Hyundai Genesis Coupe still on wishlist

In June 2011 Hyundai's then global president and CEO Steve S Yang confirmed that unlike the original, the next-generation Genesis Coupe would be built in right-hand drive and sold in Australia.

Hyundai then revealed its redesigned two-door sports coupe at the 2013 Seoul motor show in the form of the HND-9 Concept, but there's still no sign of a production model to replace the Korean giant's first rear-drive sports car, which dates back to 2008.

Yang quit the company three months after making the announcement, the Genesis sedan has since been launched here – something he then said was unlikely – and the demand for rear-drive sports cars in Australia is expected to grow as the rear-drive Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore are retired in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

With significant pre-orders for Ford's upcoming $45K Mustang, the Genesis Coupe could be a viable challenger in the sports car segment and Hyundai Australia is still keen to bring the car here.

Asked if the Korean car company could sell a $40K-$50K rear-drive coupe Down Under, Hyundai Australia's director of marketing Oliver Mann was unequivocal: "Absolutely."

"Yes, definitely, there would be customers for that. We've lobbied for the car, we think the concept is a great looking vehicle," he stated.

"It if was available, certainly we'd like it. We've expressed our interest and our support for the case, but we've not had any confirmation as to its production," he said.

It's understood the coupe is still undergoing testing and development and still could be a starter in 2015, although it's looking increasingly unlikely to lob Down Under this year.

"[The new] Genesis coupe was displayed as a concept car a little over two years ago but there's been no further development or announcement beyond that," explained Mann.

Hyundai America's influential CEO Dave Zuchowski recently confirmed a new twin-turbo V6 engine is being developed for the Genesis sedan for 2017/2018. It's expected to bang out at least 300kW and this engine could make its way into the coupe, possibly under the N Performance banner.

Mann wouldn't comment on possible powertrain options or model strategies for the local market but confirmed the Australian importer's continued interest in bringing the vehicle here.

Despite the lack of details on the next-generation Genesis Coupe, Mann says it will be a looker and that an appealing design is half the battle in the sports car segment.

"Generally speaking, the sports car category is a market based around fashion almost as much as real dynamic performance. Genesis Coupe nails that, absolutely."