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Hyundai has unveiled its most dynamic performance car ever but don't expect it to appear in New Zealand any time soon.
The South Korean carmaker has locked its rear-wheel-drive Genesis coupe into left-hand-drive production for the next couple of years and isn't talking about right-hook variants.
Hyundai Australia marketing chief Kevin McCann said the coupe was an exciting prospect for the Downunder market.
"But if we were to launch it in Australia it would be post 2010," he said. New Zealand would fall into the same time zone.
The Genesis Coupe was unveiled at the New York motor show. It is expected to replace the Tiburon, which has been around since 2002, and comes a couple of months after Hyundai took the covers off the Genesis sedan at the Detroit show. The four-door Genesis will go on sale in the United States later this year and the two-door is expected to join it early in 2009.
Both share the same rear-drive architecture and lightweight 3.8-litre V6 engine, although the sedan gets a 4.6-litre V8 option. The same V8 is expected to be available in the coupe later in its production cycle. The coupe will also come with a turbocharged 2-litre option.
Hyundai says the coupe offers more of a sporting alternative to existing front-drive rival coupes. It rides on a five-link rear suspension and a dual-link MacPherson strut set-up and rear-wheel set-up splits weight 55:45 front/rear. "The mission for Genesis Coupe was to create a pure performance car with a design that would capture the imagination of hardcore automotive enthusiasts," said Joel Piaskowski, chief designer at the Hyundai Design Centre in Irvine, California.
"With its aggressive look from just about any angle, I think we have been able to do that."
Hyundai says the 3.8-litre V6 engine delivers 230kW (310bhp) and 350Nm of torque and is mated to either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes.
The quad-cam 4.6-litre V8 is expected to produce 275kW (370bhp) and 440Nm and use the same gearbox mix. The 2-litre option develops 160kW (215bhp) and 290Nm and comes with either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox.
Hyundai will offer three spec levels for the US market: GS, GT and SE. The carmaker says the SE two-door is aimed at the true driving enthusiast, offering an uprated suspension system for better handling and body control.
Steering across the range is hydraulic rack-and-pinion, and braking is by four-piston Brembos front and rear.
Piaskowski said the Genesis Coupe was linked to several Hyundai concept cars. "The arching roofline and tapering greenhouse highlight the exterior profile and emphasise the car's broad shoulders and wide stance," he said. "The rocker panels are drawn close to the ground, making the bodysides extra thick and the daylight opening thin, allowing the wheels to be slammed up into bulging fenders."
To complete the sports car look, the depth between the fenders and the greenhouse has been maximised. Large openings in the front fascia allow for better engine breathing and the dual exhaust tips integrated into the rear fascia with surrounding blackout repeating the design theme of the front fascia graphic.
Standard wheels are 18-inch alloys while optional 19-inch alloys will also be available.
The cockpit is driver-oriented to suit the car's performance credentials with a large analogue speedo and tacho in the centre of the instrument cluster, a push-button starter and sports seats designed to provide lateral support.
The seats come in a range of fabric and leather combinations while the interior also comes with the expected central information console.
Hyundai makes big claims for the rear-wheel drive platform's construction, which it says employs a large percentage of ultra-high-tensile steel. It claims the Genesis Coupe is lighter than the rival Infiniti G37 and is 24 per cent stiffer in bending rigidity than the (previous-generation) E46 BMW M3.
