#JohnKrafcik

Google has hired former auto executive and ex-President of TrueCar, John Krafcik, to lead its self-driving car program. 

Hyundai North American president and CEO John Krafcik will step down from his current role next week at the completion of his contract.

Hyundai Motor America is mulling over the addition of a new small crossover to its model lineup, according to CEO John Krafcik.

If he were real, Andy Dufresne would be impressed with Hyundai CEO John Krafcik who despite the obstacles is being named the 2013 Automotive Executive of the Year

Hyundai’s fuel economy fiasco hasn’t seemed to negatively impact the automaker’s sales, which hit a new record for the month of November and a new overall record for the year, with several weeks left to go.

Hyundai‘s growth in sales has only been hindered by the fact that the Korean automaker can’t produce enough cars to sell. Now ranked the seventh-largest automaker in the US by sales, Hyundai is looking towards the future to build on its recent success.

Despite plans for the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe to replace the Veracruz, Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik is confirming that there might still be a large crossover in the company’s future. 

Acting as the poster boy for fuel efficiency, Hyundai is petitioning the U.S. government to declare August “National Fuel Efficiency Month.”

Hyundai North America CEO John Krafcik reaffirmed, in an interview with Fox News, that the Korean automaker doesn’t intend to join the truck market but will look instead into the six and seven passenger crossover segment.

It’s no idle boast, especially as many lithium-batteries are said to have a maximum life span of around 7-8 years, yet until now Hyundai hadn’t released any specifics on its lifetime warranty for the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid’s battery pack.

Hyundai hyped its Veloster and the automotive media had high hopes for the innovative odd four-door hatchback, but when the reviews came out, the praise was missing. Good? Yes. But great? Hardly.

With the debut of a new 5.0-liter Tau V8 in the Genesis Sedan R-Spec and rumors that it will find its way under the hood of the Genesis Coupe, Hyundai isn’t necessarily committed to eight-cylinders. That’s not surprising as the industry moves towards forced induction options like turbocharging and supercharging in order to deliver ideal power levels with reduced fuel consumption.

Proving that the V8-powered Genesis Coupe is in fact possible, Hyundai unveiled the RMR500 concept at the SEMA Show recently, built with its motorsports partner Rhys Millen Racing. Powered by the brand’s new 5.0-liter Tau V8, as found in the Genesis Sedan R-Spec and with a few modifications, it makes an incredible 450-hp.

Hyundai CEO John Krafcik will keep his company’s focus on being a fuel economy leader, and has ruled out a high-performance sports car, even as he discussed the various ways in which the new CAFE regulations can be gamed to produce low fleet fuel economy ratings.

While Hyundai has made great strides in the compact and mid-size segments, with the new Elantra and Sonata, arguably the car that put it on the map was the sub-compact Accent. While a less-than-great piece of engineering in the past, it did serve a purpose. With the second generation of the Accent, Hyundai has infused the car with many of traits of its larger siblings in the hopes of leading the segment with style, features and fuel economy. The plan is that this new value equation will result in big sales. It has.