The oxymoronic term 'four door coupe' has been thrown around a lot in the past few years, beginning with the seminal Mercedes-Benz CLS. While the Mazda RX-8, with its reverse-opening rear doors, may fit the bill a bit more accurately, the genre is primarily comprised of long and low sedans with deeply plunging roof lines.
Pretty as they may be, these cars aren't the most practical choices for every day transportation, but they are proving popular enough that newcomers such as Volkswagen and now Hyundai are testing the waters with more mainstream vehicles. The Korean automaker's entry appears to be based on the Sonata mid-sizer and would likely be equipped with the same powertrain options as its less fashionable sibling. A budget model with a similar silhouette as more high priced offerings could be a winner and we hope something along these slinky lines could be on the drawing board using the Genesis sedan's underpinnings.
Today is the day reservations become available for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe in Korea. To celebrate, Hyundai has released a new commercial which you can watch after the break. Those placing orders now should begin taking possession of their new two-door, rear-wheel drive coupe on September 26. Pricing for the new hotness from Hyundai is very reasonable for the Korean market with a base price of 25,360,000 WON (about U.S. $23,000). Stepping up to the "Stylish Pack" (seriously?) nets you 19-inch rims, a limited slip diff and optional Brembo's for 26,920,000 WON (U.S. $24,500). Well worth it in our estimation. A loaded 3.8-liter V6 Genesis Coupe will go for 33,150,000 WON (U.S. $30,100), which buys you over 300-horsepower and a full leather interior.
Hit the jump for a full rundown of pricing and options for the Coupe in Korea. According to our tipster, the Genesis sedan with the 3.8-liter V6 is selling for about $70K in its home market. This being the case, it's pretty hard to draw any conclusions as to what this means for U.S. Genesis Coupe pricing when it goes on sale sometime in 2009. We can hardly wait. Thanks for the tip, Sam!
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Hyundai Velostar concept.
Hyundai's replacement for the Tiburon (aka the "Coupe" outside the U.S.) will make its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next September. As expected, the new Coupe will be inspired by the Velostar concept that debuted in Seoul last year and will be built atop the Hyundai i30/Kia Forte's front-wheel-drive platform. Hyundai insiders suggest that the Coupe will be approximately the size of the last generation Toyota Celica, smaller than the upcoming Genesis Coupe, and will feature a shooting-brake body style.
The new Coupe will go on sale abroad shortly after its unveiled in Frankfurt, and there's no word yet on when Hyundai will import the new two-door to the U.S. to replacing the aging Tiburon.
Click image for a gallery of the Hyundai Coupe TSIII
Hyundai UK has announced that it's offering a lightly-modified special edition Hyundai Coupe (that's "Tiburon" in 'Merican English... or Spanish, really). The Coupe TSIII sounds like it was named by a doo-wop group ("Tee-ess-ay-yay-yay"), comes in four colors and gets new exhaust tips (possibly attached to new mufflers, since a "sportier engine note" is mentioned), Eibach springs, anthracite-finish wheels, quilted leather appointments, a new spoiler, and super-special badging. Power, however, comes from a 141-horsepower 2.0L four. Hey, at least it looks fast.
click above image for big gallery of high-res pics
5:15 PM: Sitting around at Hyundai's display listening to some generic techno. T-minus 15 minutes until the press conference begins.
5:30 PM: Joel and John from Hyundai USA are talking on stage. We're about to start!
5:32 PM: They admit enthusiastic car buffs don't usually look at Hyundai, save for a few Tiburon owners.
5:34 PM: CONFIRMED: Front-wheel-drive Tiburon replacement and rear-wheel-drive coupe are two different vehicles.
5:35 PM: Showing video of RWD test mule all covered up being thrashed on the road. Now it's being chased by a photographer on a motorcycle. We're so confused here.
5:36 PM: The sheet's pulled off. Pics are on their way, but we can tell you the vehicle is very tuner-oriented. Called the Concept Genesis Coupe. Bright orange paint and vented carbon fiber hood pop. Dropping beltline behind doors is a signature design feature, helps rear passenger see out. Carbon fiber-tipped spoiler sits out back while the front is capped by a carbon fiber fascia. 5:38 PM: Engines will be a turbo four-cylinder and the 3.8L V6 from the Genesis sedan with over 300 HP. Brembo brakes and an LSD will be offered. 5:42 PM: Hyundai reportedly used the BMW E46 M3 as a benchmark!
5:39 PM: Production version will be shown at New York Auto Show in late March.
5:48 PM: Official press release added after jump. Tons of pics will be uploaded in minutes.
6:10PM: Our entire catalogue of live shots and official shots have been added to the gallery, and we've included a more robust press release after the jump. That's it! Clearly the Hyundai Concept Genesis Coupe is the hottest car of the show, and for what it's worth, the thing looks even better in person.
6:28 PM: Video of live reveal added after the jump.
click above image for more pics of Hyundai's RWD coupe
Now that the final design for Hyundai's upcoming rear-wheel-drive coupe has been revealed, speculation has turned to what will be powering it. The photos of the undisguised car were reportedly taken during a marketing presentation at which those in attendance were told the only two available engines would be a 2.0L turbo with 215 HP and 217 ft-lbs of torque or a 3.8L V6 with 300 HP and 280 ft-lbs. While a 300-horsepower V6 is nothing to sneeze at, Hyundai hoons are still hoping the automaker makes a V8 available, as well. The only one Hyundai has to offer is the 4.6L V8 that's destined to power the Genesis sedan. Inside Line, however, cites Korean news reports as making explicitly clear that the 4.6L V8 is only for the Genesis sedan and will not be shared with the coupe. So it appears that those in search of a RWD V8 alternative to the Mustang in this price range will not have an option to consider at Hyundai dealerships.
[Source: Inside Line]
Gallery: 2009 Hyundai Genesis Coupe private reveal
click above image to view more pics of the 2009 Hyundai BK Coupe
New Tiburon Forum member anthony718 just posted some pics of the new Hyundai Coupe totally undisguised. Saying he got the pics from "a friend," he details how the photos came from a market research event back in June. According to the info given, the Coupe would have two engine options, a 2.0L turbo with 215HP and 217 ft-lbs of torque, or a 3.8LV6 with 300HP and 280 ft-lbs. Prices were given as $19,900 for the 4 or $25,900 for the V6. While we have good reason to believe there will be a genuine V8 in the engine bay when we see the car in LA next week, this event was held back in June and changes could have been made since that time.
Hyundai is pitching this new Genesis Coupe as a Mustang fighter, so it's no surprise to see the Coupe sitting next to the Ford in these photos. We've discussed this 2009 model Hyundai quite a bit and now that we have some clear pics, it really looks like it's been worth the wait. Attractive in an Accord or G37 Coupe kind of way, the RWD Korean should make a splash in the sports/GT market when it reaches dealers next year. The looks and specs seem to indicate a worthy competitor, with rumored features like iPod integration in the center console, Bluetooth with the stock head deck, a sunroof, limited slip and possibly even a Brembo brake upgrade. We'll have more details about the car after we see it at the LA Auto Show, but for now, check out the best pics in our gallery below.
Thanks for the tip, Jose!
[Source: New Tiburon Forum]
Gallery: 2009 Hyundai Genesis Coupe private reveal
Those rumors of a V8-powered, RWD coupe from Hyundai? Almost true. Winding Road talked with Hyundai Vice President John Krafcik who confirmed the RWD coupe part, but didn't stutter when he said "No V8." Winding Road's Reilly Brennan pressed Krafcik on the engine's setup, but the VP wouldn't give a straight answer on whether the coupe will be naturally aspirated or come with some kind of boost. But he did say the car's power to weight would be impressive.
Winding Road also said the Hyundai executive had a good chuckle at the illustration on the right, commissioned by WR. Krafcik said the design isn't anything like the actual car's looks, but that buyers would find it to be even better. Krafcik gave a few hints that the final design could end up looking less like an Audified Tiburon and more like the Veloster concept, which is just fine with us.
The Hyundai Coupe (otherwise known as the Tiburon in the U.S. and Asia) may have launched officially at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China earlier this year, but that didn't stop Hyundai from putting it on its stand at the Paris Motor Show to show off Hyundai's 2007 front-wheel drive sports coupe.
John grabbed these pictures from the peanut gallery of Hyundai's stand, and according to him, the Coupe wasn't even out at the show until the second day of press preview. Earlier in the year as spy shots of the vehicle surfaced, this was initially thought to be the 2008 model, but Hyundai has since corrected us with publicity information indicating that it's the 2007 model.
Fans of earlier models will note that the body style hasn't changed much, with the exception of harder angles on the hood and sides, new headlights, a fatter and flatter nose and cool vender vents. Under the body panels, the vehicle has changed even less -- Hyundai is still offering the same 1.6 and 2.0 liter four-cylinders and 2.7L V6 under the hood, the first of which will likely not be available in the U.S.
Hyundai has freshened up the interior, however, with blue LED instrumentation, extendable sun visors and other goodies.
Spy shots of an updated 2008 Tiburon surfaced a couple of weeks ago, but the heavy covering obscured the visual tweaks Hyundai is planning for its front-wheel drive coupe. Today, however, Hyundai unveiled an updated version of the Coupe, known as the Tiburon in the U.S., at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China. Not much information is available, but we can see the modified front end sports new headlamps, a wide lower grille and small slit right above the license plate. From some angles it looks similar to a Mazda MX-3. The rear has also been updated with a wide expanse of black housing a pair of exhaust tips at the bottom and new taillights that are smaller than the current model's. There are reportedly no mechanical changes involved with this update, so the Tiburon will likely soldier on with either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder or 2.7-liter V6. We can't say whether or not this is what the 2008 Hyundai Tiburon destined for the North American market will look like, but chances are it is.
(Check out more pics including live shots from the show and more official Hyundai pics after the jump)
The oxymoronic term 'four door coupe' has been thrown around a lot in the past few years, beginning with the seminal Mercedes-Benz CLS. While the Mazda RX-8, with its reverse-opening rear doors, may fit the bill a bit more accurately, the genre is primarily comprised of long and low sedans with deeply plunging roof lines. 
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