Cars! Cars! Cars!

Hyundai: Hatchbacks Will Save Us!

We have to admit we've never, ever heard an auto maker say that. And, technically, Hyundai didn't say it this time, either. AutoWeek reports: Hyundai hoping hatchback Accent will help boost '07 model year sales. If Hyundai wasn't rockin' the house with good stuffs, we'd have to wonder what they are thinking. Hatchbacks, despite being the smarter design, have never sold well in the U.S.

Will the 2007 Accent hatch change this?

For the record, we think this is a slick-lookin' little piece of machinery. Nice!

We're #6, We're #6!

Autoblog reports: Hyundai one place shy of being top five automaker globally. Wow, go Hyundai. We knew Hyundai would be up there one day and we're glad to see they are right on track. Detroit better be worried, because we don't see anything stopping Hyundai.

That's a picture of the Hyundai Azera. Yep, a fancy-pants Hyundai!

Hyundai Is No Chuck Norris

AutoWeek reports: Hyundai delaying introduction of hybrid models for U.S.; currency issues cited. Proving once again that Hyundai is no Chuck Norris, Hyundai backs off of the hybrid train. Citing costs, pppffft! Losers. All we know is Chuck Norris woulda put a hybrid engine in there costs be damned. Chuck Norris woulda said to the hybird, "Cost less" and the hybrid would have capitulated and we'd have hybrid Sonatas all over the friggin' place.

"It's a loss-making proposition," says Hyundai spokesman Oles Gadacz. "Given that the currency is hammering us, it would squeeze the bottom line.

Hammering? Squeezing? Gadacz? What kind of name Gadacz? Looks like Chuck Norris got hold of a Korean name and told it to become Polish or something. "Woo! You will be Polish!" yelled Chuck Norris. And Oles Gadacz was born.

Azera Tops

Pretty sure we've mentioned the recent problems of the Toyota Avalon so this bit of news is even more interesting: Autoblog reports: Hyundai Azera, Lincoln Navigator named tops in owner satisfaction. We'll forget the Navigator for now (oh, stop, we're a car site not a big ol' SUV site) and focus on the Azera. We're wondering if the Azera has what it takes to be a big "American" cruiser. It's certainly big and can, uh, cruise... where are we going with this? We don't know either, but it's interesting to note that while Toyota stumbles a bit (it will recover) with the Avalon (great car, really) that Hyundai is getting all sorts of praise for the Azera. Where are the great large cars from Chevy and Ford?*

We notice that Ford's recently redesigned F-150 didn't make the the list in the truck section and, in fact, only two American brands were in the 10-truck section at all. *We still sorta a little like the Ford Five Hundred. Ford just needs to give it some TLC to make it a really good car.