Hyundai, the well known South Korean automaker gain the car-of-the-year award at the Detroit auto show on Sunday, marking a major step in its push to make a more upscale, mass-market vehicle for U.S. customers.

The Hyundai Genesis amazed some to beat out the Ford Flex and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI for the North American Car of the Year, while Ford’s F-150 come first Truck of the Year honors. Hyundai Genesis closely beat out the Ford Flex, a seven-passenger crossover vehicle. The Genesis is Hyundai’s first rear wheel drive car which is powered by a V-8 engine, another first for the car manufacturer. But Ford motor won top truck honors for its Ford F-150 in the awards presented on the first day of media previews for the North American International auto show in Detroit.

This year was the sixteenth year for the awards at the Detroit show, generally the global industry’s largest car show event. Last year General Motors won car-of-the-year for the Chevrolet Malibu and took both car and truck honors at the 2007 show.

Recently the financial division of General Motors Corp., GMAC, has disclosed their future plans to use a smart amount of its Government financial bailout aid to move vehicles especially car and truck inventories. GMAC has already said it is going to use money from the $700 billion bank bailout to present more affordable credit to customers. Among the future plans, GMAC will give 0% or very low-interest financing on a number of slower-selling 2008 as well as 2009 models as business policy of a year-end sales push.

On the other hand, many of the car industry’s sharp falls in sales, in recent few months, have been blamed on a lack of affordable credit. Various types of auto sales have dropped sharply in 2008, falling 37% in November to the worst level in over 26 years business history, and all major automaker reporting a slump of more than 30% in their car sales. In the circumstances, many hopes that the recent step of GM will help to boost their car sales.