No doubt, you have all heard about the sudden acceleration problems that plagued the Toyota Group, mainly in North America, for a couple of years. Now, a driver is putting the blame of a car crash that occurred this past Sunday, May 6, 2012, in the South Korean city of Daegu, on a sticky accelerator. The said car is the latest generation Hyundai Sonata YF sedan. What makes this incident of particular interest is that it was captured on film by a dashboard mounted camera in the Sonata, which is something we don't remember seeing before in crashes relating or alleged to be related to sticky accelerator pedals. The 30-second long clip shows the Korean sedan stopped at a light with a previous generation Hyundai standing in front when the Sonata appears to accelerate. At this point, we hear a conversation from the driver and passengers as well as a sound that may or may not be from the handbrake being lifted. From there on, the Korean sedan appears to accelerate uncontrollably with the driver passing several red lights, narrowly avoiding a couple of crashes only to end up rear-ending a stopped car at a speed of 117km/h (72mph) - at least according to the GPS data displayed on the video. Korean news sites said that the Daegu Nambu Police is investigating the accident and has asked the National Institute of Scientific Investigation for help. Any assistance from our Korean readers to translate what is being said in the video, would be appreciated. VIDEO
Hyundai's people want us to take a ride with them into the not-so-distant future with the company's new i-oniq concept car that made its first public outing at this week's 82nd Geneva International Motor Show. The i-oniq is described as a range-extended electric sports hatchback that demonstrates the next evolution of Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture design language and showcases the automaker's new powertrain technologies. 
Designed and developed at Hyundai’s European R&D center in Germany, the 4.4 meter long hatchback with the sporty shape and the impressive doors that open up to the side, has some unique design cues that will be applied to the next generation of the Korean firm's models. Thomas Bürkle, Chief Designer at the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre, explains: "Two arched curves are the key theme behind i-oniq, creating a strong and playful contrast between sharp character lines and soft but muscular features. The profile lines of the front fender run from front to back, emphasising i-oniq’s coupé appearance, while offering maximum visibility to occupants." The interior is far more futuristic looking than the exterior sporting a driver-oriented dashboard with a floating instrument cluster that has a multi-layered projection, and a large background display for navigation, entertainment and other information The i-oniq is fitted with a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine generating a maximum of 61PS (60hp), which is linked to an 80 kW (107h) lithium-ion electric motor that is powered by a 55 kW generator through a single ratio gearbox. According to the Korean automaker, in electric-only mode, i-oniq can travel 120km (75 miles) and up to 700km (435 miles) with the assistance on the petrol engine, emitting just 45 g/km of CO2 emissions. The concept model can reach a top speed of 145 km/h, which is equal to 90mph. PHOTO GALLERY
Images of the facelifted Hyundai i20 have been released onto the web ahead of the car's official unveiling at next week's 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon. The styling tweaks to the three-year old i20 were more or less to be expected, as the focus was to refresh the supermini and bring it more in line with the latest Hyundai models on the Europe market such as the i30 hatch and i40 sedan/estate. Most of the changes take place up front with the 2012 i20 gaining slimmer headlamps, the company’s signature hexagonal grille, a redesigned front bumper with new vents and fog lamp housings, as well as a different hood that 'hugs' the front fenders. The styling revisions continue at the back with new headlamps and a reprofiled bumper, while Hyundai also added new alloy wheel designs. For more information on the other upgrades that Hyundai may or may not have done on the 2012 i20, we'll have to wait for the Geneva Motor Show.
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After the first official photos, we now have the first official details on Hyundai's refreshed i20 supermini that will make its world premiere in Geneva this week. Along with the cosmetic tweaks that include a new fascia inspired Hyundai's latest crop of model like the i30 hatch, the 2012 model also debuts a new 1.1-litre 3-cylinder ‘U-II’ diesel engine that generates 75PS, which is equal to 74-horsepower. Hyundai says that when combined with its Blue Drive technologies, the new 1.1-liter diesel emits just 84 g/km of CO2, while the upgraded 1.4-litre ‘U-II’ 90PS (89hp) diesel emits 96 g/km. "With an enhanced engine line-up that includes the lowest CO2 emissions for a conventional powertrain, and sharper styling influenced by fluidic sculpture, the All New i20 will appeal to a broader range of buyers, including younger consumers," commented Hyundai Motor Europe COO, Allan Rushforth. The company also tells us that in terms of dimensions, the width (1,710 mm), height (1,490 mm) and wheelbase (2,525 mm) of the 2012 i20 remain the same, but due to the styling changes, the length has increased by 55 mm (front 30 mm, rear 25 mm) over its predecessor to 3,995 mm.Further information about the facelifted i20 will be released at the Geneva Motor Show.PHOTO GALLERY
So you want to see the newest additions to Hyundai's Elantra range on film, do you? If the answer is yes, follow the break to watch the first videos of both the Elantra GT, which is the North American version of the European market i30 hatchback, and the Elantra Coupe that is based on the sedan model sold in select markets around the world. For more information regarding the two newly introduced Hyundai models that premiere at this week's 2012 Chicago Auto Show, visit our previous posts on the Elantra GT here and the Elantra Coupe here. VIDEO
Korean carmakers have made impressive progress in the last decade. From below-par products that were chosen by people who wanted a new car and couldn’t afford anything pricier, Hyundai and Kia models quickly become competitive in most segments. And we're not the only ones who say this; even VW's boss is wondering why his company's products can't match Hyundai’s quality in certain areas. No matter how good a car is, though, preconceptions die hard. For certain people, the badge on the hood says a lot about not only the car, but themselves as well; no quality survey, iPad manual, road-test review or 10-speed auto transmission is not going to change that in the foreseeable future If you can’t change the people, you can surely change the badge, though. Toyota, Nissan and Honda have gone down that road by launching premium divisions like Lexus, Infiniti and Acura. This has worked more than well, at least in the U.S. And this is the dilemma Hyundai is facing right now, according to a report from Autonews. If some buyers choose to ignore its upmarket offerings like the Genesis or the Equus because they sport a round “H” badge instead of an “L”, a three-pointed star or a white and blue roundel, why not launch a new brand? Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales for Hyundai Motor America, acknowledges the issue: “There’s a conversation going on within the company that says, ‘Does having the Hyundai badge on the premium vehicles sell more units, or does it restrict us from selling more?’.” The question becomes difficult to answer because Hyundai sales are on the rise anyway: in the first year of production, Hyundai sold 3,193 units of its US$60,000 Equus sedan. That’s 893 more than the company expected. On the other hand, Zuckowski admits that even though Genesis sedan and Coupe sales have increased by 13 percent in 2011, many buyers have chosen to replace the Hyundai logo with the optional Genesis winged badge. If it gets the green light, the new division will include rear-wheel drive saloons and coupes and adopt the Genesis brand name and an alphanumeric naming system for its models. Contrary to Lexus and Infiniti, there would be no different dealership network and the new sub-brand would be sold through Hyundai’s existing network. While Zuchowski noted that the company hasn’t made a final decision yet, if it gets the go ahead, the launch could coincide with the new Genesis and Equus sedans, which are expected next year as 2014 models. Mind you, creating a luxury sub-brand is not necessarily a recipe for success. In 1992, Mazda planned to launch the Amati luxury division in response to Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. The plan never took off, and the Xedos name that was applied to the European Mazda 6 in 1992 didn’t make any difference, so it was ditched five years later. And, of course, we all know what happened, at a more upscale level, to a certain German premium manufacturer when it decided to challenge Bentley and Rolls-Royce…PHOTO GALLERY
