New York Auto Show: Hyundai starts over with the Genesis

Posted April 4, 2007
Filed under: Uncategorized |

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Hyundai

click the above image to view our high-res gallery of the Hyundai Genesis Concept

Hyundai wants you to forget what you know about its design chops (or, um, the lack thereof), recalibrate your expectations to something on par with the German or Japanese, and lay your eyes on the Genesis.

Sure, there aren’t many original lines on the car, but it neatly avoids the awkwardness of previous Hyundai design efforts and appears to be a credible threat in the mid-size luxury sedan market. The Genesis rides on a new RWD platform that is said to offer a lighter body-in-white weight than the 5-series or E-class while providing more torsional rigidity. Our camera also caught some aluminum goodies in the suspension (namely, the lower rear control arms and rear uprights) as further evidence of the Korean manufacturer’s attempt to play with the big boys.

A laundry list of features makes it sound like someone has the Lexus LS squarely in the crosshairs, but there’s little actual evidence of technology such as HD radio and active cruise control on the concept. In fact, the blacked-out windows provided not a glimpse of the interior, and it’s there that Hyundai’s battle in the luxury market will likely be won or lost. Stay tuned, for this should be an interesting fight.

There’s the press release after the jump, tons of live shots are in the gallery – and of course there’s the rest of our New York Auto Show coverage.

Gallery: Hyundai Concept Genesis