#JohnKrafcik

Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik announced a five-door Hyundai Accent is coming to the U.S., boldly saying it will “kick the Fiesta’s butt.”

With Hyundai‘s recent sales success, the Korean automaker is considering expanding its product offerings to include new models in the luxury segment that would rival the most popular and high-volume vehicles currently offered by Japanese and German competitors. While Hyundai already offers the Genesis Sedan and the new Equus flagship model, the two vehicles being studied include a direct rival to the BMW 3 Series and as well as a crossover that would target the Lexus RX350.

Hyundai is set to build the new Elantra at their Alabama factory, as it joins the Sonata and Santa Fe at the plant. The new Elantra is already on sale in South Korea, but is set to debut in U.S. spec at this November’s 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

In a press release, Hyundai CEO John Krafcik said “ Hyundai‘s philosophy is to build our vehicles where we sell them, and with the addition of the Elantra to our U.S. production mix we now manufacture our three most popular models right here in the U.S.”

The move to produce the Elantra in the United States allows Hyundai to price the car even more aggressively as it aims to capture an ever larger market share in the United States.

[Source: Hyundai]

Hyundai is embarking on a $150 million expansion of its Orange County, California headquarters, allowing it to double in size from 700 to 1400 employees.

Hyundai has pledged to donate $100,000 each to 68 hospitals and non profit organizations to help fight pediatric cancer. Dealers will contribute $200 from each vehicle sale to the cause, and most of the financing is said to be arriving in this way.

The program, known as Hyundai Hope on Wheels will oversee the distribution of the nearly $ 7 million to the various charities. “While we’ve made progress over the last few decades and now have an 85 percent cure rate, cancer still takes more lives than any other childhood disease,” said Hyundai Motor America President and CEO John Krafcik. “This September, in support of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Hyundai will shine a nationwide spotlight on this cause and provide more than $6 million in grants for pediatric cancer research and support programs. We love taking on big challenges at Hyundai, and we can think of no more worthy challenge than finding a cure for all forms of pediatric cancer.”

Hope on Wheels will have donated close to $23 million by year’s end,

Hit the jump to see the official press release

[Source: Hyundai]

At the LA Auto Show this November, Hyundai will debut a new concept car that will give a better idea of how the Korean automaker intends to achieve it s 50-mpg CAFE goal. Company CEO John Krafcik recently made the bold statement that Hyundai would average 50-mpg across its lineup by 2025. Currently, the automaker has just over a 30-mpg fleet average – the best in the industry.

Ward’s Auto is reporting via their Twitter feed that Hyundai North America President and CEO John Krafcik told reporters that their North American arm will have a fleet average fuel economy rating of 50 mpg by 2025.

Back in 2000 Hyundai Kia CEO Chung Mong-koo refused a request by the company’s chairman, and his own father, to step down from the top post of the Korean automaker. Today, Mong-koo is getting the respect he rightly deserves, after being named Asia’s top automotive business leader by Automotive News.

Speaking at a press event in Korea, Hyundai CEO John Krafcik let it slip that the Hyundai Sonata Turbo will start at just under $25,000, undercutting its V6 segment rivals by about $3,000.

With the all-new 2011 Hyundai Sonata 4-cylinder now on sale with its best-in-class power and fuel economy, the Korean automaker will launch turbocharged and hybrid versions of its mid-size sedan at the New York Auto Show in late March. The Hybrid Blue Drive model is expected to use the new 2.4-liter GDI Theta II engine and a lithium polymer battery pack. As for the Turbo, it will be a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with direct-injection and make at least 250-hp according to Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik.

While we can’t write any driving impressions about the new 2011 Hyundai Sonata due to an embargo that lifts Monday, we can tell you that during the vehicle’s launch our car achieved an incredible 46.8 mpg. And as impressive as that number sounds, it was still only enough to earn the team of AutoGuide.com Editor-in-Chief Colum Wood and TopSpeed.com Senior Editor Philippe Daix a bronze medal. First place went to the team of Donald Buffamanti of AutoSpies and Jaime Florez of Ruedas ESPN with a 52.8 mpg rating that would even impress a Prius.

Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels program donated $50,000 to the Detroit Medical Center Children’s Hopsital of Michigan. The Hyundai Hope on Wheels Tour traveled across the nation and raised more than $1.3 million for pediatric cancer research, and the DMC Children’s Hospital as the final stop.

Several years ago Hyundai announced its plan to be the most fuel-efficient automaker in the U.S. The news was met with much skepticism. But not that long afterward and an impressive new lineup of award-winning vehicles and the Korean automaker has already met its goal and is well on the way to achieving the 2016 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard of 35.5 mpg early.

The news comes as the EPA releases its Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends Report for 2009, which rates Hyundai first at an average of 30.1 mpg. This also makes Hyundai the only automaker with an average of 30 mpg or higher. In second place is Honda at 29.7 mpg, third belongs to Volkswagen at 29.6 mpg, Toyota is fourth at 29.4 mpg and Kia (also owned by Hyundai) is fifth at 28.0 mpg.

Possibly even more impressive is that Hyundai has done all this without having a single diesel or hybrid in its lineup. Hyundai does, however, plan to introduce its first hybrid based on the all-new 2011 Sonata, next year. New turbochared engines and direct-injection engines are also planned.

“Our thoughtful application of cost-effective, fuel-efficient technologies has helped us achieve our goal of leading the industry in fuel economy ahead of schedule,” said Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik. “Now we hope to extend that leadership with the launch of our new direct injection, turbocharging and lithium-polymer hybrid technologies, all of which will be a part of the 2011 Sonata lineup launching early next year.”

Official release after the jump:

Hyundai continues to shake up perceptions of what a Korean automaker can be, announcing today that it will offer its flagship Equus sedan in the U.S. starting next year.

It may be a whole half year away but already some details are emerging about the cars expected to debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. And the first vehicle is the all-new 2011 Hyundai Sonata.