Auto News 5

For the past 16 years, a group of North American jurors has convened yearly to vote on the North American Car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year. The panel of some 50 automotive journalists has selected the Ford Flex, Hyundai Genesis and Volkswagen Jetta TDI as finalists for the 2009 North American Car of the Year- while the truck of the year finalists included the Dodge Ram, Ford F-150 and Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC. Full story...

Hyundai's North American design chief, Joel Piaskowski, left the automaker on Dec. 31. Full story...

Hyundai Motor will cut overall production by at least 25% in the first quarter of this year, according to a union spokesman. Full story...

Hyundai Motor is cutting output in South Korea by 25-30%. Full story...

Hyundai Mobis has abandoned a plan to merge with fellow Hyundai subsidiary Hyundai Autonet due to costs imposed by shareholders opposed to their integration. Full story...

California-based Hyundai Motor America has introduced a unique finance deal that allow customers to return cars if they lose their jobs in the first year. Full story...

During a focus group meeting in late November, Joel Ewanick, Hyundai Motor America's vice president of marketing, realized no matter how much cash Hyundai piled on the fenders, it probably wasn't going to get buyers into showrooms. Full story...

During a focus group meeting in late November, Joel Ewanick, Hyundai Motor America's vice president of marketing, realized no matter how much cash Hyundai piled on the fenders, it probably wasn't going to get buyers into showrooms. Full story...

CADCA, Slovakia, is located in the middle of a new Korean automotive cluster. The arrival of Hyundai, Kia and many of their suppliers has given the town's 27,000 inhabitants something they badly needed: jobs. Full story...

Hyundai and affiliate Kia set their 2009 sales target at a combined 4.35 million vehicles, up 4 percent from their estimated 2008 sales, news service eDaily reported on Tuesday. Full story...

Hyundai and affiliate Kia set their 2009 sales target at a combined 4.35 million vehicles, up 4 percent from their estimated 2008 sales, news service eDaily reported on Tuesday. Full story...

Hyundai promised a coupe variant of the highly acclaimed Genesis sedan, and they're gearing up to deliver it next year. Full story...

Here are 10 things that got a start, or really got going, during 2008: Green, Smart, $4-a-gallon gasoline, the Hyundai Genesis, VW's plant in Tennessee, Tata Motors, clean diesel, reality, a new F-150 and small, powerful engines. Full story...

Hyundai Motor America has announced the pricing of the all-new Elantra Touring wagon, available at dealerships in the first quarter of 2009. Full story...

Hyundai Motor America has announced the pricing of the all-new Elantra Touring wagon, available at dealerships in the first quarter of 2009. The Tuesday announcement signals a return to the compact five-door segment for the Korean automaker. Full story...

Hyundai Motor has taken more measures to cut output and save costs. Full story...

Hyundai still has aggressive growth plans despite the global economic crisis. Many automakers are reducing their forecasts in response to the crisis, which has hit consumer confidence and reduced car sales. Full story...

Joel Piaskowski, the chief designer for Hyundai Motor America, is resigning after six years at the company. Hyundai spokesman Chris Hosford said he didn't know what Piaskowski's plans are after he leaves at the end of the month. Full story...

Ford Motor Co.'s Flex and F-150 pickup were among six finalists for the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. The other cars were the diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Hyundai's Genesis luxury sedan. Full story...

Gas prices are rising and falling... and rising again and falling again. Small fuel-efficient cars, or econoboxes, offer a golden opportunity to become immune to this yo-yo. Since 2004, the Toyota Yaris has been dominating the market, easily overtaking such rivals as the Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa. Full story...