Hyundai Motor America and CHOC Children Celebrate Opening of Hyundai Cancer Institute

Through the nonprofit organization, Hyundai Hope On Wheels®, Hyundai Motor America and its U.S. dealer council celebrated the grand opening of the Hyundai Cancer Institute. The evening was hosted at CHOC Children’s where Hyundai presented the organization with the third $2.0 million installment of a $10 million research grant committed in 2011. In addition, Hyundai presented CHOC Children’s with two new 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vehicles.

The Hyundai Hope On Wheels grant is being used to fund the Hyundai Cancer Institute, which is a leading research center at CHOC Children’s. Research at the Hyundai Cancer Institute is dedicated to finding cures to pediatric cancers using innovative genomic medicine techniques. The goals of the research project are to provide a better understanding of the disease and more effective treatment for children diagnosed with pediatric cancer.

“Hyundai Motor America’s US headquarters is based in Orange County, and we take great pride in being a part of this community. We are especially proud of our long-standing relationship with CHOC Children’s, a jewel in the community. With the completion of a major new tower, CHOC Children’s continues its mission of providing world-class care for children and families in the Region,” said John Krafcik, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “The opening of the Hyundai Cancer Institute continues our commitment to pediatric cancer with CHOC’s research excellence. We could not be more pleased with the ongoing partnership with CHOC,” said Krafcik.

"As we enter into the third year of our grant award with Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Hope On Wheels, we are very excited about the strong infrastructure we've been able to put into place. We now have the tools and resources needed to develop a more personalized approach to cancer research and treatment to benefit our patients. We're extremely grateful for the continued partnership with and support of Hyundai in the fight against cancer," said Dr. Leonard Sender, medical director, Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children's.

To celebrate the grand opening of the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s Hope On Wheels hosted a special event focused on the idea that “Every Handprint Tells A Story.” Hope On Wheels collects the handprints of children affected by cancer because they each represent an individual child’s story of hope and courage. Their collective narrative provides a powerful message that Hope On Wheels shares nationwide to raise awareness for this cause.

“To Hyundai dealers, nothing gives us more pride than our work with Hope On Wheels. The symbol of each handprint in our logo is what drives our commitment to this cause. Every child deserves a chance to pursue their own dreams and hopes,” said Mickey Pong, Chairman of Hyundai Hope On Wheels and owner of North County Hyundai in Carlsbad, Calif. “As the newly-appointed Hope On Wheels chairman, I will work to ensure that every Hyundai dealer across the U.S. continues to support the important work of children’s hospitals like CHOC Children’s.”

Over the course of 2013, Hope On Wheels will donate $16 million to children’s hospitals nationwide. Celebrating its 15th year, Hope On Wheels will surpass $72 million in total donations to pediatric cancer research and programs since its inception in 1998. This level of funding places Hyundai among the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the nation.

To learn more about the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s or Hyundai Hope On Wheels visit www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.

Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Named 2013 Concept Car of the Year

Earlier this month, Hyundai received the 2013 Concept Car of the Year award for the HCD-14 Genesis Concept. In addition, the vehicle also received the “Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year” title for scoring the highest among the category winning concepts. The HCD-14 made its official debut at the North American International Auto Show, showcasing Hyundai’s design direction for future premium vehicles.

The twelfth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards recognize those vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry. This marks the second time Hyundai has received an award, having been named “Production Preview Concept Vehicle of the Year” in 2008 for the Genesis Coupe.

More than two dozen jurors participated in a selection process that involved a total of 23 vehicles, each introduced to North America during this season’s auto shows in Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.

“It’s exciting to see the overwhelming positive response and feedback we have received for the HCD-14 Genesis Concept,” said Chris Chapman, chief designer, Hyundai Design, North American Design Center. “HCD-14 Genesis provides a glimpse of Hyundai’s future and showcases the emphasis we are placing on driving dynamics and technology. Winning the ‘Concept Car of the Year’ validates our design intuition as we take our premium line-up to the next level of sophistication in styling and technological prowess.”

According to juror Bob Kroupa, one of the Principals of the Automotive Writers Group, “Hyundai’s HCD-14 introduces future premium vehicle design, advanced 3-D gesture-based technology controls and spirited driving dynamics. Its rear hinged back doors and fastback coupe design, add to the WOW factor.”

The “Concept Car” category recognizes those vehicles intended for carrying passengers. HCD-14 beat out competitors in this category including the Honda EV-STER and Toyota Corolla Furia. The Hyundai concept was recognized for its state-of-the-art features and enhanced driver experience. HCD-14 Genesis reveals the technological future of Hyundai’s premium line-up with driver eye-tracking and hand-gesture recognition, thumb controls or gesture recognition used to select navigation, infotainment, audio, HVAC, and smartphone connectivity functions.

“Hyundai’s California Design Center has been turning out some impressive work, and I think the HCD-14 is one of their best,” said Chris Poole, juror and Editor-at-Large for Chicago-based Consumer Guide Auto. “The ultra-clean coupe-like styling has both flair and presence, and I like the grille; it reminds me of certain early Ferraris. The interior is wild, but I applaud the lack of a center stack—provided Hyundai has figured out new controls that are at least as user-friendly. If the next production Genesis is anything like this stunner, I say, bring it on!”

First Take: 2014 Hyundai Equus

There is no need to rehash the evolution of Hyundai in the American market in the last eight years, that has been done to death.  In that time, Hyundai has built a reputation for quality products that provide excellent value.  Where Hyundai has really shined, is in providing high levels of content compared to it’s competition at the same price or less. 

When Hyundai decided to bring the Equus to the U.S. a few years ago, many said that Hyundai had gone to far, no one would buy a top end luxury car from the brand, they should focus on what they were good at doing, high value cars for mainstream America.

If there was one car in the Equus’ sights it was the Lexus LS series, the original usurper in the top end luxury segment, Hyundai looked at that playbook, and looked to repeat the success.  While the Equus did not take off like the original LS, that was partially due to supply constraints and conservative sales estimate from Hyundai corporate.  While the Equus was good when compared against the LS and Mercedes-Benz S-Class it felt about half to three quarters of a generation behind those two in the quality of materials and some overall refinement.

Come the 2014 mid-cycle refresh and most of the issues have been addressed.  There is an upgrade to the quality of materials throughout, though there are one or two striking misses, the aircraft style map lights in the rear being a noticeable one.

The styling has been tweaked, a nice clean up in removing some chrome trim from the front and rear bumpers along with the tail light lenses, gives the Equus a more refined look, the new 19” turbine style wheels look very striking as well.  Hyundai have also changed out the headlamps and taillights to LED’s as well.

Inside there is an all new dash, instrument panel and center stack.  In Ultimate trim there is a control dial on the steering wheel for the infotainment system’s 9.2” display that provides haptic feedback.

The infotainment system is an up to date system with a 64 gig SSD drive, with 30 gigs reserved for music, videos and photos.  The Nav system has “Junction View” giving you a graphical representation of Interstate interchanges and which lane and route to take.  Also down in the Nav system menus, there is the ability to see how far a rest stops are down the road.

In the instrument cluster there is a 7” display between the speedometer and tachometer,  for additional information, including turn by turn directions from the Nav system.  The Equus also is, in Ultimate trim, equipped with a Heads Up Display.  If you’ve never driven with a modern HUD unit, it is something that is very nice to have.  The HUD unit will display speed, turn by turn directions and blind spot warnings.

If you choose to ride in the back, this is an “Executive Luxury Sedan” after all, there are dual 9.2” displays, power door closure, and four way power lumbar adjustments to the rear seats.

Out on the road the Equus drives well, it feels like a large solid car.  There are two drive modes for the suspension, “Normal” and “Sport”.  Most people will not move out of the Normal setting and that’s fine, the ride and handling are compliant, and there is no float to the ride.  Change to Sport and things firm up, the steering has a little more weight and feel to it, but the change in settings does not transform the Equus into a “Sport Sedan”.

Power for the Equus is the excellent 5.0 liter Tau V8 engine producing 429 horsepower, matched up to an 8 speed automatic transmission.  While one would not call the Equus fast, the power is more than adequate, you never feel as if you are laking for power.  You can get up to speed quickly, on a two lane road you have plenty of torque to get you around slower cars and safely back into your lane.  Merging on to highways is not a problem at at all.  Best of all, unlike some other cars in this class the Equus does not require Premium Fuel.

The Equus comes in two trim levels, Signature and Ultimate.  Pricing for the two models is $61,920 for the Signature and $68,920 for the Ultimate, that is $1,750 more than the outgoing model.  Compared to others in the category the Equus is $11,000 less than the Lexus LS, $33,000 less than the BMW 7 Series and $37,000 less than the Mercedes S-Class.

While many might think that people who would buy a Lexus, Mercedes, Audi or BMW would not be interested in the Equus, according to Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik, they have had a significant amount of conquest business from those other brands.

While at the end of the day the Equus might not be quite as good as the Lexus LS, it’s 95-98% as good and at a much better price point.  The interior and ride quality are on par with the outgoing Mercedes S-Class, at a huge savings, without some of the service headaches that come from owning a German car. 

The Equus is a player in the market and shouldn’t be discounted, we saw 20+ years ago how the German luxury makers dismissed Lexus, and we saw how well that worked out.  Given what Hyundai is doing with their mainstream products, the Equus shouldn’t be dismissed either.

2013 Hyundai Sante Fe Winner of 2013 Family Crossover Comparison

Summer is here and when you’re out there traveling across the country, a three-row family crossover might be the people-mover that provides the best combination of comfort and versatility.

Automobile Magazine compared eight of the best all-wheel-drive, three-row family crossovers available and put them to the test over 5 days. The list includes the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, 2013 Dodge Durango, 2013 Ford Explorer, 2013 Honda Pilot, 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, 2013 Mazda CX-9, 2013 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2013 Toyota Highlander. To narrow down the list, editors defined the list of eligible finalist as mid-size vehicles intended for passenger use but also capable of weekend adventure which includes the ability to pack a useful amount of stuff and perform some light-duty towing.

Each vehicle was driven at the same time on the same roads and notes were made, facts were listed and points were argued. Matching vehicles in brackets just like in a tournament, each were compared and losers were knocked out one by one until the winner presented itself.

Many might think that all three-row crossovers are the same. Simply combine a car-like body with truck-like SUV styling, then add all-wheel drive to meet the demands of all-weather driving. Yet, the editors at Automobile Magazine strongly believed that the precise blend of car and truck still varies from vehicle to vehicle and that matters. In summary, this is what they had to say about the list of finalists:

“Some vehicles, like the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot, fall toward the truck side of the spectrum, a little less refined than the others. Meanwhile, the Mazda CX-9 and Toyota Highlander drive exactly like cars, but they give up some utility to do so, notably in the comfortable spaciousness you want, even for the kids in the way-back row.”

“Within the middle, things are evolving quickly, and a vehicle like the Chevrolet Traverse that seemed like an amazing expression of modernity a second ago is now trying to keep up. At the leading edge we find crossovers that match style with refinement, as the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe and 2013 Nissan Pathfinder showed us as we posed them in front of our snappy Euro-style hotel in Holland, Michigan.”

“As a group, we think this is particularly true of the Santa Fe. It has both amenities and the appearance to be a premium vehicle, especially with this model's dramatic saddle-brown seat upholstery and soft-touch trim. The Hyundai also sets itself apart with its exterior styling, since as it maintains the distinctive proportions of a utility vehicle even as it aspires to something more than truckiness.”

The editors at Automobile Magazine strongly believe that the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe points the way forward. It is a vehicle that provides as much utility without sacrificing too much in terms of weight, power and fuel economy in order to do so. Vehicle configurations allow it to adapt whether it be a drive to school, the store, or the tulip farm in Holland, Michigan. Loaded with the technology available to ensure a safe trip for the family, yet at a price that is easy on the pockets. And just as important, the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe looks and feels great while doing all that