They should launch a luxury brand for this and future concepts. People don't really think of luxury when they hear Hyundai.

So we have the same to wide center stack that intrudes into the drivers leg room as the Sonata, combined with acres of fake wood, the steering wheel from a 1990's dodge truck now with fake wood. And something that looks suspiciously like BMW's iDrive, yeah I can see American consumers lapping this up like honeyed wine.

But they do think of a brand that was once heralded as America's "favorite disposable econo boxes" in the 80s, "good but not there quality" 90s, and "beating Toyota in quality ratings" recent past.

At the rate Hyundai is going, we will no longer be looking to Mercedes to see what the future of automobiles holds. And instead of watching the Autobahn to see the future, we'll all be searching Battle.net and playing Starcraft to track down Hyundai Engineers.

I swear I've seen that exact interior in a different make of car...its like a BMW/Infiniti hybrid. Sure the car lacks originality from bumper to bumper, but for that price I don't give a F***!

I hope that V8 has a some American or Japanese engineering backing it. I don't know if the Koreans are ready to be putting RWD V8 drivetrains in cars by themselves. I suppose that answer isn't too far away now, is it?

Sad that Koreans only copy the others. Still. This is butt ugly with acres of fake wood but then again lots of US cars have that so I think the US market appreciates that or something. I don't get it and while the exterior of the car is Lexus (funny how the tables hae turned and Lexus is now copied by others) but this interior is the worst type of hybrid of cheap imitation wood and cheap plastics and they even managed to keep the genuine cheap appearance.

I was expecting a lot more.

I have an idea, let's all bash Hyundai.... Why, because we can.....

This car could be a really great car that will really suck away sales from MB, BMW, etc.

As an owner of a MB, I can tell you, MBs are pieces of crap wrapped in pieces of more crap.

This is the wake up call the industry needed. You all laugh at Hyundai, but they do manufacture a lot of everyday things you use. (memory chips, TV components, etc).

As for the interior pics, they look good. Everyone uses plastic wood in their cars today. If they don't use plastic wood, then they use a bossa-wood laminate which easily cracks..(MB)

I would really like to see how the whole interior looks before judging the entire car though.

Also, at least Hyundai put a "Start" button on their car, MB doesn't even offer one most of their cars...

Also, MB come with Pleather as standard equipment. MB doesn't tell you this if you don't ask! Leather cost $1500-$2000 more! Point is, don't criticize this Hyundai if they decide to use pleather interior!

As a owner of a 2004 Santa Fe and 2006 Sonata.... I can say Hyundai has come a long way. Each new release brings better quality cars and they continue to increase sales and move up in the ranks. Obviously cost cutting has to come from somewhere... there's no magic to produce top quality products at bargain prices... "You get what you pay for". In Hyundai's case it's a reasonable car with loads of features and amenities for a great price. I'm not sure how successful they will be in moving into the higher end market since the Azera isn't quite selling like hotcakes... but we'll just have to see and a 380hp rwd luxury sedan is definitely a start and a attention getter.

With GM, CHRYSLER and FORD almost out of the car market, there are now spots that Hyundai can easly fill .

Wooden steering wheel is awful. The rest is just kinda boring. Maybe they'll offer it with a brushed aluminum trim as an option.

Hyundais are reliable and it is always good when more competition is in the market but this isn't the way to enter the Luxury segment. The interior sucks. Maybe with a different steering wheel and something instead of fake wood would fix it to some degree.

I agree. Grow a brain, don't pull a VW, and make a luxury marque. You've played out the Hyundai name. It's been 20 years! Get over yourself, and do it right! Jeez!
Learn! Just freakin' learn!

DrFill

The Germans really need to get on top of things. The Asian countries are going to put the German car makers out of business if they can't start making reliable cars.

As for the luxury of the Hyundai, it's ok. It does look a little like a luxury throw back but I bet the car costs less to buy and drive than a BMW, MB. I bet Hyundai will get better with each attempt at a luxury car AND it's not like they are selling the thing yet, they can still make changes.

This is directed towards the "Start" button comment.

What's the perceived (or actual) benefit of having one of those? I always thought they were gimmicky, but can potentially see the benefit if paired with bluetooth keys (don't have to remove from your pockets to either enter or start the car). Or maybe not having to fumble around in the dark to insert a key into a slot. Other than that, I don't know why it would be a detriment to Hyundai if they hadn't put one in there (as you imply it's bad that M-B doesn't offer that option).

Not flaming; just curious.

As a person who loves technology, Mercedes continues to offer last year's inovations at tomorrow's over inflated cost.

The "Start" button is a small but powerful sales option that most car manufactures have added to their car lineup to attact customers.

The button is not an end all be all option but it is an option that insprires awe.

The fact that Toyota and Nissan have found it cheaper to install in the car than a cylinder start/crank system is similar to the old outside crank arm of yesteryear.

I would also tend to believe it is harder for crimals to steal this type of car due to the rolling security code between the key fob and the start button.

I for one like to have a start button in a car. It is different.

I agree; it's a nice looking/sounding option, so I don't blame you for wanting one.

In regards to your thoughts on it being more secure; many (most?) car keys have a chip inside that communicates with a security module in the engine to prevent start. My 10 year old Accord has this, which is why I can't just use any 3rd party cut key in my car. The newer rolling code may be more secure (more combinations, etc.), but keys aren't too easy either.

Now if you're referring to hotwiring the car or something; maybe your point is stronger there, since wiring might be harder to get to in the console vs. the steering column.

Before making any decision myself I'd like to know if this is the KDM or USDM interior... It can make a huge difference as in the Euro Accord interior being plain and bland but the Acura TSX interior looking upscale and high tech...

If this is the USDM I think they need a little work, but it's by no means as bad as a Dodge interior.

I also think the fact that everyone keeps saying to start a Hyundai Luxo brand name is not thinking properly. Whats the one complaint you hear most about Acura and Lexus? The fact that all their cars look like Honda's and Toyota's.... Why would Hyundai want to get into that boat?

I'm waiting for the day that people quit caring about NAMES more than quality and bang for the buck.

I love pulling next to a TSX that cost $8k more than my Sonata and pulling away steadily when the light turns green no matter how much gas the TSX give's it.

If you read some of your own comments you can already see the pattern of what Hyundai did wrong.

You are all comparing it to Dodges and low end crap when trying to give it a chance. For the fist crack at the luxury market this single fact already means a compleat defeat.

They will still be reduced to wannabees that aren't there but are hugely discounted in comparison to first tiers.

I don't think this is what they were hoping or dreaming for when drawing first designs years ago.

I took another look at the pictures and with this interior as on the pics they cannot be serious. It looks like a cheap old japanese car with cheap aftermarket fake plastics glued on the dash and steering wheel.

No one will buy a luxury Huyndai. Besides the ridiculous body roll their cars exhibit, the just dont have any experience building good cars. and someone being able to afford luxury will spend a few bcks more to get a more established brand.

Word on the street says we are all actually wrong here at Torquereport about this car. I've been listening to some wires at Hyundai, and well, it seems we cannot exactly say what this car is for sure.

I guess we will have to wait for the test drives, but the Genesis, I am told, might not be under the Hyundai logo at all...

but it will have 'corinthian leather'

re: SVT's comments on Hyundai body roll - Not flaming you, but when's the last time you drove a Hyundai? No, they don't handle like a BMW 5 series - they aren't built to, nor are they touted to.

Hyundai is (finally) building solid, dependable, well-engineered, comfortable cars. They don't tout their brand to the performance crowd. We have a 2007 Sonata and a 2006 Azera and I can tell you - body roll has been brought under control in both vehicles. Granted, it was a serious handling issue in earlier models, even up through the 2005 model year on some platforms, but their engineers have finally started doing their homework.

It's important to bear in mind that US & European drivers have a significantly different driving style than you would find in Korea, China & Japan. Incomes there have been traditionally much lower, and their infrastructure is significantly less developed than ours, with many fewer drivers of new cars. Traffic congestion also contributes greatly to their driving experience - it's difficult to put your car into an S-curve at a high rate of speed when you have 47 cars ahead of you, all moving at 30mph - body roll isn't much of an issue in that instance, so it wasn't really considered as critical to the earlier designs.

And to those who are overly (IMHO) critical of the conceptual interior design photos - bear in mind that the interior was designed for the Asian market, not for the US. The steering wheel will likely come over with the standard Hyundai logo badging, rather than the agreed-upon hideous design shown in the concept photos.

These guys know what they are doing. I sold a Mercedes to buy the Azera that is my daily driver - after spending in excess of $20K in maintenance and repairs on that car over the 14 years I drove it, the cost of ownership was just too high. And this was a dependable 300D turbodiesel. It never left me stranded; it just cost me a bloody fortune to keep the A/C running, routine maintenance and service, and replacing interior trim parts. 338K miles, still used no oil, original transmission - dependable as heck, but just costly to maintain. I've had the Hyundai for almost 2 years now - still haven't spent more than $200 on it for maintenance, including oil changes & tire rotations. And with a 10 year powertrain warranty, 5 year bumper to bumper, I probably won't spend $3K on it over the total 10 years, if I keep it that long.

Only one complaint about it - the carpeting is a bit thin - it looks nice, just seems a bit shy in weight. Everything else about this car, I like. Comfortable, quiet, well built, solid - excellent value for the money. And I can tell you this much - I'm seeing more new Sonatas on the road than I am Camrys, Accords, or other mid-size sedans. Also have noticed a considerable increase in Azera visibility, as well... so quite a few people other than myself, must like them.

unlike other luxury cars, this interior ... sucks. to set a good precedent, they hafta bring more to the table. with that said, it'll be hard to succeed in luxury, with a hyundai badge. people are creatures of habit, and with a ew badge, it'll create more opportunities. good luck to hyundai. they've fixed their reputation drastically, so who knows.

Yes, so much complaining. Let's hear it from the obsessive-compulsive whigners. Folks who have this funny, strangely-begotten belief that every 'cool' car made in the 21st century should have a plastic interior surfaced to look like machined aluminum... and, probably, that the exhaust should all be straight-pipe cat-back setup that sounds suspiciously like a rice burner (that huge tail on the back of my Civic adds 5 horsepower!). If you don't know what a luxury car is or does, I can't fathom why you'd consider your unfounded and irrelevant opinion worth uttering ANYWHERE...

So here we have Hyundai, putting together an elegant, understated, perhaps moderately derivative, but ultimately very attractive and ostensibly INCREDIBLY well-engineered car. Big wheels, stiff frame, brand new high-performance V8, rear wheel drive, 6-speed ZF transmission, attractive and well-thought-out interior, and depending upon the final specs (curb weight, power, torque, leg room, cabin volume, trunk volume) is either a pot-shot at E-class/GS/5-series, or at S-class/LS/7-series. It's a credible entry in the market from everything I have seen and read; and if it improves upon the power, handling and ride of my wife's Azera, it WILL be a credible entry. I question the credibility - if not the sanity - of anyone who complains because it has aesthetic and mechanical qualities of a group of cars that range from 200% to 350% of this one's sticker price.

You tell me where I can buy a brand new, loaded 550i or GS430 with a 10-year powertrain warranty for $38k and I'll eat my words, one letter at a time.

And you show me who else (MB, Lexus, BMW, Acura, Audi) is making such dramatic and revolutionary improvements in engineering, quality, design, fit & finish, almost overnight, and I'll gladly leave the incessant whigners in peace.

Kudos to Hyundai. Keep making improvements like this and they'll swing with Toyota in another 8-10 years. And I'll definitely be at the front of the line to buy a V8 Genesis sedan the second it lands in America.

As the ower of Infiniti M45, this is obviously copy of M series of Infiniti, inside and outside. Hyundai is targetting $60K of this piece of car and obviously it won't work. I'm very much dissapointed on their R&D.