Hyundai's rear-drive V8 flagship exposed

The premature 'reveal' would be undoubtedly infuriating for Hyundai's top brass, as the car isn't due to make its world debut for another two months -- at January's Detroit motor show.

The Genesis, which could be badged i60 or i70 based on Hyundai's new naming strategy, was previewed in concept form earlier this year, and it's conceived as a rival for offerings from Lexus and Infiniti.

In keeping with this goal, it features a front-engine, rear-drive layout and the concept had a near-ideal front/rear weight distribution of 53:47.

The engine itself is a new 'Tau' 4.6-litre V8, mated to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic manual control and a limited-slip differential.

Hyundai hasn't released precise power and torque figures for the V8, but it says outputs will be north of 300 horsepower (223kW) and 400Nm of torque. Insiders are predicting a 0-100km/h time of around six seconds, so it clearly won't be a slouch.

Another area where the car will move the game on is in its extensive use of ultra high-tensile steel in critical areas, which allegedly provides the Genesis with a 12-14 per cent higher dynamic torsional rigidity and a lower body-in-white weight than the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Standard safety kit will include ESP, eight airbags, active head restraints. ABS, Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD).

Visually, the car appears to be an amalgamation of design cues pinched from Lexus, Infiniti and even the BMW 5 Series.

The result isn't unattractive, but time will tell whether buyers feel it has the requisite appeal when cross-shopping it with the likes of Lexus/Infiniti/BMW/Audi.

The Hyundai is expected to substantially undercut these rivals (when comparing similarly sized and powered models) on price, but cost isn't that much of an issue in the premium segment.

For now, the Genesis is only scheduled to be built in left-hand-drive configuration as it will be pitched primarily at the US market.

This obviously means there are no plans to offer it here in the foreseeable future. In any case, Hyundai Australia insiders concede the brand doesn't as yet have the necessary image locally to support a premium flagship such as the Genesis.