Hyundai's CEO Promises New Azera Will Be a "Remarkable Car"

As Hyundai is trying to clean up its image with facelifts and engine tweaks, the Korean company is getting ready to release bran new vehicles in order to better establish itself on the market. The new Azera promises to be more up scale than ever.

In an interview given to autonews magazine, Hyundai Motor Co.’s CEO John Krafcik revealed new information about the future model. The next generation Azera “will surprise a lot of people,” being a near-luxury sedan, but still fitting between the Sonata and the Genesis price-wise.

When Hyundai released renderings last week of the redesigned fifth generation Grandeur we were impressed by its flowing lines and “fluidic sculpture” design language. However, we were left wanting more details about the nuts and bolts of the car and even a clearer launch date, not just its styling.

"We have changed everything, it's a remarkable car. It will surprise a lot of people." Krafcik told Autonews. Even though Hyundai’s CEO wouldn't confirm a launch date, he did say that the new Azera "is not that far away."

"The Azera is a front wheel drive car whereas the Genesis is rear-wheel-drive and performance-focused, so (the Azera) will have greater appeal in northern, snow-states where front wheel drive is important, but there will be a very, very strong level of differentiation between the two cars," Krafcik also said. So we can’t expect much sportiness from the car.

No word on powertrain options yet, but it is likely that Hyundai will only offer the Azera with V6 engines. Recent models launched by the company include the new Equus, Genesis Sedan and Coupe, Sonata, Tucson, Accent (South Korea and Russia for now) and Elantra.