Autoblog

Rhys Millen Racing's Hyundai Genesis Coupe enjoyed some time in the spotlight at SEMA, but it's hard to see the potential of the new coupe sitting stationary on the show stand. So RMR brought out the Genesis Coupe to take up space in their pit during the Red Bull Drifting World Championship and the crew at Streetfire.net captured some video of the Genesis running around, posing or pics. In the clip, the pilot of the coupe never put his boot down, but it still sounded mean with a deep gurgle and the Turbonetics turbocharger whirring at low rpms. In person, the build also came across as very well constructed with a lot of attention to detail. Regardless of the advertised build time, it was carefully pieced together by a knowledgeable bunch.

Be sure and check out the galleries below for the whole collection of RMR Genesis Coupe images and hit the jump to check out the video.

The all-new 2009 Hyundai Genesis sedan has been capturing more than its share of the spotlight this year. The luxury-oriented four-door sedan was launched with much ballyhoo over the summer. With a long list of standard features, a choice of six- or eight-cylinder power, and its sights pointed directly at some heavy-hitting established competition, the sedan rolled into showrooms with high expectations. After a few short introductory drives, Hyundai put both models in the Autoblog Garage so we could spend some time getting a bit more intimate with its new players. How solid is the chassis, engine and powertrain? How does the sedan hold up to the daily grind? How does the late-arrival fare against its status-laden competition? Find out after the jump.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Michael Harley / Weblogs, Inc.

Nobody blinked when Subaru and L.L. Bean hooked up. Or when Mercury and Nautica got busy. And remember those Levis Edition Jeeps? That actually worked.

But South Korea's Hyundai and Italian fashion house Prada? Ummm. Just a few years ago it would have been laughable, and possibly an enormously bad business decision for Prada. But Hyundai's gone all upscale with the Genesis and, in this economy, Prada's not nearly as picky about where it gets publicity.

In April, Hyundai will show one of three Prada Genesis sedans at the Seoul Motor Show. The other two cars will be auctioned for charity at the Prada Transformer, which is some kind of temporary building that will showcase art, cinema and fashion events. Whatever. All we know is that buyers of the Prada cars can probably expect some of the best leather seats they've ever sat in for probably the most money ever paid for a Hyundai. At least it's for charity.


[Source: Carscoop]

The changes to the Chinese-market Hyundai Sonata are not enough to raise the roomy sedan's profile above handsome anonycar, but it's encouraging to see Hyundai figuring out freshening cycles without bringing the weird. This Sonata has been facelifted by BHMC, Hyundai's Chinese joint venture, and the car in the pictures is either a pre-production model, or a Monday-morning car, as it's missing some window trim. The tweaked nose and rump echo the styling of so many cars on the road that you can just pick your favorite brand as the one Hyundai copied. Derivative? Maybe, or it may just be that there's only so many places to go with a modest refresh of a modestly styled car. The interior also garnered some attention, getting adjustments to the seat and dashboard trim in the bright, airy cockpit. The design may not be quirky enough to please some, but a handsomely styled car at a competitive price will always find buyers. Thanks for the tip, 94 Taurus owner!


[Source: Carscoop]

Despite Reuters reports of Hyundai's interest in Chrysler and specifically the Jeep brand, Hyundai has gone on record denying it. We've grown accustomed to automakers giving the arbitrary "no comment" response when the rumormill swirls with corporate takeover talk, but Hyundai has flat-out denied any interest at all. Almost in the same sentence, though, officials from the Korean automaker state that the company is interested in constructing new plants overseas, so we wonder if there's any fire behind the smokescreen, possibly outside the United States. Perhaps not.

There still remains the chance that Chrysler's automotive operations will be parted out and sold to the highest bidder, regardless of who that party may be. At the very least, Cerberus could decide to sell manufacturing plants to various automakers like Hyundai or the Nissan/Renault alliance, whose offer for 20% of the ailing American automaker may not seem so bad after all.

[Source: Trading Markets]

On the same day that General Motors announced it would be discontinuing talks with Cerberus over a possible purchase of Chrysler, news hits by way of Reuters that a replacement suitor has sprung up. Wow, that didn't take long. The latest partner is none other than Hyundai, Korea's largest automaker. Not surprisingly, it's the Jeep brand that is again taking center stage according to these initial rumors. Everybody wants Jeep, it seems. If true, the possibility of breaking Chrysler's automotive operations into bits and pieces once again seems like a distinct possibility. What's more, after acknowledging that GM is abandoning talks of a "strategic acquisition," Chrysler's Bob Nardelli may now be back on the phone with Carlos Ghosn, head of the Nissan/Renault juggernaut, along with, presumably, anybody else who is willing to listen and has a pulse.

[Source: Reuters]

Hyundai is making a serious run at such stalwart luxury marques as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW with the Genesis sedan. The Korean automaker is already competing directly with those established players using its current range of engines and transmissions, with the 4.6-liter V8 being mated to the same 6-speed ZF automatic tranny that sees duty in various Bimmers and Jaguars. Sometime around 2010, Hyundai will have a new 8-speed automatic ready for public consumption that being developing in-house, and it will surely see the light of day in the Genesis mated up to Hyundai's latest V8 engine. That development will trump Mercedes by one gear and match the number of ratios offered by Lexus. BMW is expected to rely on a new unit from ZF, its longtime supplier, that should also feature eight forward gears. In the never-ending quest for increased performance and fuel efficiency, plus a bit of one-upmanship, expect more automakers to pair their largest powerplants with an ever-increasing number of cogs.


[Source: Green Car Advisor via AutoblogGreen]

While the trio of tuned Genesis coupes have garnered their fair share of attention, these three Genesis sedans had a few tricks up their sleeves, beginning with the RKSport model above that benefits from a Hyundai-developed screw-type supercharger mated to the 4.6-liter Tau V8.

With 11 pounds of boost huffed into the bent eight, the RKSport sedan is putting out an estimated 460 horsepower, but with a new cylinder deactivation system, fuel mileage is equivalent to that of the V6-equipped Genesis. Hyundai made it clear that it hasn't made an official decision to offer the supercharger, but expect the cylinder deactivation system to be available in the future.

In addition to the engine mods, the RKSport model receives a custom body kit, composite hood, rear roof spoiler and trunk spoiler, along with Enkei LS-5 wheels, Baer brakes, a K&N air intake, Magnaflow exhaust and lowering springs.

Both the RIDES and DUB brought out their Genesis sedans to the show, and you can get up to speed below the fold and peruse the galleries for plenty of live and stock shots.

In addition to the race-ready RMR Genesis Coupe, HKS and Street Concepts brought out their own rear-wheel-drive two-doors to the party.

The Street Concepts coupe builds off the 3.8-liter V6 model, coating the exterior in a "Stealth Fighter-inspired" paint scheme and matching it to a custom grille, tinted head and tail lights and an APR wing. 19-inch Volk hoops wrapped in Pirelli rubber fill the wheel wells and frame uprated Brembo brakes. The only substantive engine mods are a K&N cold air intake and Magnaflow cat back exhaust. Inside, it's more about show than go, with a pair of Recaro Sportster Topline seats, black suede accents and an Infinity audio system.

HKS received a turbocharged 2.0-liter model to build its masterpiece, and with a GT2835R turbo upgrade, HKS stainless tubular manifold, intercooler, sequential blow-off valve, carbon fiber air box and cat-back exhaust, the HKS Genesis is a good indication of what the first round of modded coupes could look like when it goes on sale this Spring. In addition to the engine upgrades, the suspension has been swapped out with HKS Hipermax III coilovers, along with a functional aero kit designed by Ken Style – HKS's Time Attack partner.

Hit the jump for more details and video of the reveal.

Not too long ago, Hyundai didn't compete directly with anything coming out of Germany (or perhaps that's the other way around). Now Hyundai is determined not to let up on its recently-made foes. Today it unveiled the R-Engine, a new diesel in two capacities that the company says "can comfortably beat the power outputs of all German and French competitors." So there.

The Euro-V compliant, common-rail lumps come in 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter flavors, each with piezo-electric fuel injectors and electronic variable geometry turbos. Refinement comes via an internal, silent steel timing chain and a lower balance shaft housed in a stiffened ladder-frame housing. Weight has also been reduced thanks to a head cover, intake manifold and oil filter housing all made from plastic.

The 2.0-liter R-Engine puts out 181 hp and 289 lb-ft. That compares to 170 hp and 258 lb-ft for Audi's 2.0-liter TDI. The 2.2 liter Hyundai diesel pushes 197 hp and 321 lb-ft. , which compares with 215 hp and 398 lb.-ft. for Mecedes' 3.2-liter BLUETEC CDI.

Hyundai says the first vehicles to get the new diesel R engine will be SUVs and large sedans sold in Europe. Unfortunately, there appear to be no plans to bring it to the U.S. where our diesel emissions standards are higher than the Old Country's, at least for now.

[Source: Hyundai]