Hyundai’s Concept Genesis Will Debut in New York

Concept Genesis Photos

Hyundai's biggest and most luxurious offering, the Azera, is about to be exceeded by the Concept Genesis. (Photo: Hyundai)

Concept Genesis could be the preview to Hyundai's big break into the luxury segment. (Photo: Hyundai)

Will it be RWD? Will it be V8-powered? Probably yes, but we'll have to wait 'til New York to confirm. (Photo: Hyundai)

For years, Hyundai offered a large, rear-wheel drive sedan in its homemarket of Korea called the Equus. It was the largest car in the Hyundai range, a proper, executive sedan with an opulent cabin, conservative styling and power provided by a series of engines, including an available Mitsubishi-sourced 4.5-liter direct injection V8. It was a car designed to please and coddle the wealthiest Korean businessmen. Hyundai didn’t offer the Equus in North America or Europe, but there’s a chance that a rear-wheel drive executive-class Hyundai might be available in the near future.

With the growth of its popularity in North America, Hyundai has shown that it’s fully capable of extending its reach beyond bread and butter products, by now offering full-size vehicles like the Azera sedan and new Veracruz crossover. Truly, its cars, vans and SUVs have earned accolades from consumers and the media alike, causing industry analysts to question when it would move the brand upmarket, or spin off a separate brand like Toyota did with Lexus. While nothing about the latter has surfaced, it appears that Hyundai wants to at least break into thebig leagues with its namesake brand, and is demonstrating its desire to do so with a new concept car called the Concept Genesis, which we believe will eventually become a production vehicle powered by a V8 engine that drives the rear wheels.

From these sketches, the Genesis looks sleeker and more modern than the Azera, which would increase its appeal to a wider range of customers if built. The nose is aerodynamic, and shows hints of Toyota’s latest Camry with the narrow bulge that runs down the hood. The grille, on the other hand, is wider and chromed, which should give the car good presence on the show’s stands.

The tail end of the Genesis keeps a closefamily resemblance to the new Elantra, with similarly shaped tail lamps, bodywork that flows into the bumpers and the trapezoidal recess for the license plate. The thin strip of chrome that runs across the tail end, splitting the tail lamps and housing the LED turn signal indicators is an elegant touch, one most likely inspired by the facelifted 7-Series. Slim exhaust pipes, recessed in the lower rear valance, mimic the shape of the fog lamps in the front airdam. Hopefully the car looks as good in the metal as it does in these sketches.

With regards to the new “i” naming scheme that debuted in Geneva with the i30 compact hatchback, Hyundai says that the letter in the name stands for inspiration, integrity and intelligence. Rather than using individual names such as Azera, Accent, and so on as it has been doing since the brand started building cars, successors to current products (at least in Europe) will form a range consisting of i10, i20, i30, i40, and i50, the i50 name being reserved for the flagship model. If you’re frustrated with the many brands that have adopted a similar alphanumeric naming scheme in recent years, such as Mazda, and only this year, Lincoln, we, the consumers, are responsible. It seems we find alphanumeric names more sophisticated, and with Hyundai pushing upmarket, the move makes sense.

Hyundai’s Concept Genesis will land in New York for the NYIAS early this April, where more information about its design, interior and powertrain will be presented.