#korea

Chevrolet‘s next Aveo will see more bodystyles beyond the traditional hatchback, with a crossover and a sedan among them.

The folks over at Left Lane News have spied an undisguised Hyundai Accent after it was caught at a well-known hot weather testing location by the spies at Brenda Priddy & Co.

Hyundai will launch it’s Genesis models in Europe starting in 2013, but the cars will be part of a separate luxury channel rather than as part of the existing Hyundai lineup.

Nobody would ever confuse this car, with a full interior and heavy, gloss black rims for a race car, the car’s powertrain stays pretty close to stock, with a bolt on intake and exhaust, while the the suspension has been heavily overworked with ARK shocks, springs and coilover sleeves as well as QA1 bearings. Stoptech brakes and Earl’s oil lines and associated fittings help the car achieve 1.4 lateral G’s during cornering, and keep oil flowing to the engine under these conditions.

Many may scratch their heads at the “mild” nature of the engine mods, but in many sanctioned racing series, these are tightly restricted, while chassis tweaks are where many cars make up their speed. We’re happy to see Gogogear take this approach, rather than the dreadful “Import2NR” style that still exists in the sport compact community.

[Source: Hyundai]

Hyundai‘s first entry into the ultra-premium sector, the 2011 Equus, will start at $58,000 in Signature trim. For an extra $6,500, buyers can upgrade to the Equus Ultimate, which is equipped fairly differently from the Signature.

The Ultimate package features a four-seater arrangement, similar to a Maybach, with reclining seats, as well as a massage function and leg support for the passenger side seat, a cooling system and an entertainment screen. Also available is a refrigerator, power headrests and vanity mirrors – all of which are for the rear seat area, which should give you a clue as to what the Equus Ultimate is really meant for.

All Equus owners will get an Apple iPad with a pre-loaded owners manual, as well as a pick-up and drop-off service for service appointments, where a dealership employee will collect and return your Equus and loan you a Genesis free of charge while your vehicle is being serviced.

Hit the jump for the official press release

[Source: Hyundai]

Brad Benson, owner of a Hyundai dealership in South Brunswick, New Jersey, is making good on his promise to donate a car to Terry Jones, a Florida pastor who threatened to burn the Quran, after he reneged on the planned destruction of the Muslim holy book.

Hyundai‘s Genesis 2.0T gets the lions share of attention from the tuning community, but the 3.8 V6, with a 300 horsepower V6, is potentially an even better building block for making big power.

While attending the launch of the 2011 Kia Optima, AutoGuide has just learned that Kia is planning to launch an Optima Hybrid, based on the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The new model will make its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, with sales beginning in early 2011.

General Motors plans to launch a fleet of Chevrole t Cruze-based electric vehicles in Korea, but the company says that there are no plans to sell such a car in the United States.

Jeong Sung Eun, Kia‘s Vice Chairman, took the rare step of resigning his post on September 3rd, as he accepted responsibility for a large recall of Kia vehicles.

India’s Mahindra has nearly completed a purchase of Korean carmaker circus freakshow Ssangyong, maker of the world’s ugliest vehicles.