January 9, 2012

Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque Named Car and Truck of the Year
In a hotly competitive race that started out with more than 50 different models chasing the gold, the Hyundai Elantra has been named the 2012 North American Car of the Year. While the truck field was smaller, the jury of 50 U.S. and Canadian automotive journalists named the Range Rover Evoque the North American Truck of the Year. According to The Detroit News, the announcements came at the opening ceremony marking the start of two days of automotive premieres and other news events at this year's North American International Auto Show. The event underscores what journalists and later the public will likely discover at Cobo Center: a dramatically different automotive landscape from just a few years ago. The 2012 Hyundai Elantra has taken the market by storm. The Korean maker is struggling to keep up with the demand for the subcompact, which picks up on the styling first seen on the bigger Hyundai Sonata sedan. The 2012 Range Rover Evoque has been hailed as a transformational vehicle for British maker Land Rover. The swept-back shape is clearly an eye-pleaser, but it's what's under the skin that is the real breakthrough. Read more about both vehicles by clicking here.

TrueCar Will Modify Site, Methods
According to Automotive News, TrueCar.com vowed last week to alter its website and make other changes to satisfy regulators in various states. On Friday, the website suspended its service in Colorado and said it was working with state regulators to modify certain practices. In an email last week to dealers, a Colorado TrueCar account manager said the suspension is voluntary and temporary. The move followed a Dec. 15 notice by the Colorado Department of Revenue saying TrueCar's methods and its website violate several state regulations, including advertising rules. The agency said it was concerned TrueCar could be engaging in unlicensed sales, and regulators also saw potential for bait-and-switch violations. Dealer associations and regulators in several other states followed Colorado's notice with warnings of their own. TrueCar said in a statement to Automotive News that planned changes include a warning to shoppers in red type on its Web site when a price is below what it calls dealer cost. The warning will contain a message that selling cars below dealer cost is not sustainable for dealers. The company also is planning dedicated dealer Web pages that will allow dealers to market themselves to shoppers with vehicles, videos, and customer testimonials. Read more about TrueCar.com’s planned changes here.

Detroit Auto Show is About Cars Again, Not Economic Woes
As automakers and media from around the world arrive for Detroit's North American International Auto Show, expectations are higher and there are no more excuses for not delivering the best vehicles consumers have ever seen. Domestic manufacturers still have less than half of the U.S. market – 47.1 percent in 2011 – and Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., and Honda Motor Co. expect to be much stronger in 2012 as they continue to rebuild from last March's earthquake in Japan. European automakers want to increase U.S. sales to make up for economic woes in their home markets. USA Today reports that Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., and Volkswagen are pursuing aggressive growth strategies and reaching new customers. Hybrids are becoming more mainstream, and new plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles will be coming to the market this year. The main driver in the market is the fact that millions of consumers have older vehicles they must replace. It is the perfect backdrop for the 2012 Detroit auto show, which, after years of distractions, is finally about the sheet metal and creature comforts again. There are 40 vehicle introductions that span all segments of the market. Read more about this year’s upbeat Detroit Auto Show here.

The World's Most Popular Cars: Some New Faces
Despite all the disruptions to production and the currency squeeze that made Toyota’s vehicles more expensive outside Japan, MSNBC reports that the automaker’s trusty Corolla once again was the world’s best-selling car in 2011. Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor Co., and Kia Motors all surged ahead in the global sales race. The Hyundai Elantra, known as the Avante in Korea, is now nearly as popular as the Corolla, with a projected 1.01 million copies sold. Kia’s Rio subcompact, newly redesigned, is ranked fifth worldwide, with projected sales of 815,000, but about 500,000 of them are the previous generation Rio, built and sold in Iran by a joint venture partner, SAIPA. Volkswagen is picking up momentum. Its redesigned lineup of small- and mid-sized vehicles struck a chord with car buyers around the globe in 2011, with three of them – the Jetta, the Golf, and the Passat – among the world’s best selling cars. Click here to check out these and other models that were the most popular global vehicle models last year at the Forbes website. The big question heading into 2012 is whether the market shifts that occurred during the past year are permanent, or whether companies like Toyota and Honda will reassert their industry dominance. Read more about the global sales race here.

Away from Cobo Center, Automobiles for the Other Half
For many gearheads, seeing rare, expensive cars is the whole point of attending an auto show. But with the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Lamborghini again skipping official appearances at Cobo Center, The New York Times reports that organizers staged a special viewing Sunday night of 28 exotic automobiles at the MGM Grand Detroit on the eve of the show’s press previews – exclusively for sponsor invitees and 100 members of the public who paid $500 per ticket for the privilege. The glittering assortment of cars from 15 brands included a Lamborghini Aventador, Bentley Continental GTC convertible, and McLaren MP4-12C, along with models from Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Morgan, and Rolls-Royce. The Gallery is the brainchild of Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit show. Organizers said the event was partly a response to the many luxury no-shows at the official Cobo Center event, as exotic brands began to see dwindling dividends from a depressed Detroit market. Every year, Mr. Alberts said, a handful of attendees strike a deal to buy a model on display. For coverage of the ultra luxury vehicles on display Sunday evening at the MGM Grand Detroit, click here.

Around the Web  
The List: 1001 Car Things to Do Before You Die [Autoblog]
2013 Nissan Pathfinder Drops in at Detroit Auto Show [MotorAuthority]
Top 20 Viral Automotive Videos of 2011 [The Car Connection]
12 Electric Cars for 2012 [CNN Money]