News & Reviews- Make: Hyundai

The Santa Fe is far and away the bestselling mid-size SUV in Canada, which is a sizeable feat considering it sells into one of the most profitable segments in the mainstream volume-branded auto sector. The only other model Hyundai achieves number one status with is the lowly subcompact Accent that totally blows its competitors off the sales chart by selling more than twice as many units as its next closest rival, but this is a category that most would normally expect the value-oriented brand to do well in.

Like the Accent, Hyundai makes the Santa Fe in two unique body styles. The most popular is the smaller five-passenger version that goes by the name of Santa Fe Sport, its sales reaching 22,967 units over the first 11 months of 2016, and 26,685 for the previous full year. That's pretty impressive considering it's continued forward more or less unchanged since its last complete redesign in 2012 for the 2013 model year. Its sales have actually been remarkably steady with 27,580 Read Full Story

Guess how many automotive brands offer a plug-in hybrid or PHEV in Canada? If you came up with 10, you're right. Of these, only five are mainstream volume brands, the others pricier premium marques. Now, of the five more affordable brands remaining, take a stab at how many offer two or more PHEVs? The number is just one, but later this year that number will double when Hyundai's new Ioniq arrives, in regular hybrid, pure electric and plug-in hybrid configurations. Until then, Hyundai will be glad to show you its Sonata Plug-in Hybrid.

Yes, it's hard to believe, but hybrid-forerunner Honda isn't on that PHEV list above, the five including Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Toyota, and of course Hyundai, whereas the only mainstream brand currently offering more than one PHEV is Ford. The premium brands that purvey at least one PHEV include Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, and yes it's also amazing that luxury hybrid initiator Lexus isn't on that list. Astute readers will also Read Full Story

If Honda's latest Civic is a bit too radical and the Corolla a smidge on the conservative side, this all-new 2017 Elantra should fit you to a tee. Hyundai has completely redesigned it from the ground up, with styling that immediately makes it more appealing and simultaneously more upscale.

You'd think that this was the upcoming BMW 3 Series D-segment competing Genesis G70 model, but it's still a lowly Elantra fighting it out with the two aforementioned models as well as the Mazda3s and Chevy Cruzes of the world. Up front there's a stylishly large horizontally ribbed hexagonal grille that's nicely trimmed in chrome thanks to my tester's upmarket Limited trim. The $26,249 Limited also gets chrome trim across its side window ledges, chromed door handles and attractively styled LED tail lamps at back, while its eye-catching vertically stacked chrome trimmed LED driving lights and LED-enhanced side mirror caps get pulled up from lesser GL trim.

I should probably interject Read Full Story

How do you make a very good thing better? In the auto sector's mid-size sedan segment just add a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain and start collecting the kudos.

It's obviously not so easy or every manufacturer would have done it, not to mention the many that tried and had limited to zero success would've instead been reaping rewards instead of lamenting losses. Wisely, Hyundai started slower than some of its rivals, its first attempt at a Sonata Hybrid arriving in February of 2011. The car did fairly well as far as HEVs go, Hyundai's advanced Blue Drive powertrain boasting preferred full-hybrid technology with an EV mode that let owners drive around at low speeds under full-electric power, this possible due to a powerful electric motor supported by a more advanced lithium polymer battery instead of the antiquated nickel-metal hydride units its closest rivals were using. At least as importantly as this advanced tech and the impressive fuel economy that went with it, the final Read Full Story

Every now and again you hear naysayers claiming that Hyundai is giving up on its Veloster, mid-2014 being particularly busy with such talk, but not only is it here again for 2016 in all of its wonderfully unorthodox glory, it's actually better than ever.

To be fair with these prognosticators, the UK gave up on the car after 2013 and sales have been steadily falling here and in the US, our market's 2012 high of 5,741 units having fallen to 4,704 in 2013, 3,444 in 2014 and so far during the first 11 months of the 2015 calendar year Hyundai Canada has only sold 2,875, while south of the 49th the sporty four-door model enjoyed a high of 34,862 deliveries in 2012, slightly less at 30,711 in 2013, a still smaller 27,598 last year and only 21,999 up until the end of last month, so kudos to Hyundai for putting yet more money behind a car that's obviously waning in interest and fingers crossed that they'll soon give it the full redesign its hardcore fans want to see.

Even though Read Full Story