Spy Shots: Hyundai's rear-wheel-drive coupe

click above image for more spy shots of the mysterious RWD coupe from Hyundai

The Veracruz, the rear-wheel-drive Genesis luxury sedan and various other new rear-wheel-drive offerings will take Hyundai into segments it's never been, but the one vehicle about which we're most excited is this, a rear-wheel-drive coupe from Hyundai.

These new spy pics, reportedly taken in Korea, show the new coupe out on public roads. It appears to be similar to the vehicle we saw in a previous set of spy shots, right down to the same type of wheels. The problem is that there's much more we don't know about this vehicle than what we do know. Will the rear-wheel-drive coupe be branded as the next-generation Tiburon or be sold alongside the automaker's front-wheel-drive coupe? Is it based on the same rear-wheel-drive platform as the Genesis? Will it feature a supercharged or turbocharged V6, Hyundai's new Lambda V8, or both?

Thanks for the tip, Chris!

[Source: NewTiburon.com]

Speculation has it that this RWD coupe will spell the end for the Tiburon, which may be moved over to Kia after its current product cycle. The larger, RWD coupe, however, is reportedly meant to compete with the Infiniti G37/350Z and other similar vehicles. Most expect the base model to feature either a turbocharged or supercharged version of the company's 3.8L V6, though even if it were naturally aspirated, we expect the base model of this coupe to blow the doors off the best Tiburon. The V8 model will obviously get Hyundai's new Lambda V8 and develop at least 300 horsepower, as well. Of course, we have every reason to believe it will come with loads of safety features and a price that considerably undercuts its competition, as that's the Hyundai way. A forum poster at the linked source believes the yet-to-be-named RWD coupe will be launched in Korea in March 2008, which, if true, means this model would likely enter the U.S. mid to late 2008.