Hyundai Concept Genesis

The Korean carmaker takesaim at Infiniti and Lexuswith a new rear-drive sports sedan.

By Mike Monticello and Photos by John Lamm

 

 

Hyundaiused the New York auto show to unveil a concept that gives a pretty good idea of its upcomingrear-drive premium sports sedanthat will hit theU.S. market in 2008. That's right, we said rear-drive, the first of its kind forHyundaiin the U.S. The Korean company is taking a dead shot at Lexus and Infiniti, and if it can mix it up with BMW and Audi, all the better.

“Concept Genesis extends our product range into new territories from a performance, design and packaging perspective,” said Steve Wilhite, chief operating officer ofHyundaiMotor America. “When it arrives in 2008 it will catapult Hyundai into competition against some potent rivals,” Wilhite continued “and Genesis is up for the challenge.”

Concept Genesis is powered by anewly developed dohc 32-valve 4.6-liter V-8— officially named Tau — whichHyundaisays will make “well over300 bhp,” along with more than 300 lb.-ft. of torque; aZF 6-speed automaticwith Shiftronic manual ability should help the Genesis scoot to 60 mph in under 6.0 seconds, the company says: Alimited-slip rear differential(not a standard feature on most cars in this class) and the car's 53/47 front/rearweight distribution indicatethat Hyundai just might understand the needs of high-performance drivers. Standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is there in case those drivers overstep their (or the car's) limits, whiledriver-selectable suspension settingsshould allow for comfortable around-town cruising, with sportier dynamics when the going gets twisty.

 

The Concept Genesis uses ultra high-tensile steel in critical areas of the unibody to give it a claimed 12-14 percent higher dynamic torsional rigidity (with also a lower body-in-white weight) than theBMW 5 SeriesandMercedes-Benz E-Class.

Neat features includeadaptive cruise control,eight airbags,heated/cooled seats,HID headlampswith adaptive leveling and anavigation systemwith abackup camera. As with everyHyundai, one of the key selling points will be its bargain price. In this case, that means astarting price “well under $30,000.”