Hyundai

Under BMW’s stewardship, the Mini brand has garnered a reputation for being playful and not taking itself too seriously. The nameplate took that reputation to new heights recently when its president of American operations, Jim McDowell, invited his former employer, Porsche, to race a 911 Carrera S against a Mini Cooper S at Road Atlanta this coming Monday.

Audacious? Most definitely. But Mini was dead serious about wanting to face the storied Stuttgart sports car builder at the track near their U.S. headquarters. Dead serious, that is, while still being cute and clever, as the video past the jump illustrates. What’s the hold up? To paraphrase Jim Morrison, click on through to the other side.

When you think of well-known performance models, pair those up with car companies and put together a list; any way you cut it, Hyundai ends up somewhere between last and second to last. After all, this Korean powerhouse is best known for making cheap daily drivers with warranties that smack every other automaker across the face. So, it was a big risk they took going after a market dominated by the likes of Mustang, Camaro, 370Z and G37. Not only did they have to deliver a compelling sports car but they had to keep within the brand's design aesthetic and maintain their value proposition (yes, I went to business school). At this point in the story, we all know they succeeded. Whether you are talking the Four P's or the Three C's, these guys executed flawlessly. 

We've all heard the tremendous hype as well as the unflattering barbs directed at this vehicle but, like most things, the truth falls somewhere in the middle. A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to road test the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Track edition and walked away extremely impressed though not totally blown-away (due to some minor quirks). So, we were really looking forward to seeing how the supposed Mustang slayer, the Genesis Coupe 3.8, performed in the wild with its bigger engine and beefier guts. And so the journey begins...

After a year or so of public contemplation, Hyundai has officially pulled the trigger on bringing its heretofore Korea-market-only full-size luxury sedan, the Equus, to the U.S. The wraps came off the V8, rear-drive flagship Thursday the New York Auto Show (though we can confirm it’s no April Fool’s joke), and it looks quite similar to the domestic market version, with the notable exception of the upright hood ornament, though a cottage industry for importing the genuine article and other bonnet bling (Birds? Jungle cats? Nekkid ladies preparing to throw hand grenades?) will surely spring up by the time you finish reading this sentence.

At its heart, the Equus is a stretched (by 7.2 inches if you’re into semantics) and restyled Genesis Sedan, though the Equus’ 4.6L DOHC Tau V8 is expected to punch out 385hp as opposed to 375hp for little brother. Other notable features on the Equus will include adaptive air suspension, a 17-speaker 608-watt Lexicon sound system, adaptive cruise control, and even optional two-across rear seating with a small refrigerator in the console.

Finding an affordable sports car with rear-wheel drive, a six-speed manual, performance aspirations and tuning potential has seemed like a Herculean task of late. The Nissan 370Z and Honda S2000 are solid sports coupes but break the $30k ceiling, making gear-heads on a budget frown. Scion has been producing fun and exciting cars that capture the tuning spirit for under $20k, but exhilaration from the driving experience there is not. It's taken an unlikely contender, Hyundai Motors from Korea, to bring to market a sport compact at a compelling price point which also serves as a launching pad for all kinds of modification possibilities.

Hyundai didn't just slip the Genesis Coupe into the mix as a replacement for the discontinued Tiburon, they hurled it into the product lineup while doing a power slide complete with smoking tires. You have to look no further than the press pictures taken at a track, as opposed to the typical scenic park (like ours), to see that there is no doubt that this model is aimed at 18 to 35 year old males looking to cause some havoc.

While the Super Bowl is a spectacle of grand proportions, the commercials are what many look forward to just as much as the game itself. Automotive companies have big budgets and often produce some of the most compelling, interesting and talked-about ads that run during the big game. This year was no different. Check out the following videos showing the marketing engines at Hyundai, Kia, Audi and Dodge fast at work.

2009 was a tough year for the auto industry to say the least. Not only did we witness massive government bailouts, epic bankruptcies and a precipitous plummet in sales, but over 1,500 dealerships shuttered their doors. When I was back in my hometown of Cleveland, OH over the holidays, I notice at least 6 large dealerships throughout the city that had closed up shop, with all of the remaining ones seemingly relegated to the ubiquitous "Auto Mile" of car lots mostly owned by large conglomerates. A sad state indeed.

Current estimates peg the total number of new cars purchased last year at just around 10.5 million, which is about 7 million shy of the high reached in 2000 and 2 million below sales in China (yes, we're no longer numero uno). The Cars Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program, aka Cash for Clunkers, dolled out $2.8 billion in $3,500 - $4,500 rebates and supposedly resulted in 700,000 new car sales.  According to several leading analysts, this was just enough to keep the industry on life support while everyone scrambled to figure out how to infuse more cash into daily operations. Even though many hailed the program as a success, it had its detractors as well, and for good reason. Edmunds concluded that really only an additional 125,000 cars were sold that wouldn't have sold otherwise, resulting in a taxpayer burden of $24,000 per vehicle.

So, Rhys Millen. You've conquered the drifting and time attack world, and recently set a Pikes Peak Hill Climb record. Sliding 100+mph along the edge of a mountain is your job. What could possibly make you excited for SEMA? It will require something special, maybe a little crazy. How about a Hyundai Genesis Coupe with 500hp in the back seat? Sounds good to Rhys. Meet the RM460 Genesis Coupe, mid-engined insanity from down under.

Starting with a plain-Jane Hyundai Genesis coupe, Rhys and his team yanked the stock motor along with the back seats, and mounted a Tau V8 (From the Genesis sedan) in its place. Built with JE pistons to raise compression and an AEM engine-management system, it now puts out 500hp. Interestingly, the 4.6L has been fitted with 8 individual throttle bodies, which may be a tuning nightmare, but will make this engine look SEMA-worthy. The rear-facing power plant is mated to a 5 speed sequential transmission. This is no “show pony”, the guts of this car are weapons-grade.

The Genesis Coupe was a huge hit at last year's SEMA Show when Hyundai served up Genesis Coupes reworked by HKS, Street Concepts and Rhys Millen Racing. This year, Hyundai decided to spread the love and has partnered up with GReddy Performance Parts to release a Genesis Coupe that is a project car as well as consumable goods. All of the parts presented at the show will be available for sale. The GReddy X-Gen Street Genesis Coupe features engine upgrades, interior modifications and a complete exterior aerodynamic and styling package.

The project began with a Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T upgraded with a new turbo kit, bigger intercooler, Spectrum Elite cat-back exhaust system, MX racing downpipe, Type-S fully adjustable coil-over suspension, Greddy brakes (6-piston front, 4-piston rear) and plenty of other tuning mods. As it currently stands, this setup should be good for 350hp with 320 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 mph time has been estimated at under 6 seconds. That said, post SEMA Show, GReddy plans to turn the car into a real show-stopper with closer to 500hp.