Car Throttle

Hyundai's Genesis Coupe took everyone by surprise when it came out in 2009.  A brand previously known for building cheap, boring transportation appliances had given us a shapely rear-wheel-drive sports coupe with great weight balance, and a choice of two engines: a tuner-friendly 2.0L Turbo base model, and a 3.8L V6, both available with 6 speed manual or automatic transmissions. In doing so, they pitched the GenCoupe directly against established musclecars like the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger - as well as against some import sports coupes like the Eclipse, Infiniti G35/G37, Nissan 350/370Z, and the BMW 1-Series.  It's a tough crowd.  And while the Genesis still shines as a driver's car, it doesn't shine as brightly in comparison any more.  Almost all it's competitors have gained

Finally.  This was bound to happen.  Hyundai sells two cars called Genesis - the sedan and the coupe.  And while they're somewhat related, they're more different than similar under the skin.  So while the sedate (albeit good-looking, well-equipped, and well-priced) Genesis sedan and the related Equus uberlux liner enjoy the silent thunder of Hyundai's 4.6L and 5.0L 32v Tau V8, the company line is that all that quad-cam V8 goodness just doesn't fit under the hood of the smaller coupe.

This is a bummer.  The Genesis goes up against cars like the Mustang, Camaro and Challenger - all of which offer gigantic V8's with north of 400bhp - and some north of 500bhp - as upper level options.  The Hyundai Genesis

The yearly SEMA (Special Equipment Manufacturers Association) show happens in Las Vegas.  That's enough reason to want to go to it.  But more than the exotic locale (way better than, err, Detroit), SEMA is a hotbed of aftermarket parts.  If you're inclined to think this is a no-big-deal sort of affair, that's not the case.  The SEMA show attracts so much attention that manufacturers themselves have been getting into the SEMA game for a few years now, whether directly or through various 3rd party companies.

There are so many "new car" debuts prior to SEMA that I would literally flood your RSS feed with them.  I don't want to do that.  Plus, I can't write an entire article about a Chevy Sonic

Hyundai's Genesis Sedan was a complete surprise when it debuted in 2008. No one was really expecting Hyundai, of all brands, to come out with a full-size, rear-wheel drive pseudo-luxury sedan.  Even fewer people were expecting it to be as good as it was, either - it was more than a match for luxury-biased mid-sizers like the Lexus GS, Acura TL, Chrysler 300C, etc. But even with a really good product, it's basically market suicide to leave it untouched on the market for a few years as the competition gets better.  So Hyundai has made some changes and updates to their now 2nd-tier luxury sedan (since they started selling the LS460-sized Equus in the US.) The biggest changes occur under the skin.  All the Genesis sedan

The automotive industry is a cutthroat industry - with many available options and competitive vehicles vying for the consumer's dollar. A new car can come along and change the dynamics of the segment it competes in. Hyundai has changed the dynamics with its lineup of new products. The remarkable transformation has extended from the mainstream to luxury spectrum. With these new models under their belt, Hyundai still isn't content to rest on its laurels. Autoblog has attended a Hyundai product briefing that revealed details about the brand's next-generation V-8 engine for use in high-end products. We know that Hyundai didn't spare much expense with its luxury forays, developing a new rear-wheel drive platform and V-8 to properly compete in the luxury market. The V-8 powerplant is dubbed "Tau" and

Don't look now, but there is no doubt Hyundai is on a roll. The brand's products are highly competitive entries in their respective segments up and down the spectrum. Perhaps most startling though has been Hyundai's upmarket ascension. It began with the Hyundai Azera and really came into its own with the Genesis. CarThrottle experienced it for ourselves with our review of the Genesis Coupe earlier this year. The next step in Hyundai's product blitz is the Equus. Hyundai isn't content to rest on its laurels though, as word has come of further improvements. Perhaps one of the greatest things to enthusiasts and those looking for a true luxury experience is the fact that Hyundai has offered up a credible rear-wheel drive platform. This platform underpins the Genesis,

We're big fans of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe here at CarThrottle. When our writer Tony reviewed it this March, he came away impressed with the car's looks, performance, and refinement.  In just 2 short years the Genesis Coupe has become a major player in the affordable performance market, and for 2010 it's going to get even better. Those familiar with the GenCoupe lineup know all about the Spec-R.  The deal with options on the Genesis goes like this: there's a base model, then an "uplevel" model with things like automatic headlights and climate control, leather seats, a crazy stereo, etc.  At the top of the range is the track model, which has all those goodies plus stuff that matters like a limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, stiffer

I love viral marketing.  It's way more amusing than real marketing. Whereas real marketing is a multi-billion dollar industry that bets on the fact the average consumer is dumber than the average advertising department, viral marketing is a bit more grass-roots, personal, and often times humorous.  I mean, who can forget the whole Audi vs. BMW billboard battle?  Or Bob Lutz's "The CTS-V will smoke anything on a racetrack!" challenge? The latest brand to cash in on this less-professional advertising tactic is BMW's Mini division.  As you may have heard, Mini challenged Porsche to a race-track duel at Road Atlanta in June.  Porsche, in their typical snobby way (hey, with a history like Porsche you're allowed to be snobby) said no.  Mini responded by

CarThrottle just recently tested the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Track model. During its one-week stay we were impressed with it's performance prowess and how far Hyundai has come with a performance vehicle. Last time around, the Tiburon was Hyundai's entrant into the segment, and wasn't nearly the vehicle the Genesis was. Due to it being rear-wheel drive (a nice departure from the Tiburon) and it's price range, it has often been pegged as a competitor to the traditional muscle cars - the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challengers. The Genesis is really a different type of vehicle than those, but comparisons have persisted. Motor Trend will undoubtedly keep them going with this new test, pitting the Genesis Coupe against the aforementioned muscle car trio of the Ford Mustang,

Test vehicle: 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8L V6 with 6-speed ZF Shiftronic Automatic Transmission Throughout the history of the automotive industry and other industries too, there have been times (admittedly rare) when a company not only manages to survive in a difficult climate, but thrive. An example of that would no doubt have to be Hyundai and its sister brand Kia, both of which have managed to increase market share and sales, on the strength of strong product. One of the turning points for Hyundai was the Buyer Assurance Program that offered the ability for an owner to give a purchased vehicle back to the company in the event of losing their job. The program proved to be very successful, enabling customers worried about their job security to get