At the Chicago Auto Show this week, Hyundai unveiled a stylish Elantra coupe and this five-door Elantra GT. Based on the i30 model in Europe, the GT will be powered by the 148-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine common to the range, and teamed with a choice of six-speed automatic or manual transmission.

Hyundai introduced its Elantra coupe today at the Chicago Auto Show, bringing a sporty-looking, two-door design to the line.

Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota have a commanding lead in car brand awareness, as determined from interviewing car owners for the 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey.

Consumer Reports’ 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey reveals how consumers rank car brands across seven purchase-influencing factors, such as safety, quality, and value. And the research also sheds light on what brands consumers are likely to purchase from for their next new car. Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet lead purchase intent, though Honda has a higher brand loyalty rate than its domestic competitors.

The people have spoken: Toyota, Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet excel over other brands in the minds of adult car owners, though the brand’s advantages are less this year than in the past. These are among the findings of the 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

We were pretty impressed with the redesigned-for-2012 Hyundai Accent GLS sedan we tested. It proved to be a substantial improvement over the model it replaced. Now we bought a second Accent to test, this time a well-equipped SE hatchback with a manual transmission.

As the end of 2011 draws near, we decided to take a look and see which new and used vehicles were most popular on ConsumerReports.org for the year. Every day potential buyers seek our independent test scores and reliability ratings to aid their research and help determine the best vehicle to buy for their needs. While we maintain a list of the most popular searches of the month on the main Cars landing page, it is time to reflect on the year in review. For this, we looked at visits to our model overview pages to compile a list of the top 10 most popular new and used cars.

Hyundai introduced the redesigned 2012 Azera at the LA Auto Show yesterday. The previous-generation Azera was very pleasant and easy to live with. It was a large, well-equipped sedan that usually sold for a budget price. Despite that, it remained a wallflower with modest sales. This redesign strives to move out of the shadows.

With Southern California considered by many as the Mecca of automotive coolness, we were pleased to see so many exciting debuts at the end of the first day at the show. Here’s a look at some of the most significant cars we saw.

The doors are set to open at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Wednesday morning, November 16th, to give auto industry insiders and the media access to the major new-car show two days ahead of the public opening. Several Consumer Reports staffers will be on hand to witness the more than 50 scheduled vehicle debuts and share the highlights here in the Cars blog, as well as in the special LA Auto Show section. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @CRCars to catch the news and photos uploaded direct from the show floor.

More for less. That’s how we described the Hyundai Genesis sedan in our latest road test. The $39,850 V6-powered sedan tops our ratings charts of upscale sedans, delivering the attributes of vehicles that cost $10,000 more.

Curt Manufacturing is recalling about 2,400 tow package wiring harnesses because moisture can seep into the converter module and defeat the internal circuit protection. This could potentially cause the module to overheat, leading to a fire hazard.

Four upscale sedans tested for November issue of Consumer Reports—Acura TL, Chrysler 300, Hyundai Genesis, and Toyota Avalon—delivered a strong performance. Also included in this latest test group were the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Nissan Leaf.

Few car companies have been more ambitious of late than Hyundai. The Sonata moved from a footnote to being a direct rival to the biggest names in the family sedan segment. The Elantra small sedan is a strong seller and a CR Top Pick in its class. And the Genesis sedan has firmly muscled its way into the luxury sedan market.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Hyundai Motors has issued a recall for 2007-2008 Hyundai Sante Fe and Veracruz sport utility vehicles for concerns over their drivers' front airbags.