With the all-new Azera, Hyundai proves it can provide stylish cars that combine power, luxury appointments and safety and still carry an affordable price tag.

“This is a natural evolution,” says Michael L. Deitz, Manager of Product Planning for Hyundai Motor America, of the new large sedan that replaces the XG350. “We’re continuing to build not only better cars but cars that are more appealing.”

The Azera is part of Hyundai’s effort to reinvent its entire lineup during a two-year period. The luxurious premium sedan combines a host of luxurious appointments with segment-leading standard safety technologies, including Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and eight airbags. It also comes with a powerful and technologically advanced all-new 3.8-liter 263-horsepower V6 engine that delivers 28 mpg on the highway. The Azera was a finalist in Motor Trend’s just-completed 2006 Car of the Year testing and out-scored the Toyota Avalon.

“The all-new Azera takes luxury appointments and personal comfort to a new level of sophistication. It offers the roominess and luxury of cars costing far more and delivers on Hyundai’s promise of superior safety and value. We designed Azera to defy the conventional ‘laws of luxury’, and we think we’ve succeeded,” says John F. Krafcik, Vice President of Product Development and Strategic Planning at Hyundai Motor America.

Hyundai appreciates the power of first impressions, and one look at the Azera reveals that this is clearly an extraordinary sedan. The proportions are graceful, purposeful and aerodynamically efficient to reduce wind noise, maximize stability on the highway and create a spacious cabin.

With its new flagship vehicle, Hyundai’s lineup now ranges from the entry-level Accent to the top-of-the-line Azera. “With the Azera, we have a complete line of products,” Krafcik says. “We’re proving Hyundai can build high quality, safe vehicles for a great price.”