doublehh03

Apparently, Hyundai/Kia do have what fleet buyers want last month.

mmarshall

However in terms of styling, the Sonata is not just "aging", but it has aged horribly, and aged very quickly. Many predicted this would happen when the Sonata was first unveiled. Such goofy and exaggerated styling always ages poorly with time. In a year or two the current Sonata will look even more goofy and out of place.

..........Wonder who that might include?

LexFather

When Honda grows up and offers an actual full vehicle lineup let us know

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

that stupidity resulted in huge sales increases and market share.

not so secretly, your billboard, sky writing, and superbowl commercial are showing.

just don't get why you're so venom-filled about a car brand. they all do good things, bad things, and well, things.

right on cue.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

Like it or not Hyundai is here to stay and will continue to eat away at the competition. What they are lacking is the same growth at the dealer level with employees.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

The Hyundai hate here is pretty funny. Of course the slump in sales has to do with the "over-wrought" styling of Hyundai and not the fact that all of its competitors have completely revamped their vehicles. The Sonata is coming to that time of the mid-cycle face-lift. Figuring the Sonata and the design theme it introduced, Hyundai has been ridiculously successful. A give back from it's back to back double digit growth is expected and by all counts, still leaves Hyundai with huge gains. The Sonata and it's kin does look old... about 3 years old. That's expected. Every car manufacturer sees slower sales as their new models get older. Don't think they are going anywhere either. The new Santa Fe is selling very well. And in a couple of years when the new redesigns are released, I'm sure Hyundai/Kia will continue their upwards trend.

Bit, I also don't understand some people's complete hatred of an entire car brand. It's a bit mind boggling.

memasterac

Am I the first one say this?
Hyundai-Kia's future depends on if they don't start another Korean War...

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I think the future of a lot of things depend on if another Korean war starts. However, figuring that they are a huge multinational, much like a lot of large Korean corporations, a lot less than one would think. The silicon industry is much more vulnerable than the auto industry. And since much of the memory chips and LCD screens are actually produced in S.Korea, our tech industry is much ore vulnerable.

LexFather

This is ironic b/c recently you posted that the CT 200h a POS, you just called out Lexus in the IS forum. He isn't making personal commentary nor breaking rules and clearly his opinion won't change. I thinkTRD hating Hyundai is far less damaging than someone hating Lexus on a Lexus forum.

Nor has mine, not sure what the "right on cue" is about? Would you like to expand? Again my apologies if you like 111hp hybrids, FWD, beaks and flops. I don't. Why pick on certain people for their dislike for a brand you might like? Why? People are not breaking rules stating their opinions nor deserve to be chastised.


Everyone one or two people's opinions doesn't paint an entire forum. Of course some people will not desire certain brands just like some people dislike or hate Lexus.

In regards to retail sales well I guess they need to sell cars to fleets and are doing what they have to do, I honestly don't have an issue with it. The number of company cars, fleet cars, leased cars for business (tax breaks) are immense. Its ridiculous how some people on the internet make fleet sales into a bad thing, I often wonder if they are over 12 or have a job. What large company or small business doesn't have a fleet vehicle?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

rather off topic, but it's no secret i am not impressed with the CT, but most people don't automatically like EVERY model of any brand, or hate an ENTIRE brand either.

and yes, not a fan of the f-sport fronts on new IS or GS either, but like the non f-sport offerings and clearly both the new IS and the GS are head and shoulders better in handling and interiors compared to the prior generations! and love the ES, LS, LX too. RX seems a bit long in the tooth now but still a really great vehicle.

i criticized lexus u.s. management (soulless bean counters ) because of the lack of so many options, colors, models compared to other countries, and lack of incentive for dealers to cater to enthusiasts with sporty models. you too indirectly did this in many recent posts by questioning their decisions regarding color/option/model availability.

you've drawn that conclusion but it's simply not true, and have never said it. get over it.

sure. in so many of your posts you slam honda/acura even in threads where they haven't been mentioned at all. sure they might deserve it for many things (ILX is definitely underwhelming for example!), but it gets old, and right on cue you did it again, here, in a hyundai thread.

Sens4Miles

Finally, a reasonable explanation why Hyundai sales have cooled slightly. Of course it's because they are in the middle of their bread and butter vehicles' current cycle (aka Sonata & Elantra). For anyone to suggest otherwise knows nothing about the automotive business. Since the current model Sonata & Elantra have been introduced, we have a new Camry, Accord, Civic, Fusion, Altima, Sentra, etc etc etc.

The current Sonata & Elantra are no longer the new kids on the block in their respective classes. That is the reason why Hyundai sales have cooled slightly. It happens with every single car in the middle of its cycle. Sales are always stronger the first 2 years of its cycle than in the last 2-3 years. Hyundai has been wildly successful and for anyone to suggest that the "honeymoon is over" is only fooling themselves.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

LexBob2

Just the normal ebb and flow of the auto industry. New models age and need to be updated or refreshed. It happens to EVERY brand and every model. Hyundai/Kia isn't going anywhere. they are mainstream.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

So other outlets reporting on this news state the decline is attributed to certain models, esp Kia's lineup, (Hyundai was actually up in Feb) and is also partly due to short supplies of high demand models such as the turbo version of the Veloster and the Elantra. And after a couple of years of double digit growth, they are reporting a projected 4% growth this year, more in line with other mature manufacturers. They sold over 7mill cars last year making them the 5th largest auto manufacturer in the world. They're not going anywhere.

mmarshall

Mike/Paul:

The CT is certainly not a POS...in terms of mechanical reliability, according to Consumer Reports, it ranks at or near the very top of all American-market vehicles in reliability.

But Paul has a point.....and it was something that I also mentioned back when I first reviewed it. Though the interior is nice, with (admittedly) some of the best fake-leather substitute I've seen yet, I still don't think that its rough ride, road noise, and general level of driving refinement is up to Lexus standards (Consumer Reports agrees). As I see it, it's basically a small Toyota hatchback with some upgraded interior trim/equipment and an "L" badge hung on its front and rear ends.