Hyundai‘s Sonata has won high praise from many automotive journalists, Autoguide included, for its distinctive styling, refined manners and great value.

But enthusiasts are still waiting on the hottest Sonata (who ever thought we’d see those words together?), the 274 horsepower Sonata turbo, set to debut later this fall. Since its debut at the New York Auto Show, Hyundai has been somewhat tight-lipped about their fastest family sedan, but a press briefing in Korea this past week, Hyundai released a couple interesting details.

The Sonata turbo will be able to match the performance of a manual transmission BMW 328i, getting to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, and obtain fuel economy numbers of 22 mpg in the city and 34 mpg highway. While the Sonata turbo will only have an automatic transmission, and likely weigh close to what a 328i weighs, we can’t help but feel that Hyundai’s acceleration times are a tad conservative. Of course, the Sonata is also going to be at least $5,000 cheaper.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Attention hedge-fund managers, rappers and those with family money; Bugatti’s new Veyron 16.4 SuperSport is for sale, and the French/German supercar maker wants to get you into the driver’s seat of one of their supercars for the rock-bottom price of $2.4 million.

In all likelihood, the car is probably sold out, as only 30 units are being produced and there are probably 30 people in Dubai alone who have the money and inclination to get this car. For the rest of us plebes, pictures are as close as we’ll get, unless you attend the ultra-swanky Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance this August, where the car will be unveiled.

With less weight and a 1200 horsepower W16 engine, the SuperSport will rocket to 60 mph in 2.2 seconds.

[Source: TopSpeed]

The Lexus IS is back for 2011 with a few minor tweaks that should make the car more enticing. According to a leaked Japanese-market brochure, the new models get a 15% bump in fuel efficiency, LED daytime running lights and a revised front bumper, while inside, a USB port for MP3 players is standard. F Sport models get a different bumper and rear spoiler, new wheels reminiscent of the LFA supercar’s rims, a new gear knob and sports seats. No word on whether North America will see all of these changes.

[Source: 4Wheels News]

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro was spied by some intrepid members of the Camaro5 forums. Unfortunately, the cars were out on a gloomy, rainy day and so their roofs were up, which is generally an unflattering position for any ragtop. Mechanically, not much will change between the coupe and the convertibles, with the same V6 and V8 engines available on both. However, only the ragtop will let you blast your favorite Bon Jovi tracks in full, earth-shaking glory.

The Camaro convertible will go on sale in the first quarter of 2011, with international sales scheduled to start shortly afterwards.

[Source: Carscoop]

Mazda‘s swoopy, sometimes controversial “Nagare” styling has been jettisoned after a few short years as the pre-eminent design language for the Hiroshima, Japan-based car company.

Nagare, with its flowing lines and inelegant front-end treatments, managed to find a home on the next-generation Mazda5, the current Mazda3 and the facelifted Mazda MX-5. The Nagare styling was often controversial, and according to a report in AutoExpress, company management was underwhelmed with the results, and according to Peter Birtwhistle, head of design for Mazda Europe, the company is hoping to be “more like a Japanese Alfa Romeo, producing cars which are great to drive, but crucially that also have the right premium feel, particularly inside.”

With a Mazda5 and a first-generation Miata among the Autoguide staff vehicles, we can’t say we’re too upset about the lack of Nagare cues in future Mazdas, as long as their engineering department doesn’t get turfed along with the stylists.

[Source: Auto Express]

Hyundai recently debuted a new 5.0L version of their Tau V8, reportedly making 429-horsepower. The engine will do duty in the new Equus luxury sedan, and according to some, the Genesis sedan as well. But what everyone wants to know is, where’s the Genesis Coupe V8?

On paper, it seems like a natural fit, turning the Genesis coupe into a natural Mustang killer. The Mustangs 5.0 motor only makes 412-horsepower, so Hyundai would have the Ford trumped in the all-important horsepower ratings game. But  one thing everyone seems to forget is that Hyundai previously stated that a V8 engine wouldn’t fit into the coupe’s engine bay.

We don’t know if Hyundai was just trying to placate those who might be underwhelmed by a V6, or if they have been hiding this little gem the entire time. More likely than all of those is that this is just idle speculation dreamed up by someone who wants to see a 5.0 badge on the side of a Genesis Coupe.

[Source: Autoblog]

If you’re a weekend racer dreaming of moving up to a Pro series, here’s your chance. Thanks to the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge and BFGoodrich Tires, you could win a seat in a Mustang Challenge race simply by entering their contest at http://mustangchallenge.com/drivershootout/

The Mustang Challenge Driver Shootout will put one driver behind the wheel for the season-finale Mustang Challenge race at Miller Motorsports Park on September 11.  The Mustang Challenge Shootout mixes talent, new media savvy, and the drive to win to give one driver the chance of a lifetime. All you have to do to enter the contest is upload a video demonstrating why you’re a good candidate to race in the Mustang Challenge.  Drivers can use videos that have been posted on BFGoodrich’s Nation of Go, YouTube, or a video site of their choice.

Entries are already being accepted, with the deadline for filing an entry being the checkered flag for round nine of the 2010 Mustang Challenge season at Autobahn Speedway (August 1st). From the submitted videos, five entrants will be selected as final contestants.

From there, the real competition kicks off as the finalists will travel to Miller Motorsports Park and receive training at the Ford Racing Miller Performance Training Center before being run through a variety of exercises in and out of the Ford Mustangs. And it won’t just be their stopwatches that the judges will be looking at, as the  panel of judges on hand will watch as the drivers show their skills along the same scope of talents that are required for pro racing success in the modern world, from data analysis and media interaction to the ability to find a strong set up quickly.

For the finalists, the goal will be simple — convince the panel of judges that they are the driver who should be taking the green flag as the Mustang Challenge season finale kicks off.

All applicants must hold a valid race license (SCCA, NASA, ASN-FIA, etc), but not have any pro racing starts on their racing resume.  The contest is open to individuals ages 18 and older residing in the United States and Canada.

The judges will review all eligible videos received during the contest period. The judges will evaluate each video based on quality, content, personality and overall entertainment and select the five videos that best convey a candidate who can go the full distance to make it to race in the Mustang Challenge.

[Source: mustangchallenge.com]

We can already hear the cries of “sellout” from enthusiasts across the world. Lotus announced that they were abandoning their “lightweight and simple” design philosophy in favor of increasing volume and building more technologically advanced, luxurious and upmarket sports cars.

Proton, the Malaysian owner of Lotus, pledged in 1996 to make Lotus profitable within 5 years. Having failed to achieve that goal, the company has chosen a new direction. New models will feature advanced features like dual-clutch gearboxes, active suspension systems, hybrids and other alternative powertrains. Proton is hoping to increase sales from between 2000-2500 cars per year to 6000-8000 cars per year within five years.

True aficionados of the brand will be relieved to know that the current lineup will remain in place and untouched by the changes, but new models will adopt the brand’s new philosophy. If you want an Exige 240S, better get it now.

[Source: Autocar]

Hyundai has just announced that after the market launch of its new flagship Equus luxury sedan, it will offer an engine option above the planned 4.6L Tau V8. The optional engine will be a new 5.0L Tau V8, making 429-hp. That same engine will then also find its way into the Genesis luxury sedan.

With a power increase of around 45-hp with the larger engine, torque will also jump from 333 ft-lbs to 376. And aiding in both power deliver and fuel consumption is a new 8-speed automatic – although it’s not yet clear if the Genesis will also get the 8-speed box.

The move is designed to keep Hyundai’s flagship competitive with the new twin-turbo motors from BMW and Mercedes, but as most buyers won’t see the Equus as a rival to the established marques, we have to think this is more of a shot across the bow of Lexus, with the larger Genesis motor offering far more power than what Lexus equips its LS models with.

[Source: TheCarConnection]

Okay, so we know that not everyone is a video game junkie, so we’ll take some time to explain what’s been going on in the wonderful world of technology. Microsoft’s XBOX 360 console has entered the realm of controller-less gaming, where your body’s movements and actions will dictate what goes on in the game, essentially taking what the Nintendo Wii has offered to the public and adding another dimension to it. Through its Kinect (formerly known as Project Natal) interface, the XBOX 360 will be able to monitor your closest movements, actions and mimic them on the television.

So while just the idea that we have this technology at our disposal is amazing, implementing it for our favorite driving game simulator is overly enticing. Recently Turn 10 did a nice demo where they invited out several industry personnel to see the Kinect experience. By simply putting your hands out in the 10 and 2 position, you will be able to control your vehicle in the ever popular video game series without the need of having an actual steering wheel. We’re a little lost on how you control braking and accelerating though.

The concept is great and we look forward to XBOX 360′s Kinect to see just how it’ll revolutionize gaming, but something tells us (being hardcore car enthusiasts) we’d still prefer the actual touch and feel of a nice steering wheel, especially with the force feedback many of them provide. It may be tons of fun for casual gamers to simulate the driving experience without the actual need of additional hardware, but for now we’ll stick to what we’re used to. But hey, let’s not discredit the technology and where Forza Motorsport is heading into the future. The combination of an actual steering wheel and pedal assembly with the idea of being able to simply move your head to change your view or look around you is entertaining in its own right.

Check out the official press release after the jump.

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