Hyundai is no stranger to the pages of Pricing Insider, as we’ve reported several of the manufacturer’s successful incentives and programs. That’s why it comes as no surprise to us that Advertising Age recently named the Korean automaker “Marketer of the Year.”

With perfectly timed and well-placed ads for their Assurance Program, Hyundai appealed to its American audience like no other automaker of the time.  Not satisfied with just one success, Hyundai then followed up with Gas Lock Assurance, which locked in the price of regular gas at $1.49 per gallon for a whole year.

When Cash for Clunkers landed in July, Hyundai matched the government’s trade-in values before the program officially started, meaning the company had to picked up the bill in order to offer Hyundai customers those much appreciated savings. Even after the program ended, Hyundai offered an additional $1,000 on top of the value of any trade-in, regardless of MPG. The genius of this incentive was that it could be combined with any of the many other rebate offers Hyundai had going on, resulting in bottom line prices that often matched or sometimes beat the government rebates.

Hyundai’s  sales rocketed to a remarkable 27.24 percent in the first ten months of 2009.   Look for more award wins for Hyundai in 2010.

When you think of a quick, fun-to-drive compact car, the odds are you’re not thinking of a Suzuki. That might soon change though, if recent reports about the Suzuki Swift’s imminent stateside launch are true.

A staple of fun and economical transportation in Japan and other parts of the world, the Swift has been missing from Suzuki’s North American model lineup for 15 years now. In its absence, the larger (but still tiny by U.S. standards) Suzuki SX4 was left to carry the torch as the company’s entry level model.

While the SX4 is a great car in its own right, it’s not nearly as nimble as the Swift. With the same amount of power as the SX4, but weighing considerably less thanks to a front-wheel-drive-only layout, the Swift is eager to conquer twisty back roads with fuel-saving gusto.

The current generation 2010 Swift is not available here due to stringent U.S. safety and emissions standards.   However, the next-generation 2011 Swift will bear these requirements in mind.  That being said, the next-gen Swift will show up in American showrooms some time around, you guessed it—2011.

As far as pricing goes, you can expect the Swift to be an absolute segment buster—think MINI Cooper for nearly half the price.

The Lexus LFA has been persistently making headlines in the automotive press for the past several years, appearing publicly in camouflaged guise and giving us mere morsels of what was to come.  Speculation and wishful thinking abound, hard facts were the only things missing when it came to reporting news about the LFA. That all changed yesterday, however, as the car was officially unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Everything from complete performance specs to pricing and production numbers were finally revealed, leaving enthusiasts with enough info to fuel their automotive fantasies for weeks.

A 4.8-liter V10 sits up front, sending an astounding 560 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. Helping to produce all that power is an advanced valvetrain similar to the Yamaha-designed unit found in the Lexus IS-F and a cylinder block with heavy duty internals, including titanium connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons.

Sixty-five percent of the car is slathered in lightweight carbon fiber, bringing the total vehicle weight down to just 3,263 lbs. The car achieves 0-62 mph in a scant 3.7 seconds—almost a whole second faster than the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG.

The LFA’s high performance credentials are enough to let it into the ultra-exclusive over-200-mph club, clocking a top speed of 201.94 mph. But straight line speed is nothing without control. A Torsen limited slip differential allows power to be sent to the wheel with the most grip in a turn, giving the car a sure-footed feel that only a limited-slip differential can offer.

A total of only 500 LFAs are to be produced between 2010 and 2013, making this Lexus a rare bird even among exotics. The limited production run means that the LFA carries hefty price tag. But just how hefty, nobody was ready for. Lexus dropped a dream-crushing bomb on unsuspecting automotive enthusiasts when they announced the LFA’s $375,000 starting price. While we can’t say we’d ever pay that much for a Lexus, we applaud the company for venturing so far upmarket. Lexus’s super car debut in Tokyo may have left some wishing for pricing closer to a Toyota rather than a Ferrari, but don’t expect the LFA to disappear from headlines any time soon.

Build your LFA today.

The recession is likely over, but the deals sure are not.  Nissan is currently offering 0.0% APR financing on one of the most value-oriented coupes on the market, the 2009 Nissan Altima Coupe.

Your choice of two powerplants are offered with the Altima Coupe:

2.5-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder
175 hp @ 5,600 rpm
180 lb-ft @ 3,900 rpm
23/32 cty/hwy MPG

3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6
270 hp @ 6,000 rpm
258 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
20/27 cty/hwy MPG

The details of the deal are as follows: the 0.0% finanacing is good for up to 60 months.  If you need another 12 months, the APR rises slightly to 1.9% for 72 months.  This is of course for well-qualified buyers.  You can also choose to opt for $1,750 cash back, but we think the better deal would be to go for the lower financing.

To read the 4-page review on the Nissan Altima Coupe, click here.

In an honest attempt to streamline its business, General Motors has agreed to terms with China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery for its Hummer brand.  The deal is reportedly worth $150 million giving an 80% stake to the Chinese company and 20% to a private investor.  The main question that many are asking is if the H2 SUT, H2 SUV, H3 SUV and H3T will continue to be manufactured in the U.S. or if the new owners will move operations to its motherland.  If we were to guess, it’d be the latter.  The lower labor rates would help to reduce the costs of manufacturing the world’s single most complex consumer product.

With the demise of Pontiac and Saturn, and the subsequent sale of Hummer, GM’s new fit & trim makeover will help it to compete with the world’s automakers.  Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC are the only brands which remain.