Auto News 5

The Azera went away for a while, and it's hard to image that many people missed it. With the Sonata very ably serving in the midsize sedan segment and the Genesis sedan providing a premium, rear-wheel-drive move-up option, it looked as though the Azera had been squeezed out of its place in the Hyundai lineup. Hyundai product planners, however, saw a sliver of space between the Sonata and the Genesis -- or maybe they were just hewing to the company's secret decree to have a direct competitor for every Toyota model (the Avalon, in this case). Regardless of why, a new Azera bowed last year, and it turns out that the Azera makes a case for itself by delivering traditional Hyundai virtues.

Not long into our Four Seasons test of a Luxury Line 328i, I realized that the correct powertrain setup for this car would include the eight-speed automatic, not the six-speed manual. Never mind dispensing with the the vague, spongy action of the manual transmission's clutch pedal and the long-throw shift linkage. Instead consider that the eight-speed automatic is well matched to the N20 four-cylinder engine. You never find yourself down on power and the shifts are always smooth. The automatic is a better fit for a sport sedan that errs on the side of luxury.

The big year-over-year sales increases for the U.S. auto market appear to be over, as the industry has successfully climbed out of the hole it fell into in 2009. Volume has leveled off at around the 15-million-unit mark. But that placid surface hides plenty of turmoil, as individual automakers -- and whole market segments -- rise and fall. The biggest market segment, midsize sedans, saw volume jump last year thanks to a host of redesigned models. But that momentum has now stalled, and in the current internecine battle within the segment, the freshest entries are stealing share from those just slightly older. The seemingly unassailable Toyota Camry, for instance, was beaten in April by the Honda Accord (and in March by the Nissan Altima). Meanwhile, the Ford Fusion picked up share and the Hyundai Sonata and VW Passat lost it. One area now seeing rapid growth is the full-size pickup market, aided by a swiftly recovering housing industry. The luxury arena remains healthy, as those consumers are better insulated than the population at large from the still-shaky job market.