From Car and Driver, “In terms of positioning, the Genesis (Coupe) will likely start about $7000 more than the 2008 Tiburon, which starts at $17,700.”

$17,700+7,000= $24,700

Consider that, “(a)ccording to Hyundai, the short list of Genesis coupe competitors includes the Infiniti G37, BMW 335i coupe, Ford Mustang GT, Mazda RX-8, and Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, though a comparison of specs reveals the G37 matters most. – Motor Trend”

Interesting then, that -

G37, $35,000 base price:

335i, $41,000 base price:

Mustang GT, $27,000 base price:

RX-8, $26,000 base price:

Eclipse, $28,500 base price (this sure is an ugly car):

Will Hyundai’s strategy of undercutting the competition on cost, but battling on dynamics and features prove to be a good move?  It has so far.

Endurance athletes train at altitude.  The theory goes, once acclimated to the thinner air, they receive a performance boost when exposed to the more dense, sea-level air.

Autoblog’s got some pics of Hyundai’s training at altitude.

Motor Trend reports, “Hyundai’s bold new 2009 Genesis comes with a 4.6L V-8, but the World’s Most Ambitious automaker, now America’s seventh-largest by volume, can make it bigger. In South Korea last spring, Hyundai revealed that the Tau V-8 could be bored and/or stroked up to 5.5L. That displacement will not come to North America, U.S. product chief John Krafcik said this week, but the Genesis’ engine will go to 5.0L if engineers can get it to match the current 4.6 Genesis’ 17/25 mpg EPA numbers.”

everythingworthknowing adds, ‘the Genesis Coupe is made on a shortened Genesis Sedan platform.’

Sedan V8 + Similar Chassis = 5 Liter V8 Coupe.

Now, when will those first wrecked Genesis Sedan’s make it to the junkyard?

Hyundai, aftermarket and potential aren’t words that you’d normally find yourself uttering in succession.  Hopefully the new Genesis Coupe changes all that, what with it’s FR layout and choice of hardware.

V6, meh. Doesn’t interest me so much.

2.0t? Directly related to Mitsu’s Evo X powerplant? I’ll take two, thanks.

From Edmunds, “Hyundai took a major step toward reinventing itself as a legitimate performance-car manufacturer by inviting 20 aftermarket companies to measure the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe today at its North American headquarters in Fountain Valley, California.”

“Hyundai officials also confirmed today that the company will offer Track versions of both the four-cylinder turbo and the V6 coupe. “They’ll be a low percentage of the mix,” Joyce admitted, “but they will be uncompromised in their performance.”

In addition to retuned suspension compared to the standard versions of the coupe, the Genesis Track models will pick up a front strut tower brace and a full set of Brembo brakes, including four-piston monobloc calipers up front.

Regardless of the engine underhood, Track models will come with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A summer tires, sized 225/40R19 up front and 245/40R19 in back. Non-Track Genesis coupes get 225/45R18 Bridgestone Potenza RE92As in front and 245/45s in back.”

If alphanumeric combo’s like 2jz, EK, DC2, ej20, etc mean anything to you – you can add one more to the list…BK.  That’s the internal code name for the Genesis Coupe’s chassis.

From Edmunds, “Still, the Genesis 2.0t coupe will have the distinction of being the only four-cylinder, rear-drive coupe on the market — a point not lost on Hyundai officials, who suggest the Japanese-spec Nissan 240SX is a key competitor. We’ll teeter out onto another limb and argue that the Genesis is just a bit too large and heavy to have a future as a drift car. Transmission choices with the turbocharged 2.0-liter include a six-speed manual and a five-speed automatic.”

Info on Nissan’s Silvia/240SX successor.

June, 2008 – Car and Driver, “We love surprises. So we were pretty delighted when, while attending the press launch for the Genesis sedan, Hyundai Motor America VP and product planning guru John Krafcik pulled up in a blue Genesis coupe and invited a few journos to hop on in. Four of us took him up on the offer, filling the attractive little car to the gills—and then some, since the rear is only intended to hold two folks.

The car we rode in was a base V-6–powered model, so there were no Brembo brakes or 19-inch wheels or firmed-up suspension, all of which will characterize the top-spec SE trim level when the car is released early next year. Even stuffed full of well-fed scribes, the car felt quick—310 horsepower can do that for you, and Hyundai predicts 0–60 gallops of under six seconds—and the exhaust note has just the right mix of aggression and refinement. The ride was relatively supple, considering we were riding on the bumpstops, and the car garnered a lot of attention as we cruised the streets of Santa Barbara. (Even from the ladies, who were, uh, amused to find five dudes in one tiny little sports coupe.)”

Motor Trend -

“According to Hyundai, the short list of Genesis coupe competitors includes the Infiniti G37, BMW 335i coupe, Ford Mustang GT, Mazda RX-8, and Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, though a comparison of specs reveals the G37 matters most.

…

At 3450 pounds in base trim, four-cylinder Genesis coupes won’t be light, but they still should be an attractive alternative for enthusiasts. Not since the Nissan 240SX has America had a rear-drive, four-cylinder coupe.”

“FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., July 30, 2008 – Hyundai Motor America announced today that it has teamed up with Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) to create the “Art of Speed” Genesis Coupe show car. The Hyundai RMR “Art of Speed” Genesis Coupe 2.0t will be on display at the Hyundai booth at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in the Las Vegas Convention Center from Nov. 4 – Nov. 7, 2008. The RMR Genesis Coupe will be the first of many Genesis Coupes to be modified by some of the best tuner shops in the world. This RMR – developed Genesis Coupe will be a fully functional race car capable of putting the driver in the winner’s circle.”

Hyundai writes, “The RMR Genesis Coupe will be powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine with RMR turbo kit for maximum horsepower and torque. It will be equipped with a heavy-duty HKS sequential transmission and a K&W coil over suspension to put that additional power to the ground. These are just some of the planned mechanical modifications to turn the Genesis Coupe into a race car capable of running in the Pikes Pike Hill Climb, Formula D or Redline Time Attack series.”

While Automobile Mag writes this, “The modified engine will be coupled to a HKS-sourced sequential suspension, while an adjustable K&W coil-over suspension keeps things under control.”

Uhh, HKS sequential suspension AND K&W suspension? Looks like somebody didn’t proof-read before hitting the ‘publish’ button…

Chassis: “Genesis Coupe’s body shell is rich in ultra-high-tensile steel. Genesis Coupe is lighter than the Infiniti G37, and its chassis is also 24 percent stiffer in bending rigidity than the BMW E46 M3. Rear-wheel drive provides a 55:45 front/rear weight distribution.”

Engine: From Edmunds, “…Hyundai will be offering both a 310-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 and a 223-hp, 2.0-liter, turbocharged, inline four-cylinder in the 2010 Genesis Coupe. Not surprisingly, the 2.0-liter turbo got most of the attention from the tuners, and since the engine itself is a direct relation of the 2.0-liter in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Evolution X, most weren’t seeing it for the first time.”

“…the all-aluminum 3.8-liter V6 in the Genesis is capable of 310 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 263 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm. The Infiniti’s 3.7-liter V6 makes 330 hp and 270 lb-ft…”

“…(n)evertheless, the base-model Genesis has a 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline four-cylinder. With 223 hp at 6,000 rpm and 217 lb-ft of torque at 2,500…”

Brakes: From Edmunds, “The high-performance disc brakes from Brembo will be available as part of an optional track-use performance package on the Genesis Coupe. No word yet on pricing for this option. The Genesis Coupe is set to go on sale in September in Korea, followed by a North American launch in spring 2009.”

“Fixed monobloc four-piston Brembo calipers clamp down on 13.4-inch front brake rotors and 13-inch rear rotors on SE models. All other models get substantial 12.6-inch front ventilated rotors and 12.4-inch rotors in the rear with floating single piston calipers.”

Transmission: “Both engines are mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission. The Genesis Coupe 2.0t offers an optional five-speed automatic with SHIFTRONIC® while the 3.8-litre V6 offers a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC to handle the additional torque.

Drivers can access the SHIFTRONIC® feature by moving the gear selector into a separate gate. Pushing the selector forward or pulling it rearward will shift the transmission up or down sequentially, adding to driver control. A clear LCD readout on the instrument panel shows the gear that’s in use.”

Limited-slip differential

Suspension: “Genesis Coupe employs a MacPherson strut dual-link front suspension and a five-link rear suspension setup. The front suspension is mounted to the body via a solid subframe which is lighter and stronger than a multi-piece component would be. To help reduce body roll and tune the Genesis Coupe’s at-the-limit handling for maximum predictability, 23-mm diameter front and 18-mm diameter rear stabilizer bars are used.”

Front:

Rear:

Wheels/Tires: “The top-line SE model … will also come with 19″ wheels, whereas other models will come with 18″ wheels.”

Lots of good reading, here, from Hyundai Australia.

March, 2008 – Autoblog’s got the skinny on the Genesis Coupe, “Here it is, the 2009 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. We can hardly contain our enthusiasm over this car. On the one hand, Hyundai is offering enthusiasts the only rear-wheel-drive coupe on the market powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder (not all of us want our hair ruffled in RWD four-cylinder convertibles like the Mazda MX-5, GM’s Kappa convertibles and the Honda S2000). While on the other, it’s also debuting a RWD coupe powered by a 306-horsepower 3.8L V6 (310 hp when drinking premium) that should undercut all similarly powered competition by thousands of dollars. The Genesis Coupe is a win-win car no matter which engine you choose.”

That’s all well and good, but what about the go-fast parts?

“But you want numbers, so here we go. Order the Hyundai Genesis Coupe (available by Spring of 2009) with the four-cylinder and you’ll get an all-aluminum DOHC turbocharged 2.0L mill with continuously variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust producing 212 horsepower (223 on premium fuel!) and 217 pound-feet of torque. For comparison’s sake, that’s two more horsies than the 210-horsepower Ford Mustang V6, though the Mustang does produce a lot more torque at 240 pound-feet. Unfortunately, being down two cylinders doesn’t translate into a lower curb weight, as the 3,439-lb. Genesis Coupe is some 139 lbs. heavier than the ‘Stang.

And then there’s the V6 model. It’s Hyundai’s familiar all-aluminum DOHC 3.8L V6, also with variable valve timing though only on the intake side. In the Genesis Coupe, this engine produces the aforementioned 306 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 RPM. A Ford Mustang GT equipped with a 4.6L V8 produces 300 horsepower and 320 foot-pounds of torque. With the V6, the Genesis Coupe actually weighs a few pounds less than the Mustang GT (3,549 lbs. to 3,518), so performance should be comparable.”

From leftlanenews, “When it hits the market in early 2009, we aim to deliver a driving experience that challenges cars like Infiniti G37, at prices more like Mitsubishi Eclipse.”

Sounds good, doesn’t it?