By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(August 18, 2015) What is the Vision G Coupe Hyundai unveiled at Monterey last week? Is it just a concept, or is it  meant to indicate Hyundai’s goals in the expanding luxury market? Will it replace the current pony car-like Genesis Coupe with a vehicle more in line with the Genesis badge? Or is it an indication that it is adding a new model to the Genesis line as it taps leading consultants about what it takes to build true high-performance cars?

In many ways it’s too early to tell though, from the very start, Hyundai has been rather schizophrenic about where the Genesis Coupe fit into the lineup. That car was introduced as a bifurcated offering; a small turbo four powering a modern Nissan 240 SX to a generation enthralled with drifting, and a V6-engined rear-drive muscle car ready to take on Mustangs and Camaros.

Then there was the truly schizophrenic messaging that threw in cars like Infiniti’s G35 and G37 Coupes for comparison. Was Hyundai worried the car wouldn’t sell in sufficient numbers, and tried to appeal to every rear-drive coupe segment with a single car?

If anything, the Genesis Coupe paved the way for the 2015 Mustang’s addition of a performance four-cylinder turbo between the entry-level V6 and top line V8. But where Ford has been able to appeal to a cohesive group — Mustang owners and intenders — Hyundai had no established base of buyers. Until the Genesis Coupe launched its sportiest offering was the Tiburon, a car that fell into that shrinking class of affordable front-drive performance coupes.

These cars were driven by style and their shelf life was short — after an initial flurry sales would drop dramatically — as each new entry cannibalized those already in the market. It had to span the gap left by the Tiburon, yet establish its bona fides in the rear-drive sports coupe market.

The Genesis Coupe was well-built and good looking. What it lacked was class-leading dynamics and ride, the option of a V8 (though it did well without), and a singular image and point of view. The early model bifurcation magnified the schizophrenia amplified by inclusion of Infiniti’s G Coupes in the mix. Has Hyundai decided that the original Genesis Coupe concept is so wounded it can no longer function effectively, or is there something more going on?



Stylistically and mechanically, the Vision G travels on a higher plane than the Genesis Coupe that preceded it. Hyundai’s 420-hp, 5.0-liter V8 sits under the hood and, were it to go into production, the Vision G undoubtedly would offer the 3.8-liter V6 and the option of all-wheel drive. Stylistically it is a grand departure from the pony car roots of its predecessor. This is a sporting luxury vehicle with hints of Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Bentley in its coachwork, and an interior dripping in finery.

As such it is the car Hyundai has needed all along, a rear-drive halo coupe to draw attention to the Genesis and Equus, and to its capabilities. That such a car could have sat alongside the Genesis Coupe from the start s lost on no one. Hyundai could have built this car years ago, but didn’t for fear that two coupes off the same platform would cannibalize each other.

Hidden behind all of this, however, are Hyundai’s discussions with leading automotive consultants and consultancies about high-performance vehicle design, engineering and development; something it wants to learn quickly. Its ultimate goal is to build Hyundais that can compete on an even footing with cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. Some of the models discussed were line extensions — imagine a Genesis Sedan done by AMG, for example — while others were ground-up high-performance vehicles built from current and future components and systems. Not only were front-engine/rear-drive designs considered, but mid-engined ones as well. Everything was on the table, and then everything went quiet.

Is the Vision G proof that Hyundai has refocused its performance efforts on producing a halo coupe for the Genesis line? No. It was always part of the plan, as is the inevitable Kia take on this idea. The performance focus has shifted to a replacement for the Genesis Coupe that will spawn a production version of the Kia Stinger in the interim, with a long-term goal of building cars that can take on Porsche, et. al. somewhere down the line.

The Vision G is real, and a harbinger of more to come from Hyundai.

The Virtual Driver