Hyundai

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.

The other day we showed some raw footage from cameras mounted on the front and inside of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe driven by Rhys Millen during his 2WD record setting 2009 Pikes Peak Hill Climb run. That video was amazing but really had us yearning for some overhead shots, mountainside views and more engaging camera angles. And now our prayers have been answered by filmmakers Will Roegge and Joshua Herron in the form of CLIMB ATTACK, a 3 minute 52 second tribute to this amazing run, complete with some solid editing and nice polish. Check it out after the jump!

Last week we reported that Rhys Millen broke the previous 2WD world record at the 2009 Pike's Peak Hill Climb. But what we didn't have at that time was the video to show this amazing feat. And there's nothing like footage from the driver's seat as well as from the front of the car to keep things exciting. Piloting a car flat out around blind corners is pretty impressive. Check it out after the jump!

Something about the current race for the best recession-proof, throw caution to the wind, go out and buy a new car with our guarantee program feels very much like the $99 all included (or so you thought) cell-phone plan competition from last year. Not to say that the consumer isn't getting significant benefit, just that everyone seems to be jumping on board and the fine print is important. Each payment protection program offers similar protections and allowances but in different flavors. Lets take a look at each one: