Hyundai Kia Overtakes Ford, While G.M. Threatens Toyota in 2010 Global Sales

High placement on the global best-seller list may not have the same immediacy for vehicles as it does for books, but it brings bragging rights and probably influences sales to some degree.

The biggest global-sales story of 2010 may be the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, which overtook Ford — despite the latter’s string of profitable quarters — for fourth place by a margin of more than 400,000 vehicles. In 2009, Ford topped the Korean automaker by about 40,000 vehicles.
Another switch found Nissan besting Honda and Peugeot, a year after both makers outsold Nissan. Similarly, Renault, which had trailed Suzuki, overtook it  in 2010.

Volkswagen held onto its No. 3 spot with sales of 7.14 million, an improvement of more than one million over 2009. But VW would have been shut out of the top three if the Renault-Nissan sales figures — which, including Lada, totaled 7.28 million — had been reported as one. Combined, Fiat and Chrysler sales would have put their relatively new alliance at No. 9.


For many years, General Motors held the top spot, but Toyota surpassed the American automaker in 2008. In 2009, Toyota solidly trounced G.M., recording 7.2 million global sales to G.M.’s 6.4 million, but in 2010 G.M. made up ground as Toyota suffered from recalls and bad publicity. G.M., for its part, benefited from a government infusion of cash and an improving United States auto market. Toyota eked out its win, topping G.M. by about 30,000 units.

Read More: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/hyundai-kia-overtakes-ford-while-g-m-threatens-toyota-in-2010-global-sales/

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2010 Hyundai Tuscon New Car Review - Road & Travel Magazine

by Bob Plunkett

A car-based CUV redesigned for a smooth ride

Pitched in the foothills of the Cascade Range southeast of Seattle, the Washington state route 169 winds through crossroads communities like Maple Valley and Morganville on the way to Black Diamond.

This twisty asphalt strip, rolling over fir-tipped hills and cutting more than a few acute-angled corners, seems like it was designed expressly to show off the road-hugging agility and sticky tire traction of the agile Tucson, Hyundai's crossover utility vehicle for the compact class.

Formatted with swoopy lines which completely disguise the two-box body of a five-door hatchback wagon, Tucson rides on a car's chassis and scores a radical make-over for 2010 with an expanded structure, bold new Euro-style body design and the passenger compartment laced with more safety equipment and downright fancy features.

The 2010 Tucson measures 3.3 inches longer and an inch wider than the previous edition, yet its 61 pounds lighter.

A generous wheelbase length of 103.9 inches and a wide wheel track of 64.2 inches up front and 62.4 inches in back set up a long and broad foundation for stability when steering through a set of curves.

And, unlike some wagons with a solid rear truck axle and crude leaf springs, Tucson carries four-wheel independent suspension components -- a MacPherson strut-type front suspension with gas-charged hydraulic shocks and stabilizer bar and an independent multi-link design in the rear using coil springs and gas-charged hydraulic shocks and stabilizer bar -- which bring more control over the vehicle for a driver and more comfortable ride sensations for passengers.

As a result, Tucson offers the easy-to-drive manners of a refined sedan.

Tucson also brings a forceful four-cylinder powertrain distributed across two tiers of trim -- the base GLS and deluxe Limited.

And the wagon supports two traction formats for both trims with front-wheel-drive (FWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD).

The optional electronic AWD system normally directs all power from the engine to the front wheels, thus reducing the fuel consumption. When front wheels slip, however, the device can divert some of the power to turn the rear wheels. A driver-activated locking switch for the center differential fixes the torque split evenly at 50/50 front/rear for tackling slippery dirt trails.

Hyundai packs the 2010 Tucson with a long list of safety gear.

Each trim edition stocks passive safety systems like frontal air bags and seat-mounted side-impact air bags front and rear plus curtain-style air bags above outboard seats on two rows. And Hyundai adds active adjustable head restraints for the front seatbacks.

For active safety, every issue also has a disc brake at every wheel, with electronic linkage to a four-channel anti-lock brake system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD), plus hill-start assist control (HSC) and downhill brake control (DBC).

Each Tucson trim also carries an electronic stability control (ESC) device which automatically coordinates the brakes and throttle to check against lateral wheel skidding.

All versions pull from one eco-efficient powertrain.

The dual-cam four-cylinder Theta II engine displaces 2.4 liters and has Hyundai's CVVT (continuously variable valve timing) equipment on both camshafts and VIS (variable induction system) for better engine breathing.

The Tucson GLS edition comes with a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional six-speed electronic automatic rigged with Hyundai's Shiftronic manual mode.

Tucson Limited edition gets the six-speed Shiftronic automatic exclusively.

EPA fuel economy figures reach as high as 31 mpg for highway driving using the automatic transmission, or 28 mpg for highway driving with AWD traction.

Tucson's slick body styling comes out of Hyundai's European design and technical center in Frankfurt, Germany.

Read More: http://www.roadandtravel.com/roadtests/reviews/2010-roadtests/hyundai-tucson.html

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New Hyundai Tucson sales soar in September 2010

New Hyundai Tucson sales increases 72 percent in August 2010. More importantly, the overall sales of new Hyundai cars hit an all-time high of 46.556 units!

Hyundai once again proved to be one of the hottest automobile brands in the US market at this moment. Among the automaker best selling vehicles are the 2011 Sonata sedan and Tucson CUV that both  keep attracting more and more consumers to the brand.

Compared to a year ago, Hyundai’s overall sales in September 2010 soared 45 percent to 46.556 units. This was the automaker’s best-ever September performance reported Hyundai Motor America. For the year, Hyundai Motor America has reported total cumulative sales of 410.047 units, up 20 percent compared to a year ago, with retail sales up 26 percent!

Hyundai’s growth last month was fueled by the sales of all-new Sonata sedan, which posted an impressive sales increase. Sonata’s sales have once again hit the 20.000 unit mark in one month, while its overall sales so far this year eclipsed the 149.000 units mark. With such a performance, Hyundai Sonata 2011 remains by far the best selling vehicle in the Hyundai line-up. You can expect these numbers to increase once Hyundai Sonata turbo and Hyundai Sonata hybrid hit the stores.

“We are enthused to be actually building momentum as we exit the traditionally strong third quarter selling season and enter the fourth quarter under a full head of steam. In the fourth quarter, we expect continued growth as our 2011 Santa Fe reaches dealerships along with our all-new 274-horsepower 2011 Sonata Turbo, which produces more power than any V6-powered competitor and at the same time retains the fuel-economy of 33 miles per gallon.”

Read More: http://www.hyundai-blog.com/index.php/2010/10/11/new-hyundai-tucson-sales-soar-in-september-2010/

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