Seems like the Hyundai Genesis coupe has been kicking around for awhile, but we've only now filed our first driving impression from Korea. All indications point to a very well balanced car that's both powerful and refined. The only question now is how Hyundai will try to near it in the States. A Mustang fighter? Poor man's G37? Both?
The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro was packed in a corner away from all the prominently placed fuel-efficient Chevy models (I missed it when I did my early GM blog). I hopped the little glass fence guarding the two Camaros on display to check out what the interiors look like. After another journalist was scolded by the on-hand Chevy girl when he tried to sit in the Camaro, I thought it best to just peer in and tap on stuff. To my surprise, the materials were rather disappointing. Although it scores high on style points (especially compared to the Challenger), everything I touched was hard and a little coarse in texture. Contrast that to the Challenger and the 2010 Mustang, both of which have squishy dashes and more pleasant materials. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe was also very disappointing. On the upside, the Camaro's bespoke switchgear (i.e., not parts bin) looked pretty special, as did the two-tone plastic dash trim. -- saint Riswick, Automotive Editor
Congressman Barney Frank’s office is writing legislation to wage $25 billion in loan guarantees for the Detroit Three. The bill will seek to fund the guarantees by taking money from the $700-billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) set up for the financial industry. Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, expects to introduce the legislation Monday, November 17, the first day of a lame-duck session of the 110th Congress, an aide said, with the committee hearing set for Wednesday, the 19th. Frank wants specific authorization from Congress to tap the funds from the TARP, a move that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson opposes.
As with the TARP, the car company bill would give the federal government a stake in participating car companies, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler LLC, in the form of warrants. Under warrants, the government would get a payoff with interest before stockholders could take profits.
Meanwhile, Georgetown law professor justice Tarullo is reported to be President-elect Barack Obama’s “car czar” according to Automotive News. A source confirmed with me that Tarullo is the likely czar. Tarullo would lead a team considering policies to help the auto industry.
A graduate of the University of Michigan law school, Tarullo teaches international economic regulation, international law, and banking law. He served as economic advisor in several roles and was assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs for President Clinton, from 1995 to ‘98. Tarullo is a good choice for his knowledge of how the auto industry works, my source says.
The hanging question is whether President Bush signs Frank’s loan guarantee legislation before Obama’s Jan 20 inauguration. On Monday, Deutsche Bank interpreted GM’s Third Quarter financial report as indication the maker would run out of cash by the end of 2008, even though the report says GM possibly has to the second quarter of ‘09 at its current cash burn rate.
One more observations about this mess. It was pretty clear to me primeval in ‘08 that GM and Ford, while not really very healthy, were on the road to recovery. Both have new, smaller cars in the pipeline that ought to be competitive in the world market. Several of them, especially the Fords, are designed to be global products, and both automakers were on their way to “right-sizing” their businesses for the modern market. Both were selling small and midsize cars until the Wall Street-created financial mess stopped them in their tracks. It’s appropriate that GM, Ford, and Chrysler’s “bailout” loan guarantees — and yes, I’m stressing the words “loan guarantees” - come from the finance industry’s TARP.
Yogi Berra’s great line, “deja vu all over again,” has often been repurposed to automotive occasions, but it’s hard to think of a better one than this case of the new Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan. Way back in 1989, Toyota introduced a big luxury sedan it called the Lexus LS 400 — a car, Toyota declared, that would charge the imperial gates of M-B and BMW wearing nothing more than unclothed value, zenlike quality, and premium performance.
Where Yogi’s deja vu comes in is that, almost 20 years later, Hyundai is not only reenacting Lexus’s yellowing effort plan, but using it to do to Lexus what Lexus did to those one-time fat and happy German luxocar builders.
No, Hyundai’s Genesis isn’t a separate brand as Lexus is. But it’s a car so apart from anything the Korean firm is associated with that it might as well be. Like those primeval Lexi, the Genesis has that same many-luxury-cars-morphed- into-one appearance. The shape is more Andy Williams than Placido Domingo. And of all the Genesis’s many impersonated Lexus qualities, the most notable is its steering feel, which replicates the LS’s highly oiled, precision-bearing, sensation, spot on.
So, too, the car’s silky yet quick acceleration. In V-8-guise (a 290-horse V-6 comes standard), 60 mph can be dialed up in as little as 5.0 sec. Yet, even in ordinary go-with-the-flow acceleration, the Genesis’s all-new 4.6L, 368-hp V-8 (*using premium fuel raises output to 375 hp and 333 lb-ft) is such a refined sweetheart that Deutschland’s and Japan’s brightest engineers ought to be sensing the hot breath of their South Korean counterparts on their necks right about now.
Does the Genesis have what it takes to score the 2009 Motor Trend Car of the Year honors? Find out on Nov. 18
What follows are the collected Blackberry notes I prefabricated from my first full day from the floor of the Las Vegas Show convention center. They are short because I have fat thumbs, and they’re not very deep because neither am I, at least when my feet are aching. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, I should say that many of these notes where prefabricated under the glaring eye of a various income guys who have been place under significant pressure by their bosses as advertising revenue gets harder and harder to come by. If the notes are too cryptic, don’t worry. Check out our 2008 SEMA show coverage and WOT posts from the floor for more. My apologies up front.
9:00 AM — Hyundai showed some supercharger tech on a Genesis sedan that boosts up to 100 horsepower and 8 percent mpg acquire with cylinder deactivation. Rhys Millen goes racing for Hyundai in a pretty cool looking Genesis coupe.
9:40 AM — Honda will offer Mugen racing parts at select dealerships. They had a race-prepped Pilot and Ridgeline. Well done. Both done by Skilton Race Team. We need to drive both. Element gets a mid model refresh this year.
10:40 AM — Ford booth has some great trucks but how many sport trucks and lifted trucks do we have to look at apiece year? SEMA should be about creativity, not the same old thing. PML did some cool motor-on-wheel tech with the all-electric F-150 that has a 100 mile range but could have more with I-4 (EcoBoost?) on-board generator motor. Raptor prefabricated big entrance for SVT. Who is the German guy at Ford who heads the communications/engineering? Sounds a little odd to have the accent introducing American trucks. DeWalt F-150 is cool.
11:30 AM — VW at SEMA for first time and looks like they brought a good contingent with them. Heard quite a few German speakers around the show. Europe seems to be getting more involved. Could be good opportunity for some U.S. companies. Turbo Tiguan with 300 hp looks pretty good.
12:05 PM – Crowds are down but big aisles and big players still crowd the halls. Wheel and tire hall is not even full. Empty room in the back of hall. Still plenty of media all over, and more video than I’ve ever seen.
1:30 PM — Subaru has a few concept Foresters that near their crossover ID over the limits into hardcore 4×4 territory. Honda is doing the same thing at their booth. Why do they do this? So confusing. Aren’t the benefits of a crossover enough to keep them from pretending to be something they were never designed to be; in fact, their very existence is about celebrating the fact they aren’t like hardcore SUVs. I’m not bitter though.
2:15 PM – Have seen tons of very cool new products that need to be highlighted in future issues. Extang, Amp Research, Masterlock, ARB, RBP, and more.
3:30 PM – Crowds still seem strong by the afternoon. Many talking about big voter turnout. Looks like most people who want to talk about politics are Obama people. Makes sense. His vision of U.S. strikes me a little pessimistic but his message is clearly making a lot of people feel good. Wonder if he or Joe Biden will ever make a stop to the SEMA floor.
4:30 PM – Mopar had the emptiest press conference I’ve ever seen. Some TV geek with stupid jokes and stories went on and on and apparently couldn’t be loud enough. Couldn’t make it to the end.
5:00 PM – Think my favorite stretch of path is Mopar Alley that connects South and Central Halls. All the classic rides are there, including an old Power Wagon, Little Red Truck, and Custom Sport Special pickup.
5:25 PM – Las Vegas Hilton as a home base works out pretty well, especially if you get hit with stomach cramps from bad shrimp the night before. Barely prefabricated it back to my room. Thank goodness it is close to convention center. Too much info I’m guessing.
6:30 PM – Stopped by the annual Honda party. Was going pretty well when I got there, and did see several scantily clad ladies coaxing unsuspecting men to take pictures with them against a green, felt background. Instant pictures pop out of organisation with tropical backgrounds. My only thought was that this could be evidence my wife could use against me. I stayed away from the seductresses.
7:00 PM – The actual show floor didn’t look any less crowded to me at the show but maybe a more telling detail could be that there are the shortest lines for taxis I’ve ever seen since I’ve been coming to SEMA (about 20 years).
7:30 PM – Finished the night at the annual Mazda party at Morton’s Steakhouse, off Paradise Blvd. Pretty good crowd. Several heavy hitters from Road & Track, the main guy from Car and Driver, some broadcasting and TV personalities, someone from Edmunds.com, and myself. I had the chicken for some reason. All the meat looked good.
10:00 – Back in my room for blogging duties and photo downloads. Tomorrow I start with a breakfast meeting with Chevron. Can’t wait. Until tomorrow.
Were it not for its blazing South Park-reminiscent red "eyes," I might never have spotted this camouflaged Hyundai Genesis Coupe by Street Concepts. It looked pretty mean in its matte-finish vinyl wrap until I reached the rear and saw the awkward-looking generic wing. Aw.
Street Concepts gussied up the interior and added a bunch of bolt-ons to the V6. However, we figure the turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder Genesis Coupe will be the one to have. It will be less expensive, lighter and have better weight balance. But most of all, the tuning potential of turbo fours can't be touched.
Regardless, the rear-drive, Torsen-differential-havin' Genesis Coupe promises to be the next Nissan 240SX/Silvia in terms of aftermarket support. Hang on, because this is just the beginning.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Hyundai is calling the RKSport-massaged 2009 Hyundai Genesis a concept, but you can expect to see its 460-hp supercharged V8 in a production car in the near future.
The company's press conference bristled with engineers, including head of powertrain John Juriga. He spoke to us about what went into the concept. "This is not just a supercharger bolted to the existing engine," he said.
Indeed, this represents a comprehensive rework of Hyundai's 4.6-liter "Tau" V8. It includes new head and intake manifold castings integrating an IHI twin-screw supercharger, and a cylinder deactivation system. This system, like other such systems in production, allows the V8 to operate in V4 mode to save fuel. John continued, "We saw an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy while simulating the FTP cycle," which is used by the EPA to determine the fuel economy numbers on a window sticker.
Hyundai reckons this Genesis reaches 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and runs the quarter mile in 13.6 seconds at 108 mph, while returning 18/27 city/hwy mpg.
They also hint that it's "suitable for sports cars," too. Bring it on.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Honda is keenly aware of the fact that some of you are buying its subcompact Fit simply because you like small, efficiently designed cars — rather than because it's an economic last resort. Hence, at the 2008 SEMA Show, you're seeing the Mugen Accessories 2009 Honda Fit Sport, which has all sorts of cosmetic enhancements that you can buy from dealers a la carte or as a kit in the spring of 2009.
On the outside, there are 16-inch "black metal coat" wheels that look suspiciously chrome-y (and presumably are the same size as the Sport's stock wheels), all manner of underbody spoilers and oh-so-stylish trapezoidal exhaust finishers that are only a shade disingenuous on a car with a single exhaust. Inside, there's an aluminum-topped short-throw shifter and aluminum-trimmed pedals, which are quite tasteful. But the lighting was too harsh in Honda's booth, so you'll have to take our word for it.
Erin Riches, Inside Line Senior Editor
Hyundai is currently holding the first round of press drives featuring the Korean-spec Genesis Coupe and CAR’s Middle-Eastern arm has released the first ever review of the automaker’s entrant into the realm of rear-wheel-drive performance.
CAR’s test was apparently limited to the 310-hp, 3.8-liter V6 model equipped with the six-speed automatic gearbox, allowing the 3,500-pound coupe to sprint to 62 in 5.9-seconds. With more torsional rigidity than the E46 BMW M3, the imported British pub reports that tail-out antics are easily achieved and the exhaust note is “thoroughly enjoyable.” The list of gripes is brief, including steering that’s a bit too light for the tester’s taste, some less-than-savory plastics, the demand of paddle shifters on the steering wheel and compromised trunk space on statement of the hatch’s odd shape. But overall, CAR seems suitably pleased with the Genesis Coupe, impressed with the bang-for-the-buck quotient and the fact that the new two-door delivers something the Koreans have lacked up until now: soul and emotion.
Gallery: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
[Source: CAR Middle East]
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