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Hyundai Motor Toys With 300 hp Sports Car
Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest automaker, will unveil a new sports-car concept in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show as the company works to shed its image as a cut-rate brand.

The model will be a 300-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive coupe with an “affordable” price, John Krafcik, Hyundai’s U.S. product development chief, said today at an automotive conference in Traverse City, Michigan.

The model will be the “most thrilling, most emotional car has ever created,” Krafcik said. It will replace the front-wheel-drive Tiburon sports car, industry publication Automotive News reported July 30, citing a Hyundai source it didn’t identify.

Adding the sports car would be Hyundai’s latest step beyond its longtime focus on compacts and small sedans. In March, Seoul-based Hyundai introduced its Veracruz sport-utility vehicle to compete with Honda Motor Co.’s Pilot and Toyota Motor Corp.’s Highlander. It sells for as much as $38,000.

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Hyundai Motor Toys With 300 hp Sports Car



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BMW995BMW995 - 8/13/2007 1:42:28 PM
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Hyundai's shot across the bow. This car will shock the sport coupe world with its performance and value. Detroit, as well as Japan and Germany had better take notice.

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HyundaiHyundai - 8/13/2007 2:40:06 PM
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I agree.

I have heard that this car is a blast to drive. On another car forum, somebody had the chance to drive the Tiburon replacement (with camo and all still on, of course) and he walked away with a huge grin on his face (so he says). Apparently it is a great blast to drive and the driving dynamics are up to par with anything from Infiniti, or even maybe better than the IS?

As a big Lexus fan, I don't even hate to say it, but I hope so.

We all know that its driving dynamics will be better than anything from Mercedes-Benz though... ;)


bimmermike2bimmermike2 - 8/13/2007 8:49:59 PM
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Tiburon, it should have been called the guppy. What a joke of a handler. ABSOLUTLY no handeling capibilities whatsoever. Put a real engine in it and all you did was make it dangerous to any bystandards near the track! Hyundai is not ready for that move!


IS3andMEIS3andME - 8/13/2007 5:24:24 PM
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^^^Or was he trying to sell the car....Has he driven the 335i, G37, or IS? Doubt it. The key is the interior and how the engine holds up. If Hyundai does these things, I would def consider Hyundai a player...

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HyundaiHyundai - 8/13/2007 7:13:28 PM
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He was not a Hyundai employee as far as I know. He drove an Acura TL and was an Acura guy. (from carspyshots.net)


richardp996richardp996 - 8/13/2007 7:42:36 PM
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My whole take:

I am not going to say anything optimistic or pessimistic, whether it be 'this will be the greatest car ever' or 'Hyundai will always be a low-tier manufacturer'. What I have here are a couple of my concerns.

Hyundai must get this car right. I hope Hyundai had Kia's Peter Schreyer look over the design proposals and allowed him to critique any particular elements. He did design the cee'd car, which is the best looking Kia period in their entire history and worked for Volkswagen for a long time. If not, that would be down right stupid.

Another concern of mine is Hyundai does not have a well known test driver; one that can write-off the final settings and characteristics for the production car. Hyundai might not need a Walter Rohrl or a Dario Benuzzi but someone of near their talent is required. Sure Porsche and Ferrari (amongst other serious sports car makers) have a platoon of test drivers that can drive just as fast and able to translate information to engineers, having a leader like those two who are handling and performance specialists are essential for the direction of the automobiles.

Alright, Hyundai is not a Ferrari or Porsche rivalling company but they are developing a rear-wheel-drive V6 sports car within the 30 to sub 40K range, which there are other cars from other manufacterers that fit well in this price range. This price segment has a lot of potential customers and it is even more critical that this is more than just a 300 horsepower car from Korea.

Throughout the world of automotive magazines it will be compared to other makes. The emphasis from magazines are performance aspects of the car. What impressions they leave behind will make or break this car even if the car looks good inside or out. Even though ergonomics and styling are vital, especially once a person who is interested visits the dealership but those concerns will take back seat when he takes it for a spin. Styling and ergonomics just help decide if you want the car or not; the visual desire to own it. Here's good luck to Hyundai and I hope to see them succeed.

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528i528i - 8/14/2007 2:23:58 AMView My AgentSpace
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IS3andMEIS3andME - 8/14/2007 7:52:50 AM
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^^^nope, there will not be tons of aftermarket support. Notice who controls the aftermarket. The Japanese and to some extent, the the Germans. Hyundai has virtually no aftermarket support, and they have virtually no racing heritage. If I wanted to turn my IS300 into a Drift car, I could, there are soo many parts available, or a drag car, or just trick it out. You can't say that about Hyundai.

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