HYUNDAI VELOSTER HONORED WITH BEST VALUE IN AMERICA AWARD FROM VINCENTRIC

 FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., March 25, 2014 – Hyundai’s award-winning 2014 Veloster received recognition today, receiving a Best Value in America Award from Vincentric, the automotive research firm specializing in automotive cost of ownership. The Veloster bested competitors like the Ford Fiesta, Nissan Juke and Kia Forte to take the top spot in the subcompact segment.

“The Veloster provides great value in the highly competitive subcompact segment,” said David Wurster, president, Vincentric. “It's priced right and has real advantages in terms of depreciation, insurance costs, fuel economy and, due to an excellent warranty, repair costs, its total cost to own is much lower than one would expect from a subcompact at its price point.”

The Vincentric Best Value Awards measure cost-of-ownership using eight different factors: depreciation, fees and taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost, and repairs. Using a statistical model, the company identified the Vincentric Best Value in America winners by measuring which vehicles had lower than expected ownership costs given their market segment and price.

“The Veloster was engineered to offer our customers great value without sacrificing functionality or driver engagement, two criteria that are fundamental to the subcompact car segment,” said Scott Margason, director, Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America. “This accolade acknowledges the Veloster as a well-rounded vehicle, providing versatility and fun-to-drive characteristics in an efficient, low-cost package.”

For 2014, Hyundai’s three-door Veloster adds even more convenience, safety and performance features, further increasing the appeal of the popular sporty coupe. Both Veloster and Veloster Turbo models feature cutting-edge powertrain technologies like direct injection, optimizing their appeal to young customers by combining excellent fuel economy and spirited performance.

 Source: http://www.hyundainews.com/

Icons Converge: Ford Mustang Celebrates 50 Years at the Empire State Building

• On April 16-17, Ford is celebrating 50 years of continuous pony car production by bringing the all-new Mustang convertible to the Empire State Building’s 86^th floor observatory, allowing visitors to join in the festivities

• Ford is re-creating the same feat it achieved nearly 50 years ago – unveiling a Mustang on the world’s most famous attraction, once again making history

• A technical team is hard at work disassembling a Mustang into sections so that it will fit into the elevators of the 1,454-foot-tall international landmark

New York, New York, March 25, 2014 - Two of the world’s most recognizable icons are coming together April 16-17, as the all-new 2015 Ford Mustang convertible will be on display on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York. The display – replicating the same feat from nearly 50 years ago – coincides with the global celebration of 50 years since Mustang debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.

“New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, and it’s the place where the Ford Mustang story began 50 years ago,” said Mark Fields, Ford chief operating officer. “We’re thrilled to be visiting the architectural landmark that has been the heart of the Manhattan skyline for 83 years with the newest generation of the car that is the soul of Ford Motor Company.”

 Taking a car 86 stories above the densely populated streets of Midtown Manhattan is no simple task. No portable crane can reach the 86^th floor observatory, and the spire towering above the relatively narrow deck makes helicopter delivery impossible. That leaves the elevators as the only viable option.

When the Empire State Building opened in 1931 as the world’s then-tallest building – a title it held for nearly 40 years – no one would have envisioned trying to transport a car up in the original elevators. But in 1965, a prototype Mustang convertible was sliced into three main sections plus windshield so that the sections would fit into those elevators.

“Like all good craftsmen, our team is measuring twice and cutting once to make sure we can get this Mustang up in the elevators,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer. “Like the team that did this in 1965, the current crew visited the Empire State Building before starting and took careful measurements of its new elevators and doors before cutting up the car.”

The 2015 Mustang is nearly seven inches longer and four inches wider than its ancestor, making the task of transporting it up even more challenging. Working from computer engineering data, team members preparing the display car have found just the right places to make the cuts so everything can be loaded onto custom-made racks that can be rolled into the elevators.

Once everything is uncrated and transported up 86 floors, the technicians will have less than six hours to reassemble the sections into a complete car that will be on display above Manhattan.

“It is a privilege to celebrate the new Ford Mustang, to bring together our two iconic brands, and to make new history with Ford,” said Empire State Realty Trust Chairman, President and CEO Anthony E. Malkin. “The Empire State Building and Ford Mustang are both historic innovators – today, as in the past.”

Visitors to the Empire State Building observation deck can see the new Mustang convertible from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., April 16-17.

 
Source: corporate.ford.com