WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 4, 2009 – As an encore to its 2009 North American Car of the Year honor, the all-new Hyundai Genesis took home the Cars.com New Car of the Year award, announced at the Washington, D.C. Auto Show. Hyundai’s new flagship Genesis sedan sets a new benchmark in the premium car category. Offering incredible value in these tough economic times, Genesis includes performance and luxury features typically found on vehicles costing thousands of dollars more.

"The Cars.com New Car of the Year honor validates the Genesis as a game-changing entrant in the luxury market," said Michael Deitz, product development manager for the Genesis sedan. "Genesis offers a tremendous combination of performance, fuel economy, safety and technology features, and we’re thrilled that the Cars.com editorial team took all of this into account when making its decision."

To choose the Cars.com New Car of the Year, the site's expert reviewers drove and tested all the newly introduced and redesigned models for 2009. From that pool of about 60 cars, they chose their favorites based on features, driving quality, mileage and overall value.

"The 2009 Hyundai Genesis rivals the feeling of extravagance found in many full-size luxury vehicles," said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief at Cars.com. "Our editors chose the Genesis for Cars.com's 2009 New Car of the Year because we drove it -- pondered the window sticker again -- and our collective reaction was, 'Wow.'"

In addition to great features, Hyundai's generous 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, numerous standard features, good reliability and affordable price made the Genesis a clear winner for Cars.com's editors. Other notable features include a quiet and luxurious cabin, V-6 and V-8 engines that are more powerful and efficient than many in competing models, and a smooth, responsive six-speed automatic transmission.

The Hyundai Genesis beat finalists from other top automakers including the 2009 Audi A4, 2009 Honda Fit, 2009 Mazda6, 2009 Nissan Murano and 2009 Subaru Forester.

All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by The Hyundai Advantage, America’s Best Warranty. In addition, the Hyundai Assurance Program is now offered on all new vehicles leased or purchased from a certified Hyundai dealer. The program is available to any consumer, regardless of age, health, employment record or financed amount of the vehicle. The program is complimentary for the first 12 months from the purchase or lease date.  For additional information, visit www.hundainews.com.

About Cars.com

Cars.com is the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 780 dealerships nationwide.