Hyundai CEO John Krafcik confirmed to Autoblog that their next generation of Genesis, Genesis Coupe and Equus rear-drive cars would also be offered with all-wheel-drive.

While no powertrains have been announced for any of the cars, the news of AWD will be welcome for those in the Snowbelt states, where traction going to all four wheels is so prevalent that most dealers don’t even bother to order rear-drive variants of cars like the Infiniti G, and Mercedes C, E and S-Class sedans.

Autoblog also dropped a vague hint that the next Genesis Coupe will go “upmarket” next time, perhaps setting its sights on the BMW M3 rather than the current crop of pony cars. Honestly, the Genesis Coupe, while a decent car, might want to set its sights on the Ford Mustang 5.0, which seems to have the bargain-M3 formula down to a science.

[Source: Autoblog]

There are many people who accuse the Hyundai Genesis sedan of being derivative. Make no mistake, the Genesis is a fine car able to hang with offerings from Europe and Japan, but if these spy photos are accurate, then it looks like Hyundai has been playing copycat with its Bavarian rivals.

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The RMR Hyundai Genesis PM580 is about as far removed from a Hyundai Genesis as you can get, but its still pretty damn cool. With a tube frame steel chassis, an active differential and a 650-horsepower 4.1L V6 – all with a curb weight of under 1,900 lbs - the PM580 is a serious machine, and one that you will never ever see on the road. If you’re not going to Pikes Peak, check out the gallery below and take in how badass this one-off racer really is.

Gallery: RMR Hyundai Genesis PM580

Hyundai recently debuted a new 5.0L version of their Tau V8, reportedly making 429-horsepower. The engine will do duty in the new Equus luxury sedan, and according to some, the Genesis sedan as well. But what everyone wants to know is, where’s the Genesis Coupe V8?

On paper, it seems like a natural fit, turning the Genesis coupe into a natural Mustang killer. The Mustangs 5.0 motor only makes 412-horsepower, so Hyundai would have the Ford trumped in the all-important horsepower ratings game. But  one thing everyone seems to forget is that Hyundai previously stated that a V8 engine wouldn’t fit into the coupe’s engine bay.

We don’t know if Hyundai was just trying to placate those who might be underwhelmed by a V6, or if they have been hiding this little gem the entire time. More likely than all of those is that this is just idle speculation dreamed up by someone who wants to see a 5.0 badge on the side of a Genesis Coupe.

[Source: Autoblog]

It’s hard to call the Hyundai PM580 a Hyundai while keeping a straight face, but Rhys Millen, builder of this awesome, Le Mans-esque racer, does have some kind of deal with Hyundai to prep Genesis Coupe and Sedans for SEMA, so its natural that mechanical motivation for the PM580 would come from Hyundai‘s own Lambda V6, punched out to 4.1L of displacement.

Car and Driver is hosting a video of the PM580, showing off some trick bits like the active differential (made by Ford, apparently) and the ultra light HRE wheels. As soon as we hear video of the PM580 starting up, revving or driving, we’ll be sure to post it. In the mean time, this is as good as it gets.

[Source: Car and Driver]

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There’s no doubt that a nod from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will affect a purchasing decision on your next family vehicle. So if you’re living large and luxurious, you’ll be pleased to hear that two large luxury cars earned the IIHS’s 2010 Top Safety Pick awards.

The Hyundai Genesis and the Mercedes E-Class were picked for this prestigious honor. Only vehicles that earn a top rating of good for front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control can be considered, and both of these cars made the grade.

Hyundai launched Genesis in the 2009 model year, however, it made changes to the roof structure to improve protection in rollover crashes for its 2010 model (the Top Safety Pick award applies to Genesis models built after January 2010).

Even though the Mercedes E class has been around for decades, this is the first time the model that has driven away with IIHS’s top rating. Redesigned for the 2010 model year, changes were made to the padding in the front and rear doors to improve protection in side impact crashes (the Top Safety Pick award applies to E Class models built after March 2010).

[Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safey]

See AutoGuide’s reviews of these cars after the jump:

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Hyundai’s Genesis sedan is a vehicle of many talents; effortless highway cruiser, stoplight drag race sleeper and plush transporter of discrete well-to-do types. Now you can add “Police Interceptor” to the list.

With its snazzy blue and gold livery and copious lighting equipment, the Genesis doesn’t have the same intimidation factor as, say, a black and white Crown Vic, but the 290 horsepower V6 and 375 horsepower V8 mean that the Genesis is significantly faster than the venerable Ford.

The Genesis police car is a cool idea, but in a densely populated country where traffic moves at a snails pace, its hard to see the logic of an enormous, gas guzzling V8 sedan. A Genesis Coupe, with its 2.0L turbo four-banger is the more sensible (and cooler) choice.

[Source: Chosun]

Costco is one of the great wonders of our society, enabling the average consumer to buy massive quantities of everything from hand lotion to olive oil to alcohol. At some point, company execs decided to expand the Costco business model – to include cars.

An astute poster on VWVortex discovered that one of the cars being offered by the chain was none other than the Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan. Poster “adrew” of Forth Worth, Texas, found that the car was being offered in his area for about $29,000, a significant discount from the MSRP of $33,000. Just think, not only will you be able to get a Korean luxury car (already a bargain of a price) at an eve bigger bargain, but just think of the story you’ll be able to tell your friends and family: “Guess what? I bought a Korean luxury car from Costco.” Then again, you might want to think twice, as you’re sure to be met with the nauseating yet obligatory “Did you buy it in bulk” jokes.

[Source: VWVortex]

Breaking into its seventh season, Formula DRIFT took to the Streets of Long Beach for its trademark season opener. This event is always a fan favorite being one of the only, if not the only, drift event that takes place on actual streets rather than a race track, course or parking lot. Many new cars made their debut at this event, some having great success while others clearly have a lot of bugs to figure out. American muscle prevailed however, as Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s new 2011 Falken Tire / Monster Energy Drink Mustang claimed the top podium spot with its debut.

Rhys Millen and his Red Bull Hyundai Genesis has clearly benefited from an off-season of thorough testing and upgrades as he finished up second place. Two-time champion Tanner Foust found himself in third with his Rockstar Energy Drink / AEM Scion tC. The threesome made for a colorful podium with three different brand of energy drinks being represented.

What made this event even more exciting was the debuts of several new drivers from all around the world seeing their first action in competitive American drifting. “With drivers from 13 nations and 12 current and former drifting champions, Formula Drift continues to grow drifting globally with the most diverse field of competitors than any other drifting series in the world,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula Drift.

Samuel Hübinette’s Dodge Challenger looks to have a few more bugs to work out, but his skill and expertise made sure he wasn’t far from a podium finish. Other new muscle cars included Conrad Grunewald in his Hankook Chevy Camaro and Tony Brakohiapa in the Sam’s Autoboy Ford Mustang. Noticeably missing, and without controversy, was Robbie Nishida’s Hankook Nissan GT-R and Eric O’Sullivan’s Subaru. Both were supposed to be big-name competitors and it must have been truly disappointing for both of these drivers flying over 10 hours to not see any competition.

Round Two of Formula Drift is scheduled to invade Road Atlanta on May 7-8th, 2010. We’ll be keeping a close eye on any testing during the break and will be sure to report on the second event of another exciting season of drifting.

GALLERY: Formula DRIFT Long Beach 2010

Rhys Millen is no stranger to any form of motorsports. However, he is probably most well-known for his Red Bull stunts and his impressive drifting career. Hailing from New Zealand, Millen was one of the US pioneers of drifting, completely dominating its initial competitive seasons with his Pontiac GTO. He then moved onto the Pontiac Solstice and shocked the world last year with the announcement of moving onto Korean-manufacturer Hyundai and its new Genesis Coupe.

There’s no denying that it was a perfect opportunity for Hyundai to extend their brand image and marketing to young enthusiasts, but was it a perfect fit for Millen? Some would argue that it was an unsuccessful inaugural campaign, perhaps even leaving an ugly mark on Millen’s otherwise successful drifting career. But we all know Millen hardly backs down from a challenge. Duly noted from his attempt at flipping a truck on New Year’s Eve a couple years back.

Plus, it didn’t help that last season Millen ran the first event with a Nissan VQ35 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. He later switched to a stroked and turbocharged 4.1-liter Hyundai V6, which has been pumped up further for the 2010 season to 650-hp.

We caught a glimpse of Millen testing at the El Toro Air Force Base a few weeks back and now Millen’s official 2010 Preseason Testing video has surfaced on the Web. The Genesis Coupe looks remarkably improved this year with Millen smoothly transitioning and swinging it sideways with what seems to be little effort.  Check out the video after the jump:

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Rather than spin off the new premium Hyundai products into their own brand, necessitating the creation of new dealerships and huge marketing budgets, the Korean automaker is opting for the “showroom-within-a-showroom” approach. According to documents obtained by Ward’s, Hyundai Motor America (HMA) is looking to make the move soon, creating a luxury area within current dealerships where staff will display and sell new models like the Genesis Sedan and Genesis Coupe as well as the upcoming Equus flagship luxury sedan (pictured above).

Instead of costing dealerships millions of dollars, the new displays are only likely to run in the hundreds of thousands. This setup is quite different from what Japanese automakers like Toyota did when it launched the Lexus brand, opting instead to set up entirely separate dealerships.

“Similar to the attributes of Toyota-Scion buildings, this strategy will create physical and psychological separation in the Hyundai showroom environment,” writes HMA VP of national sales Dave  Zuchowski in his memo.

Cars like the Genesis Coupe, in its higher end trim, compete with models like the Infiniti G37 and BMW 335i Coupe, while the Genesis Sedan stacks up against vehicles like the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class and Lexus GS. The new Equus, however, is aimed at top-tier models like the BMW 7 Series and Lexus LS. It is expected to cost slightly less than an LS and will go on sale this Fall.

Hyundai sees the Equus as another, but important, step on the road to becoming a legitimate luxury retailer. “We intend to use the launch of the new Equus to develop and further establish Hyundai as a legitimate force in the premium-luxury segments,” says Zuchowski.

[Source: Ward's]

See after the jump for AutGuide’s first look at the new 2011 Hyundai Equus:

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Each year J.D. Power & Associates does a study that examines the most appealing cars to consumers and this year there is one big surprise. The Hyundai Genesis sedan topped the BMW 5 Series and Jaguar XF in the mid-sized luxury segment for the 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study.

The APEAL Study is based off of owner evaluations of over 80,900 new car consumers from February to May 2009 and takes into account over 90 factors and generally evaluates how those buyers or leasers feel about their car new car.

Other winners include the VW Passat in the Mid-sized car segment, the Nissan Maxima in the Large Car segment, the Honda Odyssey in the Minivan Segment, a tie between the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Avalanche in the Pickup Truck segment and the Smart fortwo in the Sub-compact Car segment. And on that note, we urge you to take the list with a grain of salt, as the Smart beat out cars like the Honda Fit.

In terms of manufacturers, Porsche topped the list for the fifth consecutive year, while domestic brands like Dodge, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac showed the most improvement. As a manufacturer Cadillac placed third overall.

Overall, scores for 2009 improved over 2008, due mostly to improvements in the fuel-economy segment. J.D. Power lists three contributing factors to this increase: improved fuel-economy of the vehicles; an increase in ownership of fuel-efficient cars, with over 50 percent (as compared to 39 percent in 2008) of the surveyed vehicles powered by four-cylinder engines; and a drop in fuel prices that has also meant consumers are less interested in fuel economy.

One other trend that has emerged is the increasing appeal of domestic brands, as they ranked, on average, just five points below import brands. This compares to a difference of 15 points last year and 27 points in 2007.

GALLERY: J.D. Power 2009 APEAL Study

Official release:

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After taking top honors for the North American Car of the Year at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, it’s no surprise that the Hyundai Genesis has also claimed to top prize from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

The Genesis appears to be the right car for the times, a well-priced luxury sedan from an automaker known more for well-built entry-level economy cars. In other words, the Genesis is all about value.

Coming standard with a 310hp V6, the Genesis also features an optional 375hp 4.6-liter V8.

This marks the first time Hyundai or any Korean automaker has won the AJAC Car of the Year award.

2009 Hyundai Genesis Review