Confirmed! Hyundai making Tiburon replacement RWD

We've had rumors and spy shots before, but up until now we really didn't have any confirmation that Hyundai's new Tiburon replacement would switch from a pull-me to a push-me. With the new rwd platform that the company recently developed for its Genesis luxury sedan, it was expected that the next generation of affordable sports car from Korea would ditch its fwd layout and get some true sports car manners. Well, Hyundai just confirmed that when that car shows up in late 2008 or early 2009, it will indeed be rear-wheel drive.

As predicted, the car will share its rwd platform with the already-announced Genesis sedan, which we should see in about a year. The Tiburon replacement should show up half a year to a year after the sedan, and might even come as a convertible. In fact, there is also a suggestion that we'll be seeing several models based on this platform. We're not sure if the coupe will share the sedan's new V8 in addition to the expected V6, but it would make an interesting competitor for the Mustang if it did. Hyundai has officially said no, but there are still whispers, and if not a V8, some kind of boosted V6 in the top models might suffice.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]

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