2012 Hyundai Azera: From About $32,000, Features Up To You

Officially, there’s no such thing as a 2012 Hyundai Azera. At least not yet, since the car is scheduled to make its official debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Between now and November, however, Hyundai wants customers to build their own Azera and answer a few questions about their upcoming automotive purchases.

Hyundai is trying to gather as much consumer information as possible ahead of the Azera’s launch. The brief survey asks about other vehicles shopped, the primary use for your new car and the key deciding factors in your new car purchase. Given that Hyundai has a reputation for making last minute changes to production, we’d say this gives you a better-than-fair chance at influencing what the next Azera includes, as well as what it potentially costs.

The Azera configurator microsite warns that prices are estimates only, but it still gives a good idea of where Hyundai will position the 2012 Azera. The base price, excluding destination charges, is listed at $32,000, and the sole option Premium Package sells for $4,000. The Premium Package gets you 19-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, HID headlights, an Infinity premium audio system, ventilated front seats, driver’s seat memory and parking assistance sensors.

At a starting price of $32,000 and a maximum price of $36,000, the Azera slots in comfortably between the 2012 Hyundai Sonata (which starts at $20,455 and tops out at $32,130) and the 2012 Hyundai Genesis (which ranges from $35,050 to $49,070). The Azera is Hyundai’s “stepping stone” vehicle, designed to give buyers a bridge from the mainstream Sonata to the upscale Genesis, so Hyundai has quite a bit riding on the successful launch of the new Azera.