Hyundai have come a long, long way! From being known as the purveyors of cheap, unreliable cars in years past, to makers of the North American Car of the year winner, they indeed have. The Hyundai Genesis sedan, launched last year, was the Korean carmaker’s first go at the high-end luxury market. It is earning a lot of plaudits from everywhere for basically everything.

Yes, the styling is a bit bland and derivative of other luxury cars, but you can’t fault the Koreans for trying their best. This is after all their first shot at it, and you can only expect them to get better, just like a lot of their cars.

Gone are the days when you bought a Hyundai because you can’t afford anything else. Soon, Hyundai hopes that all of the stigma brought about by their previous offerings will be gone as well.

The Hyundai Genesis Sedan beat out the Volkswagen TDI and the Ford Flex to win the award. It is worth noting that the Jetta TDI is the first ever diesel finalist for the award. A selection of 50 automotive journalists from different media from the United States and Canada vote to choose the North American Car of the Year.