Elantra

Despite tepid industry sales last year, South Korean carmaker Hyundai set a sales record, thanks to savvy designs and sophisticated engineering. It's come a long way from an early econo-box image. Now, if it could just do as well at home.

After trailing Asian automakers for more than two decades, U.S. car companies, led by Ford Motor and General Motors, raced ahead of their foreign competition in the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study of new vehicles.