Talks About Cars

South Korean automaker Hyundai has recently bagged four wins at the recent 2007 Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) conducted by AutoPacific.

"Hyundai has done an outstanding job understanding their target buyer and is creating the product that is 'ideal' for its buyers." said AutoPacific's President, George Peterson.

Hyundai won four vehicle segments in the award including:

- Most Ideal Premium Mid-Size Car: Hyundai Sonata
- Most Ideal Compact Car: Hyundai Elantra
- Most Ideal Compact Crossover SUV: Hyundai Tucson
- Most Ideal Minivan: Hyundai Entourage

"These awards are a reflection of Hyundai's continued commitment to our customers," said John Krafcik, vice president, Product Development and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America. "The Hyundai brand stands for industry-leading quality, superior standard safety technology, and great value - with these values we'll continue to work hard to meet the expectations of our customers."

The 2007 Ideal Vehicle Award is based on the rating made by owners of 2007 model year cars and trucks. The rating shows how these vehicle models are "ideal" to owner's in terms of various criteria including exterior size, passenger roominess, cargo space, driver's seat comfort, driver's seat visibility, interior technology, power, ease of getting in and out, interior storage compartments, and tires and wheels. The results of the IVA also showed that "automakers that best understand their customers create the vehicles that are ideal for their core buyers."

Meanwhile, here is the complete winner's list of the 2007 Ideal Vehicle Award.

2007 Ideal Premium Brand: Lincoln
2007 Ideal Mainstream Brand: Mercury
2007 Ideal Product Segment: Large Car

Top rated 2007 Ideal Vehicles:

PASSENGER CARS
Premium Luxury Car - Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Aspirational Luxury Car - Infiniti G35
Large Luxury Car - Mercury Grand Marquis
Large Car - Mercury Montego
Luxury Mid-Size Car - Lincoln MKZ
Premium Mid-Size Car - Hyundai Sonata
Mid-Size Car - Saturn Aura
Image Compact Car - Audi A3
Compact Car - Hyundai Elantra
Economy Car - Toyota Yaris
Premium Sports Car - Porsche Cayman
Sports Car - Porsche Boxster
Sporty Car - Ford Mustang/Volkswagen Eos (tie)

PICKUPS, SUVS, and MINIVANS
Large Light-Duty Pickup - Nissan Titan
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup - GMC Sierra 2500
Compact Pickup - GMC Canyon
Minivan - Hyundai Entourage
Luxury Sport Utility - Land Rover Range Rover
Large Sport Utility - Ford Expedition/Chevrolet Suburban (tie)
Mid-Size Sport Utility - Ford Explorer
Compact SUV/Off-Road Vehicle - Suzuki Grand Vitara
Luxury Crossover SUV - Lincoln MKX
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Ford Edge
Mid-Size Crossover SUV - Honda CR-V
Compact Crossover SUV - Hyundai Tucson