• The Detroit News, Monday, September 26, 2011 9:01 AM

Hyundai focus on design for cars like Sonata, Elantra and now the Accent has helped distinguish it from others and give it two straight years of record U.S. sales.

Hyundai's share of U.S. sales has risen 0.5 percentage point in the past year to 5.2% in August, according to Autodata Corp. Toyota has dropped 2.5 percentage points to 12.7%, while Honda is down 1.5 percentage point after the Japanese earthquake in March disrupted their supply chains and limited inventory.

With the three-door Veloster and six-cylinder Azera Hyundai can keep the wheels turning, per John Krafcik, chief executive officer of the Seoul-based company's U.S. unit. "We have demand in excess of our ability to supply, for almost all of our models right now," said Krafcik. "With the Veloster and especially with the Azera, you're really going to see this focus on design pay off."

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