This year marks Hyundai's 20th selling vehicles in the United States, and company officials have set an aggressive sales goal of 500,000 units for 2006. To reach this goal, Hyundai announced a plan to introduce seven new products over the next two years, including the Azera luxury sedan and an unnamed minivan that will be unveiled at an auto show later this year.

2006 auto show videoAt the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai presented a completely redesigned Santa Fe that grows from compact to "almost" midsize, and another in the company's long line of HCD concept sports cars.

 

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
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Click here for a video of the Hyundai Santa Fe at the Detroit Auto Show.

Hyundai unveiled a completely redesigned Santa Fe at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. this second-generation compact SUV will be available in the summer of 2006 as an early '07 model. The new Santa Fe grows seven inches in overall length and, for the first time, will offer 7-passenger seating. Santa Fe will be built in Hyundai's new Alabama plant alongside the Sonata. Like Sonata, all Santa Fes come standard with curtain airbags, side airbags, stability control, antilock brakes, and traction control.

Buyers can choose from one of two V6 engines. Standard is a 180-hp 2.7-liter that is also used on Hyundai's smaller SUV, the Tucson. Optional will be a 230-hp 3.3-liter V6 that's shared with the Sonata. The 2.7 gets a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Exclusive to the 3.3 is a 5-speed automatic. Front- and all-wheel-drive models will be offered. Hyundai wasn't willing to discuss pricing, but we'd expect the new Santa Fe to cost several thousand dollars less than similarly sized and equipped competitors like the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.

Hyundai HCD9 Talus Concept
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Making its world debut at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show was the Hyundai's HCD9 Talus concept. It's the 9th in a series of HCD concepts, this one designed to blend sports-car styling and performance with the utility of a wagon. A 340-hp 4.6-liter V8 that drives the rear wheels through a 6-speed automatic transmission. Stability control, night vision, shift-by-wire transmission, wireless internet, and adaptive cruise control help keep talus on technology's cutting edge. Talus' styling resembles Infiniti's FX and the concept rides on 22-inch wheels. Hyundai declined to comment about future plans regarding Talus, but if the other HCD concepts are any indication, this one won't be built either.

2006 Detroit Auto Show

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