I hate to say it, but even a fully murdered out Hyundai Genesis sedan is not cool. HOWEVER, this video of Rhys Millen stealing his own Genesis Coupe drift car from Hyundai’s now defunct headquarters in Orange County, CA is. Actually what happened was that one of Hyundai’s service technicians, one Dustin Loranger, thought it would be a cool idea to have a little fun with the old HQ before they leveled the building. His thought was to have factory driver Rhys Millen ripping it up both inside and outside of the building while being chased by security. He didn’t think his idea had a shot, but in an unexpected twist of fate, the Hyundai brass and their attorneys bought it. So without further adieu, click through and prepare to enjoy 4-minutes and 51-seconds of tire smoking action.

Source: Youtube.com

The 2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is the worst kept secret in years. First there were spy shots, followed by teaser images showing a headlight here and a wheel there, but Hyundai has finally grown tired of releasing the new Genesis Coupe one bit at a time. Today, the Korean automaker posted these images to its worldwide Facebook page ahead of the car’s intended launch at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

After seeing all the teaser images, we can’t say there are any surprises here. The new Genesis Coupe seems to take the old model, dip it in a vat of “fluidic sculpture” sauce and call it done. We say that’s a good thing, because we were fans of the old Genesis Coupe’s styling and we’re fans of the new design language, too.

All we need to know now is what engine changes will take place for 2012. Don’t expect to see the 5.0-liter V-8 from the Genesis R-Spec sedan, but it’s reasonable to expect a bit more grunt from both the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and the 3.8-liter V-6. We’d love to see a supercharged version of the V-6 Genesis Coupe, which could easily crank out over 400 horsepower, but we aren’t holding our breath for news on this any time soon.

It isn’t likely that Hyundai will drop its new Tau V8 into the Genesis Coupe, since (in its eyes at least) it would make the Genesis Coupe too expensive and could potentially pirate sales of the Genesis R-Spec sedan. Lucky for us that Rhys Millen Racing doesn’t worry about details like this, since they’ve created a 5.0-liter V-8 powered Hyundai Genesis Coupe for SEMA 2011.

The RM500 Genesis Coupe puts out 450 horsepower and looks downright menacing in murdered-out black on black. RMRs development work on the car will lead to a line of carbon fiber pieces for Genesis Coupe owners, including a front lip, spoiler, rear diffuser, side skirts and grille. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like there are plans to offer a Tau V-8 conversion kit, but I’m betting that RMR would sell enough to make it worth the development costs.

Some of the bits used on the RM500 are a bit over-the-top, like the carbon-ceramic brakes and the forged HRE wheels. Still, you have to admire RMR’s “go big or go home” attitude, and we sincerely hope that Hyundai America Motors is paying attention to customer feedback. If enough people give a 5.0-liter Genesis Coupe the thumbs up, maybe it isn’t out of the question after all.

While Hyundai won’t confirm rumors of a Veloster Turbo, the company has announced the details of a recently developed 1.6-liter turbocharged engine. Coincidentally, the Veloster uses a 1.6 liter engine under its hood, meaning that a Veloster Turbo announcement is probably forthcoming. That’s good news, but hot hatchback fans who wanted the 2.0-liter turbo four from the Sonata Turbo in the Veloster probably won’t be satisfied with the 1.6-liter’s specs.

The boosted 1.6-liter Gamma engine will use a twin-scroll turbo, gasoline direct injection and dual variable-valve timing to produce 204 horsepower. As with the regular 1.6-liter engine used in the base Veloster, fuel economy was also a driving force in the engine’s design. It’s way too early for Hyundai to publish specific fuel economy numbers, but we’d still expect a Veloster Turbo to top 30 mpg in highway fuel economy.

Since the Veloster only weighs around 2,600 pounds, 204 horsepower should provide a reasonable amount of thrust. For comparison, a Mini Cooper John Cooper Works weighs just under 2,700 pounds and makes 208 horsepower. Zero to sixty comes up in 6.2 seconds, so we’d expect comparable acceleration from the Veloster.

Source: Autoevolution

We understand that Ferrari fans come in all shapes, sizes and income levels. If a Hyundai is all you can afford, there’s nothing wrong with buying a red one and maybe even throwing a subtle prancing horse decal by your license plate. If racing stripes are your thing, we suppose that’s OK, too.

Emblazoning your Hyundai Tiburon with a giant Scudderia Ferrari logo across its hood isn’t the way to earn style points with us, though, so we’re going to have to give this effort a “Fail.” On the other hand, if the driver has stuffed a 3.0-liter Ferrari V-8 where the rear seat used to be, and converted his Hyundai to rear-wheel-drive, we’d be forced to give this a massive Win, stickers and all.

Source: That Will Buff Out

Every once in a great while a car comes along that winds up defining a segment. For some the term “hot rod” automatically refers to a 1932 Ford Coupe. For others, mention “first car,” and the Volkswagen Beetle comes to mind. For sport compacts, it may be the Honda CRX Si. The 2012 Hyundai Veloster has that kind of potential, too, even if the segment it will come to dominate hasn’t yet been clearly defined.

It’s a car that doesn’t fit well into a particular niche. It’s fuel efficient, but it isn’t boring to drive. It’s compact, yet there’s room in the back for six footers. It’s a coupe, but it really has three doors. It was designed and built for Generation Y, but I’m guessing that it will find favor across a wide range of demographics.

In designing the Veloster, Hyundai listened carefully to what participants in focus groups had to say. They wanted good fuel economy, so the Veloster uses the same 1.6-liter Gamma engine found in the Elantra. Like the Elantra, the Veloster will get nearly 30 mpg around town, and up to 40 mpg on the highway, which is better than the Veloster’s chief rival, the Honda CR-Z.

Potential buyers wanted connectivity, too, so the Veloster becomes the second Hyundai offered with the company’s Blue Link telematics system. Like OnStar, Blue Link is there if you need directions or have an accident, and the system can even send a text alert to concerned parents if the vehicle travels outside a designated range. Blue Link does a lot more than that, too, including providing users with a speech to text mechanism for safe texting while driving.

That’s just the start of the Veloster’s tech-laden features, however. A voice recognizing Gracenote app allows users to call up artists and albums from their MP3 player or the car’s flash drive, and Pandora streaming allows users to like or dislike a song on the infotainment screen instead of on a smart phone. Navigation is available, and Velosters with the nav package also come with a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors.

There’s a available 450-watt Dimension premium audio system, too, ensuring that Veloster buyers won’t have to go to the aftermarket for an acceptable sound system, but even base models come with a 196-watt, AM/FM, satellite radio, CD and MP3 audio system with six speakers. There’s an iPod cable, aux in and USB jack on all models, too.

Like the Elantra, the Veloster is bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. The rear seat will hold two adults and gives a surprising amount of both head and leg room. The third door makes loading an unloading passengers a breeze, although you do need to mind your head climbing in, thanks to the sloping roofline.

The front seats are a huge plus, especially given the car’s price point. Leather isn’t an available option, but the cloth or cloth and leatherette seats are a better choice, at least in my opinion. Unlike leather, good cloth seats are cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and they’re a whole lot easier to maintain, especially if your outdoor activities involve getting wet or muddy on a regular basis. Despite the lack of an adjustable lumbar support, most people will find the Veloster’s seats comfortable even beyond the first full tank of gas.

Hyundai debuts its first dual-clutch automatic gearbox on the Veloster, and I’ll admit to liking this better than the six-speed manual. The Shiftronic automatic, which comes with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, seemed to be quicker than the six speed even though the gear ratios (in lower gears, anyway) are identical. I’d stop short of calling the shifts “crisp,” but they’re quick enough to be entertaining and the transmission will now hold a gear until near-redline. That tells me that Hyundai really has been listening to those of use who complained about earlier Shiftronic transmissions, which shifted well below redline regardless of driver input.

Image: Hyundai

Acceleration is reasonable, but keep in mind that you’ve only got 138 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque to work with. In corners, the Veloster is remarkable composed and has surprisingly little body roll; Hyundai claims the chassis is stiffer than a VW Scirocco, and I’m inclined to believe them. The electric steering is properly weighted, and offers a nice feel with a reasonable amount of feedback. The Veloster won’t be much fun on a racetrack, but it will be entertaining enough for weekday commuting and weekend runs to the beach or mountains.

What’s missing from the Veloster lineup is a model with sporting intentions. While the handling of even base model Velosters is impressive, the car would definitely benefit from more power. I asked Hyundai for a status report on the Veloster Turbo, but the only reply was, “we don’t comment on future products.” Take that any way you want, but adding a Veloster Turbo to the lineup would definitely boost sales.

Image: Hyundai

Even without a true sport model, I suspect that Hyundai will sell all the Velosters they can import. Pricing starts at just $17,300 for a base model with the manual transmission, and tops out at $22,550 for a loaded model with the dual clutch gearbox. That makes it a bargain compared to rivals like the Honda CR-Z and the Scion tC. If you want one of your own, now is the time to talk to your local Hyundai dealer; like the Elantra, I’m guessing that Velosters will be sold from the inbound inventory pipeline in the coming months.

The 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Image: Hyundai Motor America

I’m heading off to St. Petersburg (Florida, not Russia) later this week to drive the new Hyundai Veloster. Hyundai has a lot riding on it’s funky-fresh hatchback, which features a third door on the passenger side for easy and safe passenger off-loading, Unless you live in a right-hand drive country, in which case the third door may well be for population control.

To Hyundai, the Veloster represents a reverse-halo car, targeted primarily to Gen Y. It will be one of the first to offer Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics service, it will be reasonably priced and it will deliver up to 40 mpg on the highway. There’s even (allegedly) plans for a Veloster Turbo, which would give Hyundai a hot hatchback of its own and would present a second sporty alternative to its Genesis Coupe.

What’s your take on the Veloster, as seen in the videos below? Has Hyundai hit the mark with this, or are they trying too hard to appeal to too many different kinds of customers? Most importantly, would you shop a Veloster, in either 138 horsepower or Turbo flavor? Why or why not?

Look for my take on the car next week, so if you’ve got any questions for Hyundai on the Veloster, now is the time to ask them.

Hyundai's eight-speed equipped Genesis R-Spec

For a lot of years, a three speed automatic gearbox was considered the norm. Then came the four-speed automatic, in use until recently in cars like the Hyundai Accent and even the Chevy Impala. Four speeds became five speeds, which in turn gave way to six and even seven speed gearboxes. Then Chrysler announced that a ZF-built unit would carry eight speeds, and Ford countered with an eight-speed gearbox of its own.

Not to be outdone, Automotive News reports that Hyundai has announced a ten-speed gearbox for its Genesis and Equus luxury sedans. Unlike other manufacturers, who buy transmissions from industry suppliers, Hyundai prefers to go it alone, and will design and build the new transmission in-house for the 2014 model year. Not only does that allow Hyundai to ensure better quality control, it also allows Hyundai to contain costs, which is the primary reason that the automaker is able to offer so much content for so little money.

So why the transmission wars of late? More gear ratios equal better acceleration, smoother ride and improved fuel economy, but only to a point. As you add gears, you also add the ability to skip multiple gears, for passing ability. Thus, downshifting from a tenth gear to a seventh gear for passing may produce a bigger jolt (since the ratios are wider) than downshifting from a fifth gear to a fourth gear, or even a sixth gear to a fourth gear. In other words, acceleration with a ten-speed transmission may be smooth and seamless, but only if you don’t mat the accelerator.

More gears equal more complexity as well, and the durability of seven, eight and ten-speed transmissions has yet to be proven. Eventually, the drawbacks of adding gear ratios are likely to outweigh the benefits, which is why so many manufacturers are gravitating towards the much-reviled continuously variable transmission (which offers a near-infinite range of gear ratios).

Call me a Luddite, but a six-speed manual works just fine for me.

Rumor has it that this ad was banned from Dutch television as being just a tad too shocking and tasteless. We’re not buying that the ad was ever intended for television audiences, because even the Germans wouldn’t run an ad like this. Our guess is that the ad was created specifically for the internet, since nothing is off-limits in cyberspace.

If you get past the whole shock thing (and I won’t ruin the video by telling you what happens in advance), it’s a pretty funny ad and a good way for Hyundai to promote the practicality of the third door on its upcoming Veloster model. Unless, of course you live in Japan, Australia, Britain or any of the other countries that drive on the wrong side of the road, in which case this ad won’t make any sense at all. Video after the jump.

Source: YouTube, via Autoblog

The 2012 Hyundai Accent sedan and 5-door. Image: Hyundai

Do you remember the 1950’s schlock-horror film, “The Blob”? If you’ve never seen it, it’s about an oversized blob of grape jelly from outer space that consumes everything in its path. In the end, the hero (played by a young Steve McQueen) figures out that cold can stop The Blob, so the movie ends with it being dropped somewhere around the North Pole.

If you’re an automaker other than Hyundai, the Korean company must seem very much like The Blob. In just a few short years, Hyundai’s gone from being hte butt of jokes to being the company that no one can keep up with. In the last year, for example, Hyundai’s Equus luxury sedan went from zero percent market share to five percent market share, at a time when other luxury cars were happy to get a tenth of a percent increase in share. The Hyundai Sonata and Elantra are best sellers that keep racking up award after award, and the limiting factor in their growth these days is simply Hyundai’s ability to produce cars. If you ‘re shopping for an Elantra right now, chances are good that you’re putting down money for inventory in the pipeline, since cars on the dealer’s floor are hard to come by.

Image: Hyundai

What the Elantra did for the compact market last spring, the Accent will do for the subcompact market when it launches later this fall. The Accent will no longer be the cheapest car in its class, but when you add up the included features and shop the competition, you’ll soon realize that there’s the Hyundai Accent, and then there’s everything else.

Image: Hyundai

To start with, the new Accent is much more distinctive than the car it replaces, Styling on the outgoing Accent was, at best, bland. Styling on the new Accent mirrors that of the Elantra and Sonata, borrowing a page from Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design book. Even the inside has been redone, and most would be hard-pressed to tell if they were sitting behind the wheel of an an Elantra or an Accent (which is the difference between a compact and subcompact). In fact, the Accent has so much room inside that the EPA calls it a compact car, and the Accent 5-door has more cargo capacity than a Nissan Juke, Dodge Caliber or Audi A3.

Image: Hyundai

If that’s not impressive enough, how does class-leading horsepower sound? The Accent uses the same engine as the larger Elantra, so acceleration is significantly better than the competition. The Accent’s 1.6-liter, direct-injection engine puts out 138 horsepower and 123 ft-lb of torque, and comes with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. It gets segment-topping fuel economy across its range too: all Accent models, regardless of trim level or transmission choice, get 30 mpg city and 40 mpg highway.

Image: Hyundai

If safety is a concern, the Accent comes with six airbags, including front, side impact and side curtain units. It’s got electronic stability control and traction control, and even includes electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist to shorten stopping distances in a panic stop. It’s also the only subcompact to offer four-wheel disc brakes standard, which explains how it generates a better stopping distance than the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Ford Fiesta.

Image: Hyundai

Pricing for the 2012 Hyundai Accent starts at $13,205 for the Accent GLS sedan with a manual transmission, and tops out at $17,555 for an Accent SE 5-door with the automatic gearbox. Even though there are cheaper cars in segment, when comparably equipped, the Accent still represents the best overall value. If you’re in the market for a subcompact, look for the new Accent to hit dealer lots this fall.