Hyundai Confirms RWD Sports car development
 

Having just opened an all-new factory in Alabama, launched three completely updated cars, in the Accent, Sonata, and Azera, and previously juiced up its standard warranty, Hyundai's plans for world domination appear to be proceeding with utmost efficiency.

Korea's number one carmaker is on target to continue its global expansion, which was revisited in the theme of the corporate display at this year's Seoul Motor Show. In its presentation, the company dropped a major hint of a forthcoming rear-wheel drive vehicle that is described by Hyundai executives as a "serious sports car."

Although the idea of a true performance Hyundai sounds too good to be true, the car's development was addressed during its press conference there. Executive Senior Vice- President, Hyun Soon Lee, responded to the press' eager questions with a surprising answer. "Yes, we are developing rear-wheel drive for the next sports car," he admitted.

This remark not only caught the press, show-goers and enthusiasts off guard, but also other company executives who had been keeping the project under wraps.

The development of a 'halo' sports car is seen as beneficial for brand image, giving consumers something to look up to. By building a capable performance sports car, Hyundai would effectively increase its appeal to younger generations who aren't as interested in quality or reliability as they are in image.

According to insiders, this rear-wheel drive sports machine will become the fourth-generation Tiburon, which is set to make a global debut sometime during 2007. Having received tremendous positive response from the all-wheel drive HCD-8 sports tourer concept car that the South Korean automaker showed off at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show, it's thought that the new Tiburon will be similarly shaped, carrying the same bold grille, up-turned headlamps and sporty three-door liftback design. A body similar to the 2+2 HCD-8 would do wonders for the brand's image; it has organic curves, clutter-free surfaces and a high metal-to-glass ratio, reinforcing a more mature, high-end sports car look, like that of the Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G35 Coupe.

By entering into the field of RWD performance coupes, Hyundai would effectively be targeting a loftier 'breed' of vehicles compared to sports compacts like the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Acura RSX, its usual competition. It's an odd thought, but this is the kind of vehicle Hyundai hopes will target the Mazda RX-8 and Infiniti G35.

In order to successfully compete, it will need a serious upgrade in power from the current 2.7-litre DOHC V6 found in top model Tiburons. It's unlikely that Hyundai would go through the process of supercharging the V6 as it did with its HCD-8 concept, but it is likely that the company will opt for its new Lambda-type engine series, which includes 230-horsepower 3.3-litre and 265-horsepower 3.8-litre V6s, which debuted in the new Sonata and Azera respectively.

The Tiburon is the brand's only "niche" vehicle, and can be traced back fifteen years to the S-Coupe, a two-door notchback coupe based on the X-2 Excel, one of Hyundai's first front-wheel drive cars. Hyundai's intentions to make the S-Coupe a pseudo-sports machine came to fruition after launching the Turbo model, a cult classic that helped Hyundai launch its rally car program. The S-Coupe evolved in 1995 to become the first generation Tiburon, based on the J2 (Elantra) chassis. Two evolutions along, the Tiburon has become a formidable competitor, elevating Hyundai to a position where it competes head-on with Acura and Volkswagen, and their respective RSX and GTI models.

To fill in the gap left by shifting the Tiburon upscale, Hyundai is considering a high-performance all-wheel drive sports compact loosely based on the MC4 (next-generation Accent) platform. The small sporty car should arrive within three years' time. The next-generation Tiburon, in combination with a new large sedan and the potential small sports car, should contribute significantly to Hyundai's plans to become one of the world's top five manufacturers by the decade's end.

http://macleans.auto123.com/en/info/...tid=41492&pg=1

sounds promising :cool:

concept
 

To review, here is the concept mentioned:

http://www.autofan.com/newsdetail.as...1&mn=1&yr=2004

Its about time someone else stepped up and released an RWD compact cheap sports car.

Hyungai

i dont like the front, but the back looks good.

Yeah I uh.... liked it before I actually saw it. But it should grow on me over the years. And of course concepts don't reflect exactly what the production models will look like.

the concept looks amazing. it'd be a huge leap for hyundai if they are smart enough to leave the design alone.

Very nice, but their nameplate are a huge deal killer. They might wanna consider a new brand for their sports cars.

My reasoning is as follows.. Hyundai= cheap and rising quality
RWD sports car = not cheap
cheap+RWD sports car+good quality(and warranty) = teh winnar.