2012 Hyundai Azera To Debut At 2011 L.A. Auto Show
The Hyundai Azera represents a significant vehicle for the Korean automaker. In the U.S. market, it was Hyundai’s first foray into the luxury segment, and it was the first Hyundai sedan to break the $30,000 price barrier. As such, it paved the way for other luxury sedans, such as Hyundai’s Genesis and their flagship Equus.
The current Azera has been around since 2006 without a major redesign. That’s understandable, given how much effort Hyundai has sunk into the 2011 Sonata and Elantra and 2012 Accent, not to mention its refresh of the 2012 Genesis and Equus. The automaker hasn’t forgotten about the Azera, which was completely redone in their home market as the 2011 Hyundai Grandeur.
It’s now official: Hyundai has posted to Twitter that the newly revised Azera is undergoing final ride and handling tweaks, and will make its U.S. debut at this fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show.
Expect the 2012 Hyundai Azera to follow the same “fluidic sculpture” styling as the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2011 Hyundai Elantra and 2012 Hyundai Accent, including the hexagon-shaped grille, the wraparound headlights and taillights and the deep character lines in the doors. The new Azera will likely use the same 3.8-liter V-6 found in the 2012 Genesis, which boasts 43 more horsepower and improved fuel economy over the previous 3.8-liter V-6 engine.
The new Azera will remain positioned as Hyundai’s “near-luxury” segment offering, with pricing likely to slot in between the Sonata 2.0T turbo and the Genesis 3.8 sedan. There’s no word on when the 2012 Azera will hit dealer showrooms, but we’d bet on the first quarter of 2012.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
American Brands Shine In J.D. Power Dependability Survey
No, buying American won't get you an undependable disaster-on-wheels; in fact, it's likely to get you a more reliable, trouble-free car.
In the latest proof of this, from marketing-information authority J.D. Power and Associates, seven of the ten models with the lowest number of problems, on average, come from Ford and GM.
That list of most dependable vehicles, from J.D. Power's 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), includes the Buick LaCrosse, Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, Ford Five Hundred, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan, and Mercury Montego.
The study gauges dependability by counting problems experienced—broken into 198 different classifications—by the original owners (more than 52,000 in all) of three-year-old (2007 model year) vehicles. From that, J.D. Power calculates the total number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles to find overall dependability.
Power pointed out that Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln, and Mercury all do well in dependability but their consumer perceptions lag and these brands are often avoided as a result, as the firm has found in its annual Avoider Study.
J.D. Power ranked vehicle models in 19 different segments, such as "large pickup" or "compact premium sporty car," and within those Toyota still claimed the most awards, with the Toyota Prius, Tundra, Sequoia, and Highlander all topping their respective segments.
Cadillac Returns To Europe, But With Modest Expectations
The past 18 months or so haven't been easy for General Motors, here or abroad. In Europe, GM endured much tense talk about its Opel brand, and the Kroymans Group fell prey to the global economic meltdown, leaving GM without a European distributor in over the half the markets it serviced. Now, a new company called Cadillac Europe has been created specifically to manage Cadillac distribution across the pond, and this go-round, GM is setting more realistic expectations for its luxury brand than we'd previously expected.
Much to GM's chagrin, Cadillac has never been a strong seller in Europe. In a market dominated by well-known, home-grown luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW, Cadillac's annual sales have remained below the 5,000 mark for decades. GM has often talked the big talk about making inroads on the Continent, but despite some massive ad campaigns and promising new models, the company's predictions have never come true.
Perhaps because of that history, or perhaps because of GM's painful restructuring and sagging public opinion of the brand, the GM that's returning to Europe is more chastened and modest than Angela Merkel pantsuits. According to the Wall Street Journal, the brand will relaunch in Europe with minimal expectations to match Cadillac Europe's minimal, 20-person marketing and distribution staff: GM has set Cadillac's annual sales goal at just 3,000 units.
For now, the brand is pinning its hopes on the 2010 Cadillac CTS, with sedan, coupe, and wagon variants. If all goes well, the midsize crossover SRX will follow in the 2011 model year. Distribution will be focused on areas of Europe where Cadillac sales have done well in the past -- namely, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. And this time, GM and its European dealers understand that the brand will most definitely be a niche player: as Roman dealer Stefano Celon says of the Caddy consumer, "It's a particular customer who wants to be different from the others—they like the new product."
There's a great deal of discussion about GM's strategy, but if Cadillac has to be in Europe at all (a big "if"), this plan sounds pretty solid. A sales goal of 3,000 units is realistic -- it's been achieved in the recent past -- but it's high enough to require some work. The strategy is also significantly more humble that we've seen in previous years, and in some ways, that may play well with European consumers, who can be wary of their brash cousins across the pond. Veteran staffers at GM may chafe at the understatement of it all, but when in Rome....
[WSJ]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Preview: 2010 BMW 760i
What is it: The most expensive, powerful 7-Series sedan in the BMW lineup
Key facts: 6.0-liter V-12 with 535 horsepower; eight-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive
On sale: Now
Price: $140,000
The 2009 BMW 7-Series has ranked highly in TheCarConnection's luxury-car universe since its introduction late last year. Much improved in style, interior room and iDrive functionality, the new 7-Series lacked only one thing found in previous generations: a big V-12 engine.
That changes now, since BMW has put the 2010 760i and the 2010 760Li on sale in the U.S. The new car is powered by a new twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 engine that builds on the 7-Series' existing powertrains for a class-leading performance envelope. With four more cylinders under the hood, the V-12 760i and long-wheelbase 760Li turn in a total of 535 horsepower -- 135 hp more than the 400-hp, twin-turbo eights in the standard 7-Series.
Performance rises accordingly. BMW says the 760i will run from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds (4.6 seconds for long-wheelbase cars), and will top out at 155 mph. Price rises as well; the base sticker for the 760i is projected to be more than $130,000.
Like the 7-Series that appeared last year, the two editions of the V-12 sedan are replete with luxury features. Both the standard and long-wheelbase car (with 5.5 inches more rear legroom) get the new eight-speed automatic transmission, new 19-inch wheels and badging to distinguish them from V-8 cars, and also wear a slightly wider grille. Inside, stainless-steel trim is available, as well as nappa leather for the headliner and new walnut trim. A rear air suspension is fitted to V-12 cars, too.
Other standard equipment includes a navigation system; a DVD entertainment system for the rear seats, including a rear-seat iDrive controller; ventilated and massaging seats. Options include automatic high beams; lane-departure warning; night vision; and side and rearview cameras.
We'll report back from our first drive of the new 760i in the coming weeks--and later this summer, we'll be on the floor of the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show as BMW unveils its new 7-Series Hybrid sedan along with the new X6 Hybrid.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Driven: 2009 Nissan Maxima SV. 4DSC Faith No More.
After some city commuting and a weekend road trip in Nissan's 2009 Maxima SV, we're sad to report that the sedan has lost direction and purpose. For one, it starts at over $10,000 more than the Nissan Altima with which it shares a front-wheel drive platform and V-6 engine. As such, it has an identical wheelbase and nearly identical interior room. (the Altima is actually bigger inside in some key dimensions). Second, the Maxima aims to do battle with sport-luxury sedans that feature balanced rear-wheel drive platforms not shared with more utilitarian economy models. Third, the Maxima's interior feels perplexingly cheaper and gloomier than the Altima's. And last, the Maxima's automatic is a maddening CVT that means a droning engine note under acceleration and a strange, non-sporting feel not in keeping with the Maxima's claimed mission.
As-tested, our Maxima rang in at $35,130. No vehicle at this price point should have an interior so bleak, dressed completely in various shades of dark gray and black. A few faux carbon-fiber pieces mark a feeble attempt at sport, but even they are little more than black-dotted, silver-colored pieces. The glaring all-red gauges fail in their attempt to crib BMW's subtle, soothing interior glow. It all reminds of a late 90s Pontiac Grand Prix, making one feel as if he's just left the Avis counter. Nissan's own Infiniti luxury brand features the G Sedan with a stunning interior and high-quality materials like genuine machined aluminum; that vehicle starts at $33,250. Even the $19,900 Altima's interior is more inviting and better styled.
Despite massive 19" aluminum wheels with 245/40WR19 summer tires, part of the $2,300 sport package, the Maxima is a front-wheel drive sedan that carries the majority of its bulk over the front axle. In concert with novocaine-numb power steering, the setup isn't sporty or communicative in the slightest. Yes, absolute cornering limits on dry tarmac are impressive, but getting there is more frightening than fun. Understeer is hardly a handling trait that whets enthusiasts' appetites. The wide summer tires began to hydroplane at highway speeds in a moderate rain. Stiff, thin sidewalls plus aggressive suspension tuning yield a flinty and uncomfortable ride.
The Maxima's look-at-me exterior is, well, menacing, but the steeply raked windshield gives the cockpit that strange, far-away utility van feel of a Honda Element or, worse, the old GM "dustbuster" Pontiac TransSport/Chevrolet Lumina APV/Oldsmobile Silhouette triplets. Sport sedans are supposed to bring the driver closer to the road, not make him feel like he's in remote control.
The one bright spot: passing power and highway operation. The CVT (continuously variable transmission) comes into its own on the open road, where the intuitive transmission always finds the perfect rpm and never has to hunt between gears. Floor the throttle and the engine shoots to redline, unleashing all of 290 hp and rocketing you from 60 to 90 mph in an instant. But the CVT is annoying in town, with non-linear responses and drawn-out visits to just one engine speed that make the capable VQ V-6 sound either labored or thrashy.
Sad to see the Nissan Maxima, a real gem in the 1995-1999 4th-generation years, lose its way. The 4th generation was nimble and quick, squirting to 60 mph in about 6.6 seconds, offering a 5-speed manual (rare for the segment), yielding better fuel economy than the '09, and striking a great balance between comfortable sedan and lithe performer.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
