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The news regarding Hyundai’s decision to extend into rear-wheel drive territory has certainly got everyone talking. The initial product which Hyundai will use to launch this new rear-drive architecture will be the Genesis luxury sedan, though rumours have surfaced regarding an affordable grand touring coupe similar in size and nature to Infiniti’s G37 Coupe or BMW’s 335i. What’s more is that, as rumours had it, this coupe wouldn’t necessarily be the replacement to the Tiburon, but rather a new model and one that could potentially sport Hyundai’s new “Tau” series V8 engine. These rumours were partially confirmed by Hyundai’s VP of Product Planning, John Krafcik in an interview with online magazines Edmunds and Winding Road.

While a rear-wheel drive coupe is in the works, it won’t be featuring the eight-cylinder engine. Krafcik promised that the car would have an impressive power to weight ratio, which suggests that Hyundai may either be pursuing forced aspiration, or, a higher output version of one of its existing V6 engines. With direct injection and a higher compression ratio, the 3.8-litre V6 could easily boost its output to near 300 horsepower. Meanwhile, the production version of the Genesis is expected to make its debut this November at the LA Motor Show as a model year 2009 product, and will feature V6 and V8 engines from launch. And the yet to be named coupe? All Krafcik would say regarding the production schedule is that it would be launched after the sedan.

In other rather exciting news, Krafcik also said that the brand would be considering diesel power for its midsize SUV and crossover offerings, the Santa Fe and Veracruz. In Europe, the Santa Fe is offered with a 2.2-litre inline-four CRDI turbodiesel engine and the Veracruz is offered in its home market of South Korea with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel. While work is definitely required to get these engines to pass the Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions standards in the U.S., Hyundai wants to get in on the diesel action in North America, which is growing with each passing day. After the SUVs, Hyundai eventually wants to offer all its products, ranging from subcompacts to minivans with diesel powertrains.

Finally, Hyundai has plans to extend the range of its Elantra lineup. We’ve already heard that the Elantra Wagon has made the cut, but apparently that might not be enough. Krafcik says that the car won’t be built in South Korea, but rather in the brand’s new plant in Czechoslovakia, which certainly fits the description of the i30 5-door hatchback. Hyundai hopes to sell between 20,000 and 30,000 units of this car per year, and it will be powered by a 2.0-litre inline-four that makes 143 horsepower, though a 1.6-litre 122-hp inline-four may also be offered.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007 at 9:41 am and is filed under Hyundai, New Model. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.