Hyundai Teases All-New Azera / Grandeur, Slots Between Sonata and Genesis

Hyundai is getting ready to lift the wraps of its fully redesigned Azera large sedan that will slot between the front-wheel drive Sonata and the rear-wheel drive Genesis when it arrives in dealerships. The automaker released the first teaser sketches of the 2012 Azera, which will be badged as the Grandeur in South Korea and other markets. The styling reflects Hyundai's 'fluidic sculpture' design language taking cues from both the smaller Sonata and larger Genesis with a hint of Equus at the rear with the pronounced rear wheel arches.

Here's how Hyundai describes the new Azera / Grandeur's exterior styling:

"The exterior rendering reflects a `Grand Glide' concept, or an image of a bird gracefully gliding across the sky The front of the car has a bold grille, emphasizing the car's premium look. The side part consists of elegant and flowing lines that exude an overall dynamic image. The rear side conveys a futuristic look through stylish LED lamps and the voluminous wide rear bumper."

The South Korean automaker is keeping a tight lid on the mechanical details and the launch date for now, but it shouldn't be long before we get more news in.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

GM's South Korean Plant First to Produce New Chevy Aveo

General Motor's South Korean Daewoo unit announced today that it will handle initial production of the new Chevrolet Aveo at its local Bupyeong plant in Incheon. The new Aveo will make its debut under the Daewoo brandname in the South Korean market in the first half of 2011 before a global rollout as a Chevrolet.

"GM Daewoo is proud to be the first member of the GM family to produce and sell GM's next-generation global small car," said GM Daewoo President and CEO Mike Arcamone. "With demand for small cars on the rise worldwide, this is great news not only for GM Daewoo and our suppliers, but for Korean consumers as well."

The Detroit automaker has previously stated the North American market Aveo will be built at its Orion Assembly in Orion Township, Mich., in 2011, a move that is said to restore around 1,200 jobs to Southeast Michigan.

The production version of the new Aveo hatchback was given its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show last week.

In European guise, Chevrolet will offer the Aveo with four petrol engines, including two 1.2-liter units delivering 70HP and 86HP, a 100HP 1.4-liter and a 115HP 1.6-liter powerplant, plus a 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine featuring Start/Stop technology that will be available with either 75HP or 90HP.

Chevrolet is also planning to introduce a four-door sedan version of the Aveo, which will most likely make its debut either in LA this November or in Detroit in early January 2011.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

GM Preparing Demo Fleet of 202HP Cruze EVs for South Korea

South Korea is really getting serious about electric vehicles. Following the news last week of a Kia CUV EV to join Hyundai's BlueOn i10, GM has announced it will build a demonstration fleet of battery-powered Chevrolet Cruze sedans from the end of October.

The cars will be deployed in Seoul, with GM planning on testing them in other, unspecified urban markets at a later date. The idea is to test the market needs and consumer acceptance of battery electric vehicles and to gather data on real-world driving patterns and charging behavior.

The demonstration vehicles will be badged both as Daewoos (as the Lacetti Premiere) and Chevrolets (as the Cruze), despite the fact the latter is not sold in South Korea.

The project is a joint venture between GM Daewoo, LG Chem (who make the batteries) and LG Electronics (who make the motor and invertors). GM and LG Chem have been working together since 2008 with this being their second project together after the Chevrolet Volt.

The Cruze EV features an underbody-mounted 31-kwh battery and an electric motor producing 150 kw (equal to 202-horsepower). Tthe demonstration vehicles can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.2 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 165 km/h (102.5 mph). Tests by LG Chemical estimate that the driving range could be up to 160 km, with a recharge time of 8 to 10 hours on a standard 220 volt outlet.

GM has yet to reveal how many cars will be built or who exactly will be testing them, though these details will probably come with the launch October.

By Tristan Hankins