Hyundai in the U.S. market last year saw sales off -12%.
Hyundai Motor is teasing the New Generation Santa Fe, which will celebrate its world premiere in February before making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in early March.
The Gen 4 Santa Fe continues the model’s global success story – no great trick – as all brands are benefiting from the rush to two-box crossovers and SUVs, with scant if any discernible styling differences.
Except for Toyota, Honda and Nissan in the U.S., automakers can’t give away a reasonably priced car. This holds for Hyundai which got beat up badly in the U.S. market last year. For the complete year, 685,555 Hyundai and Genesis branded vehicles were sold, a -12% decline as senior executives were dismissed and – what else – fleet sales expanded in a robust 17.55 million light vehicle market.
The new gen Santa Fe claims a “comprehensive package of active safety features” just like other automakers under the “Smart Sense” marketing babble umbrella. What is possibly an industry-first “Rear Occupant Alert” monitors the rear seats to detect passengers and alerts the driver when leaving the car. The Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning is now adding an automated braking function that is widely used in the industry as driver assist technologies multiply. To avoid the risk of collision when reversing out of narrow areas with limited visibility, the system warns the driver and applies the brakes automatically.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
