Hyundai Concept Genesis from Edmunds

What is it? Hyundai Concept Genesis
from www.edmunds.com
What's special about it?
We knew Hyundai wanted to move uptown, but we didn't know it would happen this soon. The company has built a rear-drive, V8-powered, full-size luxury sedan under the working name "Hyundai Concept Genesis." It will go into production in 2008, minimally changed from the prototype you see here, with a base MSRP under $30,000.

In spite of the short time frame and bargain price tag, this is no fly-by-night foray into the luxury sedan world. Concept Genesis represents four years of development work — the longest Hyundai has ever spent engineering a vehicle. The rear-wheel-drive architecture and V8 engine are clean-sheet designs, and the exterior bodywork has gone through two iterations.

"We had the design frozen and then we went back and redid the exterior design," John Krafcik, vice president of product development and strategic planning for Hyundai Motor America, told us. Compared to our earlier spy shots, the New York show car has a different skin, front end and roof line. To our eyes, Concept Genesis is all Lexus — conservative but expensive-looking.

Lexus might have influenced the styling, but the current-generation BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class provided the inspiration for the new sedan's dynamics, according to Hyundai. The company claims the Genesis is more torsionally rigid and has a lighter-weight body-in-white (i.e. the naked unibody chassis) than either competitor. It also has a sophisticated five-link suspension design in both the front and rear.

But it's hard to say if the Concept Genesis will really measure up to these titans out on the road. For one thing, this Hyundai is a larger car. It rides on a 115.6-inch wheelbase, which is 3 inches longer than either of the German cars, and at 197 inches from nose to tail, it's 6 inches longer overall. In addition, body-in-white weight doesn't include the suspension, drivetrain, interior components or even the exterior panels, so final curb weight is very much an unknown.

"Because it's a Hyundai and it's still got to meet a terrific price point, we haven't invested in expensive aluminum suspension components," Krafcik admitted. Instead, aluminum has been used only in areas engineers deemed absolutely critical — the upper front suspension mounts, for example.

We do know that Hyundai decided to spend the money on a semiactive suspension system with two-stage shock absorbers. Concept Genesis wears 20-inch chrome wheels, but we're expecting to see 18s on the production version.

Hyundai hasn't gotten into performance specifics, promising only that the Genesis sedan's double-overhead-cam, 4.6-liter V8 will produce "well over 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque." The V8 has variable intake valve timing, and with a ZF six-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels, it should propel Concept Genesis to 60 mph in under 6.0 seconds.

You might remember seeing a longitudinally mounted V6 in our spy photos of the Genesis, and it turns out this was no anomaly. Hyundai has confirmed it will offer a version of its 3.8-liter V6 in its rear-drive sedan. The V6 sedan will also get a six-speed automatic, although it will be the Aisin unit used in the Mazda CX-9.

We have yet to get a look at the Concept Genesis interior, but we do know it will offer the requisite load of technology and upscale amenities, including push-button start, an electric parking brake, adaptive cruise control, DVD navigation with a backup camera, Bluetooth, separate USB and MP3 player input jacks, and a surround-sound Infinity audio system. Stability control and eight airbags are among the standard fare, and HID headlights will also be available.

What's Edmunds' take?Hyundai's Concept Genesis makes an incredible proposition on paper — rear-wheel drive, V8 power and a full-on luxury experience for around $30,000. If the company even comes close to delivering on these promises, it could spell trouble for Honda and Toyota. — Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor