg highway. Its interior is larger in every dimension from last year (the EPA now classifies it as a large car). And, even with a slew of standard features like Bluetooth, stability control, and a six-speaker stereo with MP3 support, the Sonata will start under $20,000.

http://wot.motortrend.com/6582100/a...eatures-turbo-four-price-under-20k/index.html

 

[OBCT]

That's a lot of car for the dough.

Hyundai is becoming more and more compelling with these features-laden economical vehicles. All they've gotta do now is do whatever it takes to gain a reputation for great customer service and they'll eventually make themselves unbeatable worldwide.

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[Mark_888]

As they say, the devil is in the details. I think the challenge for Hyundai is going to be in the quality of their engineering in these new engines. It is one thing to build a direct-injection, turbo, or hybrid engine, but it is another thing to make it reliable.

Direct-injection is prone to fuel dilution in the oil (which ends up seriously reducing the lubrication ability of the motor oil). Turbos are notorious for running very hot and having below average (or sometimes poor) reliability. Many (probably most) automakers that have direct-injection and/or turbo engines specify synthetic oil for superior engine protection at high temps and to combat fuel dilution in the crankcase, and it is going to be interesting as to whether Hyundai can sell a car for around $20K that needs synthetic oil changes.

On the hybrid front, Toyota seems to have a big lead and outsells all other hybrids combined by a big margin. I assume that Hyundai is going to position their hybrid at a significantly lower price point than we have seen before. Of course, it is even possible that they are using Toyota Hybrid technology as does Nissan, but I suspect that will have their own design to keep the price down.

 

[JOwest]

Actually Hyundai revealed two new vehicles - 2011 Sonata and Tucson.

 

[hobbes]

well, it looks like the Portico was killed off or delayed 2 years since it wasn't mentioned as a 2011 release. Bummer