Genesis plotting supercar

Mercedes-AMG has the GT coupe, Audi has the R8 and BMW has the i8, and now it seems Hyundai's upstart Korean prestige brand, Genesis, is interested in developing a rear-drive tyre-shredding supercar too.

The Hyundai-owned company plans to roll out four passenger vehicles and two SUVs over the next five years but the car that will really put the fledgling brand on the map is a supercar.

The man who oversees all new car designs for the Genesis car brand, former Audi stylist Peter Schreyer, revealed that a hard-core halo car was on the agenda for the company but that "all these things take a little bit of time".

"We're just at the beginning and things like that [supercar]. We need to talk about and develop more," the Chief Design Officer for Genesis, Hyundai and Kia explained.

"It's still some time away, something like this," he said.

All Genesis models are built on bespoke rear-drive platform and when the Korean luxury brand green-lights the high-performance hero car, it will almost certainly be a rear-drive coupe powered by V6 or V8 engines.

It's possible the new supercar will be influenced by the Genesis New York Concept design (pictured), which was undoubtedly the star of the 2016 NY motor show.

Quizzed over whether the supercar would bear the 'N' badge that will soon denote high-performance Genesis and Hyundai sports cars, Schreyer wasn't so forthcoming.

"In Germany we say we should not talk about eggs that have not been laid yet," laughed the German designer.

He conceded that the Hyundai and Genesis hot shop, headed by former BMW M boss Albert Biermann, would help set the foundations for a supercar but that it would be a slow process, presumably starting with a Hyundai i30 N, then a Genesis G70 N and so forth.

"More important is that with some cars coming we show our competence with really high performance, and this has to be something that has to be built up piece by piece," said Schreyer.

"It's a new group within the company under Mr Biermann, so they will look at Genesis and Hyundai."

Genesis has a number of engines to choose from already, including a hot new 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 that belts out 270kW and 510Nm in 'regular' trim, with rumblings that the N team is already getting a lot more poke out of it.

There's always the company's 5.0-litre V8 that bangs out 312kW, but it's still early days and the Hyundai group's global design chief wouldn't be drawn on his thoughts of what would work best in a Genesis supercar.

The head of design for Hyundai and Genesis, Luc Donckerwolke, said he was excited at the prospect of crafting a rear-drive Genesis supercar to take on the world's best and brightest, having formerly worked for Lamborghini and Bentley.

"Obviously, yes, this is part of designing a brand, being able to create [hero vehicles]. It's not just something we'll do, let's say rational traditional projects, but there will be some highlights," he teased.

A gullwing design perhaps? Whatever the end result, Donckerwilke said his plans for designing what could be the world's first Korean supercar would have to remain behind closed doors for now.

"Of course [I'm excited]! But I won't reveal the secret now because it's still my baby!"