Hyundai's Lexus fighter revealed

We told you a couple of weeks ago (here) that Hyundai was going to preview its all-new flagship sedan at next week's New York motor show via its Concept Genesis, and the company has just issued the first images and details of the car.

The pictures show a car with handsome proportions and more than a few Lexus design cues thrown in. This is no accident as Toyota's premium brand will be one of the big Hyundai's main targets.

As reported earlier, the Genesis packs V8 power and a rear-wheel-drive platform, unlike the remainder of Hyundai's passenger sedans, which are exclusively front-drive.

It's a big ask for Hyundai to try and break into the snooty premium luxury sedan segment, but the South Koreans have shown marked progress with recent offerings such as the Sonata and Santa Fe.

The Genesis signals the next stage in Hyundai's rapid advance from a purveyor of cheap (and sometimes cheerless) runabouts into a credible manufacturer that can hold its own against Japanese rivals.

However, we should point out here that it this stage the plans are to market the car from next year in left-hand drive configuration only. Whether any right hookers will eventuate further down the track remains unknown at this stage.

The concept's hardware certainly makes good reading -- it's powered by an all-new 4.6-litre V8 engine that ekes out over 225kW, and this is channelled to the rear wheels via a ZF six-speed auto. This combo is said to add up to a 0-60mph (96km/h) split of less than six seconds.

Hyundai says the Tau engine is built with flexibility for the future "when variants may offer larger displacement, forced induction options and other technology enhancements."

The Genesis has all-independent multilink suspension and a 53:47 front/rear weight distribution so, at least on paper, it has the makings of a good drive. Time will tell.

In keeping with the brand's new naming policy (Hyundai has announced that its Elantra replacement will be known as the i30), it's possible the production variant of the Genesis will wear i70 or i90 badges -- think Volvo with its C30, S40, V50, S60 etc.

To comment on this article click here