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PRESS RELEASE: HYUNDAI ACCENT TOPS CLASS IN J.D. POWER AND ASSOCIATES INITIAL QUALITY STUDY

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 06/17/2010 - J.D. Power and Associates announced today that the Hyundai Accent topped the sub-compact segment in its 2010 Initial Quality Study (IQS). Owners of the economical and fun-to-drive 2010 Accent reported the fewest problems per 100 vehicles in its segment. Elantra also finished in the top three in the compact car segment.

Overall, Hyundai finished third among non-premium brands in the 2010 Initial Quality Study, holding a top-three position for the second consecutive year, well below the industry average for reported problems per 100 vehicles.

“Pursuit of industry-leading quality is Hyundai’s number one global priority,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “It’s fitting that our most economical model, the Accent, leads its class in initial quality. It demonstrates that quality and value can go hand-in-hand.”

The J.D. Power and Associates IQS measures 228 attributes, including the overall driving experience, engine and transmission, and a broad range of defect and design problems reported by vehicle owners. The 2010 study tallied over 82,000 responses from owners of new, 2010 model-year vehicles.

[Source: Hyundai]

Edmunds.com named both the 2010 Hyundai Genesis and 2011 Hyundai Sonata to its Top 10 Best Dark-Horse Cars of 2010 list.

"The Top 10 Best Dark-Horse Cars of 2010 represent the true dark horses in the market – the cars that somehow fly just below the radar when it comes to consumer awareness, but nevertheless have a lot to offer shoppers on the hunt for quality and value," Hyundai reported.

“The all-new Sonata is a smart buy with modern style, top-tier quality and outstanding residual value. Couple that with a four-cylinder engine producing class-leading fuel economy and the power of a larger V6, and the Sonata should definitely be on consumer shopping lists in the mid-size sedan segment,” said Scott Margason, director of product planning, Hyundai Motor America. “Additionally, the North American Car of the Year-winning Genesis continues to be an extremely disruptive force in the large sedan and near-luxury segments.”

“Although they may not have the same level of recognition as say the Ford Explorer, Honda Civic or Toyota Camry, these cars offer great value and quality, and definitely should be on more consumers’ shopping lists,” said Karl Brauer, Senior Analyst and Editor at Large for Edmunds.com.

[Source: Edmunds]

The Hyundai i30 has been named top car in the ninth annual Driver Power 2010 survey for satisfaction and reliability, as voted for by 23,000 readers of Auto Express. The i30 beat last year's winner, the Jaguar XF, for the top slot, while the Skoda Octavia came third ahead of parent company Volkswagen's new Golf.

Skoda retained its position as best manufacturer overall. The second-generation Toyota Prius was voted number one for both reliability and ease of driving, the Fiat Panda took the honours for low running costs, the recently-replaced Land Rover Discovery was tops for practicality and the Lexus IS beat all the opposition in terms of build quality.

All the manufacturers named above will be happy about this, but there will be some grumbling elsewhere. The Ford Focus had only a middling result, finishing 51st overall, though at least that was better than Vauxhall managed, with its Astra and Corsa (admittedly previous models rather than current ones) propping up the bottom of the table in 99th and 100th positions respectively.

Despite this, Vauxhall was not the lowest-rated manufacturer. That was Peugeot, largely on account of the poor results achieved by the 207 and 307.

[Source: CarKeys.co.uk]

Already a recipient of numerous accolades including a "2010 Automotive Excellence Award" from Popular Mechanics and being recognized as the "Best Hatchback of 2010" by Cars.com, the new 2010 Kia Soul was honored yet again at the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show when the TV commercial for the uniquely styled urban passenger vehicle was named "Automotive Ad Of The Year."

Created by David&Goliath, the Soul spot depicts city and suburban streets inhabited exclusively by hamsters who are mindlessly running in place inside their exercise wheels until a molten red Kia Soul pulls up to a stoplight and the passenger window rolls down to reveal a trio of paw-tapping, music-loving hamsters who have discovered "A New Way To Roll."

Portraying Soul as a lounge on wheels with its highly specified audio system that includes speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music, the hamsters bob their heads to four different music tracks that appear in slightly different versions of the spot to keep each viewing fresh. Viewers with a sharp eye can identify song and artist information on the hamsters' iPod screen, and the campaign extended online with each track available for download at www.kiasoul.com.

"The Soul was designed to stand out in a sea of sameness and that same philosophy guided the creative development of the hamster campaign and to position Soul as Kia's affordable halo vehicle," said Michael Sprague, VP, marketing, Kia Motors America.

[Source: Kia]

Continue reading for the second version of the Soul Hamster Ad.