Hyundai Takes the Genesis Coupe Up a Notch

Hyundai chose the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to unveil the latest version of the Genesis Coupe.? The 2013 model uses large air inlets, prominent heat extractors, bold headlights, LED daytime running lights and fog lights to give the wedge-shaped coupe a seriously intimidating look.

The forceful sports car styling is backed up with two enhanced powerplants, a turbocharged four-cylinder and sophisticated direct-injection V-6.? Both engines are stirred to maximum benefit by a standard six-speed manual transmission or optional Hyundai designed and built eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shift SHIFTRONIC??manual-shifting capability.? In addition to the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. A clear LCD readout on the instrument panel shows the selected gear at all times.

The standard engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder pumped up by 30 percent up to 274 horsepower on premium fuel.? The engine automatically adjusts to a regular fuel diet, too, but drops the horsepower to 260.? Zero to 60 mph acceleration times are expected to be in the low six second range and fuel economy is 20 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.

Technology upgrades to the 3.8-liter V-6 Lambo DOHC V-6 have increased horsepower by 42 to 348.? The result is a zero to 60 mph time in the low five-second range while record fuel economy of 18 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Engineers added to the sporty nature by using an intake sound induction pipe into the cabin to enhance the performance sound.

The Genesis Coupe?s body makes copious use of ultra-high-tensile steel to cut weight and enhance rigidity. The rear-wheel drive powertrain configuration provides a well-balanced 55:45 front-to-rear weight distribution for the 2.0T, and 56:44 for the 3.8 model.

Genesis Coupe has MacPherson strut dual-link front suspension and a five-link rear suspension setup. The front suspension is mounted to the body via a solid subframe to save weight and increase body strength. ?The high-performance Genesis Coupe R-Spec and Track models have track-tuned suspension calibrations for even better handling characteristics.

Brembo??brakes provide extra stopping power on the R-Spec and Track models, while all other models get substantial 12.6-inch front ventilated rotors and 12.4-inch rotors in the rear.

Among other premium features are an available Infinity??premium audio system and two-stage front seat heaters. Genesis Coupe also offers the convenience of a Proximity Key and push-button start.

Genesis Coupe offers Xenon high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights, for brighter illumination intensity, more daylight-like lighting character and reduced power consumption. In addition, the visual cut lines of these HID headlights are razor sharp, providing maximum nighttime visibility to the driver without the risk of blinding oncoming traffic.

Hyundai Blue Link telematics is available on 2013 Genesis Coupe 3.8 Grand Touring/Track and 2.0T Premium trim levels. ?Blue Link combines safety, service and infotainment into a complete package that works to both help simplify Hyundai owners? lives and reduce distracted driving,? said Barry Ratzlaff, director of customer satisfaction and service business development, Hyundai Motor America. ?We?ve carefully studied how drivers rely on smart phones and navigation systems as an innovative link to the outside world. Blue Link brings that seamless connectivity directly into the car with technology like voice text messaging, Point-of-Interest (POI) web search download, turn-by-turn navigation, and monthly vehicle reporting. Our agent-assisted advanced voice recognition system offers a 21st century solution to performing POI searches in the vehicle. This unique and innovative approach enables Hyundai to deliver fast, accurate searches and downloads of POIs to vehicles without the unnecessary costs of traditional operator-only type systems of our competitors.?

The Genesis Coupe goes on sale in early spring 2012.

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