In naming a CEO for Genesis North America, Hyundai COO Jose Munoz has brought aboard a veteran with experience at Lexus, Bentley and Audi.

Mark Del Rosso, following his sudden resignation as president of Audi of America in May, has resurfaced at upstart luxury rival Genesis. He will report to Hyundai Motor Group COO and North American CEO Jose Munoz.

Jon Ikeda says that the U.S. sales goal can be reached in the next few years as he works to reposition Acura as a performance brand through marketing, designs with youthful energy and involvement in motorsports.

American Honda set a monthly sales record in August, driven by large year-over-year gains in key light-truck car segments, and a big rise in incentives.

A "next generation" passenger-side airbag — created by Honda and Swedish supplier Autoliv — is intended to lower the probability of injury by securing the passenger's head like a ball in a catcher's mitt and bringing the airbag closer to that passenger.

Honda's new airbag, co-developed with Swedish supplier Autoliv, utilizes four major components, unlike conventional passenger-side airbags that use one inflatable part, to reduce the probability of injuries in a wider variety of frontal crashes.

The Honda CR-V, Honda Passport and Acura MDX crossovers led the way to an overall 1.9 percent gain.

The hiring of former Mazda exec Russell Wager positions the brand to accelerate its image transformation from a value-oriented choice for consumers to a more mature automaker with an expanded lineup to match that message.

Wager joins Kia after the recent departure of marketing vice president Saad Chehab, and as the brand is riding some positive sales momentum.

Each of the Honda brand's car nameplates declined, except for the Insight hybrid. Acura deliveries, meanwhile, fell 16 percent as the formerly hot-selling RDX plunged.

The base price for Hyundai's Palisade large crossover, due this fall, starts at just $140 below that of its corporate cousin, the Kia Telluride.

In a U.S. market with an almost insatiable appetite for spacious crossovers and SUVs, there's plenty of room for their bite-size counterparts.

The freshened 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, arriving in showrooms in September, is leading the Japanese automaker's next phase in design.