Free Republic

SEOUL — Unionised workers at South Korea's largest carmaker Hyundai Motor stopped work at engine plants in one factory on Tuesday after a union member set himself ablaze due to alleged bullying by bosses. The union said workers at the five engine plants in the southeastern city of Ulsan stopped production at 1 pm (0400 GMT) after management rejected their demands -- including an apology for the incident and punishment of those responsible.

Electric vehicles may seem like the inevitable evolution of the conventional gas-powered automobile, but not every carmaker agrees. Hyundai will sit out the pure-electric car round, and instead concentrate its efforts on designing the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. As part of a decision by the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Hyundai--which owns 51 percent of Kia--will stop all efforts to develop and produce electric vehicles, according to Korean newspaper The Chosun Iblo. The auto manufacturer previously planned to produce the all-electric BlueOn, but it has shelved those plans and instead will focus on developing the Tucson ix Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle....

2011 Hyundai Equus On most cars, you only need to press the preset button that was used to save the desired radio station. But on the Equus you need to use voice commands or wade through five steps using the multifunction controller. 1. Starting on the frequency-indicator screen, push the controller knob to the left to highlight the menu. 2. Turn the knob to select "Presets" from the menu. 3. Push the knob down to confirm the selection. The screen displays the station preset list. 4. Turn the knob to highlight the desired preset. 5. Push the knob down to...

Continuing a campaign initiated by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) addressed the Telematics Detroit 2011 conference with harsh words on the growing trend to integrate infotainment technology into cars. David Strickland told those assembled, “I’m just putting everyone on notice. A car is not a mobile device. I’m not in the business of helping people tweet better. I’m not in the business of helping people post on Facebook better.” That’s not to say that the NHTSA and DOT are opposed to all telematics applications. In fact, the agencies support systems...

Hyundai's aggressive marketing is playing a huge role in the car maker's sizzling performance in the U.S. market. Its buy-back program, return new cars if you lost their job… the program was chosen as one of the best advertising efforts of the year by the Wall Street Journal in 2009. Only 350 customers returned their cars under the program by the time it ended last month. It was a major advertising success that significantly boosted Hyundai's image at very little cost.

The market for pre-owned vehicles continues to keep up the pace in this challenging economic environment, forcing the car makers that have made a business out of selling used cars come up will all sorts of solutions meant to put them ahead of the pack. In the US, the competition on this segment is fierce. There are, however, only a limited number of things you can do, as a producer, to increase the appeal of a so-called certified pre-owned car. And most of those things have something to do with aftermarket gadgets and systems. Hyundai, one of the biggest players...

The car manufacturers launch new models on regular basis to surpass each other and capture the Indian market. It is expected that in the coming year, we will witness flourishing growth in the small-car sectors with the intrusion of auto majors like Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Skoda, and Volkswagen. JD Power statistics show a steady growth in the number of small-car buyers in India. Representing 24 percent of the total market in 2009, the number has increased to 32 percent in 2010. Experts believe that the small car segment is set to expand even more.After establishing themselves in urban...

Thai Navy to Swap German Submarines for Korean 21 April 2011 The Royal Thai Navy is considering purchasing two South Korean submarines instead of six second-hand German submarines, Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has said. The defence minister's proposal for two new Hyundai-built Type U-209 Class diesel-electric submarines could cost over THB40bn ($1.32bn) and will require a tied-over budget spanning years. The navy has agreed to the proposal as long as the new South Korean submarines were based on German technology, a navy source said. "But if that costs more than 40bn-50bn baht, the government may not approve it and...

It seems improbable to some that Hyundai, the company that once sold a car so inexpensive you could charge it on a credit card, would unleash a car that costs $58,000 and competes with the finest luxury cars in the world. Those who sniff with disdain may do well to remember that some esteemed luxury automakers had humble origins. Consider, for example, Jaguar, which started as a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars. Given that every automaker has access to the same auto- industry suppliers, and thus the same technology, it comes down to this: Which brand do you like, and how...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Few people in this city 800 miles south of Detroit cared much about the auto industry until Hyundai announced it would build cars here nine years ago. These days, Montgomery cannot stop talking about it. Hyundai and its sister company, Kia, which opened a plant last year just across the Georgia state line, have brought thousands of well-paying jobs to the region and even helped nurture a little Korean culture in Montgomery, the first capital of the old Confederacy. Hyundai is running its Montgomery plant almost nonstop. Rarely do more than a few weeks pass without word...

During a recent powertrain briefing, Hyundai revealed some more details about its new 5.0-liter Tau V8 and 1.0-liter Kappa three-cylinder engines that will be used in a variety of global markets in the near future. Slated for use in the Genesis sedan as well as the larger Equus, Hyundai's new V8 will use direct injection to produce 429 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque. That's a healthy increase of 59 horsepower and 8 ft-lbs of torque over the 4.6-liter V8 it's replacing, while also increasing fuel economy by one mile per gallon to 18/26 thanks to an all-new eight-speed automatic...

How hot is the 2011 Hyundai Sonata? So hot that the Korean carmaker had to kick its Santa Fe SUV out of its only U.S. factory, in Alabama, in order to build more Sonatas. The Santa Fe is being shooed off to a Kia plant in Georgia so that Hyundai can keep up with demand for its sleekly designed, fuel-efficient mid-sized sedan. News reports says the move could free up Hyundai’s factory to build 100,000 more Sonatas a year.

www.catholicnewsagency.com Hyundai pulls television ad after Catholic uproar New York City, N.Y., Jun 14, 2010 / 06:48 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Responding to “enough of an outcry” from Catholic individuals and blogs, Korean car maker Hyundai announced on Monday that it has pulled a World Cup-themed television ad that ran during the USA-England soccer match on Saturday featuring a "church" in Argentina mocking Catholic sacraments.  The ad depicts the ceremony of a “church” called "Iglesia Maradoniana" founded in Rosario, Argentina. The “church” was established in the spirit of both honoring Diego Armando Maradona -Argentina's top soccer player and current coach...

Hyundai Removes Blasphemous World Cup Commercial You have seen the kerfuffle about the Hyundai / FIFA ad for the ongoing World Cup, which – in a blasphemous manner – portrayed the fervor of some soccer fans as being religious. I received an notice from a reader about a response he received from HYUNDAI: From: Hyundai Consumer Affairs To: _ Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 3:22 PM Subject: Anti-catholic ad      Hello and thank you for your feedback regarding Hyundai advertising. Hyundai Motor America would like to thank you and other consumers for sharing concerns about a new ad titled "Wedding"...

At mass this morning Monsignor Desmond called our attention to an appalling ad he saw while watching the World Cup yesterday. Hyundai chose to mock the Blessed Sacrament in a misguided attempt to sell a few more of their crappy cars. And nobody at ABC Sports thought it was in poor taste for them to do so. The imagery is blasphemous and patently insulting to any devout Catholic. Hyundai's sacrilege has to be intentional. There is too much Catholic ritual incorporated, and mocked, for this to be happenstance. You can bet your bottom dollar they wouldn't pull a stunt like...

Honda and Subaru were ranked the best overall car manufacturers in the new Consumer Reports auto survey released yesterday -- but recall-battered Toyota did surprising well, too, coming in a close third. Honda and Subaru tied for first place with a total score of 77 based on reliability, performance, comfort and utility -- while Toyota was next with a score of 74, the report said. Hyundai's Elantra SE, which lists for $18,695, was ranked the best small sedan. The automaker was then followed by Nissan, with an average score of 72. Its Altima, which sells for $23,970, was the family-sedan...

As we said before, please do not buy a new car until the end of November — inventories are so low, you’re not likely find the color and features you want and you will most likely over pay. If you must buy a car now, both Hyundai and Kia are the first car manufacturers to offer big incentives after the ”clunkers’ program ended. While KIA offers the better deals, you’ll still likely save more if you can’t wait until the end of November for supply to catch back up to levels where deals abound.

Hailed as a jump-start for the U.S. economy, the federal government's "cash for clunkers" gave the biggest boost to foreign automakers. Overall, auto sales in August were the highest in more than a year, according to industry figures released Tuesday. Carmakers sold more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, up 1% from the same month last year and the first year-over-year sales gain since August 2007. Much of that was a result of the clunkers program, which ran July 24 to Aug. 24 and provided hefty government rebates to consumers who traded in gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient new vehicles....

SKorea, US team up to build and export Aegis warships by Staff Writers Seoul (AFP) July 22, 2009 US defence group Lockheed Martin and South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries will team up to build and export mid-size warships equipped with advanced Aegis weapons systems, an official said Wednesday. They signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2006 to jointly produce Aegis-equipped guided missile ships, Hyundai Heavy spokesman Cho Woo-Tae told AFP. Cho said it is thought to be very rare for Lockheed to partner with a foreign company to produce Aegis-equipped vessels for possible sale to a third country....

It's the worst year in history for the industry: Two Detroit companies went bankrupt, and even the Japanese are losing money. But nothing stops those Koreans. Hyundai and Kia are expanding their lineups, a new Kia plant is to open in Georgia, and they are setting most ambitious goals. Their cars may not be the best, but they are improving--many get on the "recommended" list in Consumers Reports--and they are getting major help from the home country's weak currency. The two are connected under the name Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Hyundai is larger and owns a 39% controlling stake in...