Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Hyundai
Hyundai's worst kept secret: More shots of the Genesis surface
by Damon Lavrinc on Nov 27th 2007 at 4:02PM 
Click the image above for more shots of the Hyundai Genesis sedan
Over the last couple of weeks, a number of spy shots showing the upcoming Hyundai Genesis have surface and they've left absolutely nothing to the imagination. The production version will be pre-released at an upcoming party coinciding with Hyundai's 40th anniversary and then, two weeks later, the Genesis will make its official debut in Detroit this January.
These newest shots are some of the clearest we've seen yet, including several interior pictures that show a well-appointed cabin with an iDrive-like wart sitting below the gear lever. There's a lot of 5-series in the exterior, particularly the trunk lid and much of what's aft of the C-pillar, while we get a distinctly Toyota Crown feeling from the front end, hood and roofline.Hyundai's big reveal is quickly loosing its luster, but we're still looking forward to seeing what kind of presence the Genesis has in person at the Detroit Auto Show.
[Source: World Car Fans]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Menice 4:13PM (11/27/2007)
looks like it might be better then the jag in the post below may look.
and no i do not see a resemblence to bmw style here.
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John R 7:15AM (11/28/2007)
I agree. That Jag might as well have I N T R E P I D slapped on the back of it. I really like how this Hyundai is turning out. if the price is roughly that of a loaded Accord, then it's win for me.
I only wished they didn't stray too much from the concept's headlight arrangement.
zach 4:14PM (11/27/2007)
I'd be a lot more impressed if Hyundai hadn't simply stolen design cues from other cars, tossed them all in a blender, and declared the result "all-new"
looks to me like bmw and infiniti were ripped off the worst
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Carguy 5:27PM (11/27/2007)
That method works for Honda
2004m3driver 5:36PM (11/27/2007)
They took the safe route IMO. If it was entirely different they have to worry about it being ugly. They figured they would just take some nice elements of other cars and put it together like this. So in the end they have a some what decent looking car thats not entirely distinct because well they don't really have a direction in design such as Mercedes progressive style and BMWs radical modern new style.
Maybe in the future they will take a risk and have their own very own unique and hopefully it isn't as bland as Toyotas.
tekdemon 6:24PM (11/28/2007)
@Carguy
Uh...what car does the new Civic look like to you?
Or heck, the Ridgeline may be hideous, but that's because Honda *didn't* steal any normal styling cues (one could argue that they probably should have).
And what does the Element rip off? The NSX? The FCX Clarity? The 2002-2004 Civic Si hatchback? The Fit? The CRX?
I don't know what you're smoking that makes those cars look like blendered derivatives. I'm not saying that I actually like half those designs, since some of them are just hideous, but you can't accuse Honda of not taking some real chances on original designs. They don't always work out, but you have to be on some serious hallucinogens to think that they're based on stolen design cues.
Bananas 4:16PM (11/27/2007)
I look forward to the release of this car. I find it very interesting and inspiring that Hyundai has acheived this level of sophistication and quality in a relatively short time (shorter than the Japanese brands). Kudos to them. It should be quite a car with the options and available items for the $$$.
Now, to be frank, I think it does look exactly like a 5 series from the rear so much so that if you removed the emblem and replaced it with a BMW logo, you could show the image to 90% of car buyers and they would think it was a 5 series.
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VP 5:35PM (11/27/2007)
I think that's the whole point of the Genesis. Try to lure in BMW & other luxury marque purchasers for pennies on the dollar. I quickly scanned to the pic without seeing the headline & my first thought was that was a 5-series.
Farris 4:19PM (11/27/2007)
What's with the new emblem on the steering wheel?
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Donald 4:26PM (11/27/2007)
The emblem is from the Korean market Equus sedan.
Richard 4:20PM (11/27/2007)
That Bangle!
Nobody likes his designs but every - I mean every - manufacturer steals them!
Hyundai, the global scores of 3-Series owners would like their car's arse back please.
And - while I'm at it - Chevy, could you please leave the fanny of my beloved SVX off your Volt?
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joe97 5:19PM (11/27/2007)
Just for the record, Hyundai started this whole "Bangle" trend. Look no further to its XG series from the 90s.
This looks tight.
500 8:19PM (11/27/2007)
@joe97: Huh? Was that sarcasm? Maybe if you are using the word "bangle" in it's common form, which means weird, ugly, discordant styling.
Now on the other hand, I actually like the Genesis. Derivative like most Hyundais, sure, but it actually looks like a great deal for a low price.
joe97 9:20PM (11/27/2007)
500:
You do know that Hyundai invented the bangle butt right?
You do know that?
Richard 10:35PM (11/27/2007)
"Bangle" anything refers to Chris Bangle, formerly of Ravenna, Ohio and now the head of BMW Design.
I don't see much of Chris Bangle's design themes in the Hyundai XG. It does have a trunk lid that is above and inboard of the fenders, but the rear deck had a slight downward slope whereas Bangle's are pretty flat and was nowhere near the height relative to the backlight as Bangle's rear deck design, which was premiered in the 740 several years back.
500 11:15AM (11/28/2007)
Funny, someone on a recent post claimed that the Mazda Millenia "invented" the Bangle Butt. If you are calling THAT a Bangle butt, you could claim any number of cars with a slight rise in the trunklid had it first.
Listen, the "Bangle Butt" is hardly the most objectionable or distinctive of Chris Bangle's styling hallmarks. The concave surfaces, disturbingly weird headlights (in fact, it should be called the "Bangle Brow") and a discordant combination of lines, those are all part of the Bangle look in recent years. You want a copy of it: see 2008 Accord.
Mr. Oak 4:21PM (11/27/2007)
The Koreans really are a shameless lot. I must make it my duty to drop by a few Hyundai dealerships, take a few test drives then tell what I think.
Man this really does suck.
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David W. 6:46PM (11/27/2007)
They make really nice cars for the money...I test drove the sonata once...I was impressed...
zapperdude60 4:21PM (11/27/2007)
"iDrive-like wart" eh? Even though it looks like every other car out there it doesn't necessarily look bad. If it's priced right it could be a success.
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geo.stewart 4:25PM (11/27/2007)
looks like it will be another successful step up for Hyundai.
yes, derivative, but so are lexus and infiniti, and that is why they are cheaper than MB and BMW.
Hyundai presents an interesting opportunity for us Gen Xers in that we get to see the birth and growth of a car company in the US. I started driving the year before they entered the USDM in 1986.
My father's generation got to see Honda enter the market in 72.
Toyota and Nissan entered in 56 and 58.
A chinese or Indian firm will probably be the next country of origin for a new car company to evolve for the current generation.
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