via motorauthority

 

This was reported over on HyundaiExchange.com by a very reliable source. If it turns out to be incorrect, blame him:

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In a recent speech to S. Korean business executives, Hyundai's R&D head Hyun-Soon Lee told the audience that 4.6L BH would be tuned to generate 380 hp.

 

I'm very interested in the Hyundai diesel. It should be in the Santa Fe or Veracruz or even the Entourage by 2010, I hope they will offer a smaller diesel in their sedans as well.

I admire this company for having *****. They remind me of Toyota circa 1987-1997. The efficient turbo gas engines and clean diesels being talked about for Kia could really raise some eyebrows...

 

Just out of curiousity, has anyone found specs or info on this 3L diesel in the Veracruz? I've looked all over Hyundai European sites and haven't found a shred of info on this. Has it actually been released in European, or is it only for Korea?

The earlier rumour was that it would have 340HP. Looks like Hyundai is trying to compete with Lexus here. If it does turn out to be incorrect, I will certainly blame him .

We should hear about the real specs soon enough, but somehow I doubt it will be 380HP.

To be fair, Hyundai (so far) has never done anything as interesting/daring as make a RWD sports car (not yet anyways), make a mid-engine car, or make it's own luxury brand.

 

I think this new sedan is going to be special. I really do.

 

One thing that interests me more than the engine is how much will it cost and how big of a gap will it have with the Hyundai Azera in terms of features and options?

 

Give them time. The things they've accomplished in the last 3-5 years should be enough to convince most people who are being objective about the situation.

I'm not talking about specific platforms, like a MR roadster, which was and always will be a very niche product. I'm talking big-picture stuff: Affordable, well-equipped, and possibly quite sporting RWD. Diesels and efficient gas turbos. They're taking chances, like Toyota took back then.

But now Toyota has gotten too conservative in my opinion, hedging too much. Their emphasis on hybrids puts them between a rock and hard place when it comes to offering clean diesel. Toyota, too, has refused to offer a decent RWD car in the past 10 years.

Hyundai is going after the huge weak spots in Toyota's armor: lack of affordable RWD sedans/coupes and lack of diesel engines. I'll be shocked if they're anything less than a smashing success.

 

Officially co-signed.

From the moment the specs and pics were released, I immediately thought that this is the re-incarnation of the Cressida. The Cressida never enjoyed the success it deserved on account of Lexus coming into the picture, but I believe the Genesis will be a different story.

 

Corrected that for you. Toyota offers affordable RWD cars and plenty of diesels overseas. Also I would hardly call it "huge weak spots" as demand for RWD cars and diesels for consumer vehicles in North America is quite low. Diesels are in high demand for commercial vehicles, and Toyota's Hino division supplies diesel powered trucks for North America. I think it's less about Toyota being conservative and more about giving the market and consumers what they want.

Does the market/consumers in North America REALLY want a RWD near-luxury Hyundai sedan? Personally I doubt it but we'll see.

I still stand by the idea that Hyundai is overhyped and has been given too much credit. I would hardly call the last 2 or so years for Hyundai a "smashing success". No matter how you look at it, it's pretty hard to call it a success. 2006 US sales for Hyundai were just barely better than 2005 sales. And so far for 2007, Hyundai US sales are actually down compared to 2006, and this is despite the fact over the past 2 years a MAJOR part of Hyundai's lineup has been redesigned or saw the addition of new models. The past two years were a product peak for Hyundai in the US and yet sales in the US have been flat at best. Even worldwide, sales have seen only a very small increase over the past two years. Excuse me if I don't share the same enthusiasm and hype for Hyundai as some others do. How they've improved over the past few years really is great, but they're getting hype and credit for more than what they've accomplished.

 

Thanks for the "correction". Since I live in the US, I'm only concerned with cars/engines that are available here. What Company X sells or does not sell in other countries is of no concern to me, because I can't buy it here.

 

Just trying to be fair and objective . It's a bit misleading to say Toyota does not offer affordable RWD cars or diesel engines without mentioning this only applies to North America.

 

Cool, glad others are interested. THis might give the Maxima, TL, ES 350, G35, Avalon etc some fits.

 

Well Hyundai introduced a fuel-cell concept, the i-Blue, in Frankfurt. And guess what car it looks like up front?

 

well, Toyota has a lot more diesels than Hyundai, so I am completly unclear on what are you talking about at all :-).

Can you buy Hyundai diesel in USA? Where?

I sampled their 4cly diesel in Santa Fe and it was pretty nice, modern unit. It still spends a bit too much fuel in real-time use, but overall nice engines.

 

Still would never want anyone I cared about driving in a Hyundai.....they are death traps according to Consumer Reports and the IIHS.