Hyundai has just released official sketches of its Concept Genesis, a new concept car scheduled to be introduced at the New York auto show on April 5, shortly before public days at the show, April 6-15. This full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan has the look of a high-performance sedan and it anticipates the Korean company's attempt to move itself up-market.
The concept sketches reveal a four-door sedan with a dramatic look that resembles the genre of high-performance cars from Germany. The extruded character lines in profile recall the character of BMW sedans, while the tightly drawn roofline with minimal glass area has the appearance of something from Mercedes-Benz.
Although the official sketches from Hyundai are hazy, we have an extensive selection of photography taken of the car during hot-weather testing. It reveals a car very much in the BMW idiom, and we can speculate about a few mechanical details.
This is a new rear-wheel drive platform for Hyundai, the expensive centerpiece of a bold initiative to move into the segment of high-performance sedans, where rear-wheel drive is the signature of luxury and prestige as well as performance...
In keeping with so many of Hyundai's most recent vehicles, the car looks very innovative in profile, yet a formal grille has been applied in order to make the car more compatible with the traditional expectations of automotive luxury that distinguish the Korean market.
The interior of Hyundai cars have long been dishearteningly conservative, but recent models like the Hyundai Azera and forthcoming Hyundai Vera Cruz show a new willingness to combine both good materials with modern shapes. Our photography reveals a modernistic architecture, though it has been executed in traditional soft leather and walnut trim. It's reminiscent of Mercedes-Benz, although many of the cues are also uniquely Hyundai.
Our spy was able to get close enough to determine the dimensions of the Hyundai concept's wheelbase, and the tape measure plainly indicates 116.5 inches, which places it between the 115.9-inch wheelbase of the Audi A8 and the 117.7-inch measurement of the BMW 7 Series.
This is the kind of car that you'd expect with a V8 engine, yet our spy caught the mule car with its hood open, revealing a V6 engine. We expect a V8 engine remains a strong possibility for the future, however.
ethanwest says:
06:36 PM, 03/12/07
Cough... Camry... Cough
arkangyl says:
08:36 PM, 03/12/07
Yeah....I agree with ethanwest....first thing i saw was camry....from the front, back and sides....
I see no "dramatic look that resembles the genre of high-performance cars from Germany"....I see camry
carlisimo says:
10:36 PM, 03/12/07
That's not the Camry's roofline at all.
carboy28 says:
07:51 AM, 03/13/07
It looks to me like an Infiniti M35. Even the interior.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/MediaNav/articleId=104605/firstNav=Gallery/photoId=17467
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/MediaNav/articleId=104605/firstNav=Gallery/photoId=17467#
estreka says:
12:18 PM, 03/13/07
It's a Camry! It's an M45! No, it's a Mercedes S- er, what? It's a Hyundai?! (my initial impression)
Well, I'd be very interested to see where this baby's priced at. Looks good to me.
thatguyuknow says:
03:24 AM, 03/14/07
omg!!!! its not a copy!!! this car has been in develpment for over a year now and it is almost impossible that they copied it unless they have some sort of "double agent" working at hyundai and toyota!!!
ateixeira says:
08:31 AM, 03/15/07
The grille and stubby nose look Camry-ish, but the test mule doesn't at all.
I see more Mercedes CLS in the profile of the sketch, also some Acura RL, though again the spy pics look quite different, more Inifinit M.
We'll have to wait and see.
The interior looks nice, though the shiny silver surround looks out of place.
hondacura4 says:
04:40 PM, 03/18/07
Looks pretty good but to me the roofline of the actual picture looks like its from the Nissan Altima.