Hyundai Blog

More and more spy photos of the upcoming Hyundai Portico crossover have been popping up all over the web in the past week. As usual, the car is covered with heavy camouflage, so seeing the real exterior design, is something that its forbidden for now.

How about the interior? It remained a well kept secret, until today. Spy photographers have managed take a few images of Porticos interior and Leftlane published them in its latest series of spy shots.

Hyundai has been developing the Portico under the PO codename. This exciting crossover vehicle will be ready to hit the dealers in the second half of next year. It was reported that Portico is going to be built in Hyundais American plant in Alabama, and we can add that the estimated production will be close to 100.000 units.

The 2010 Portico will also be exported to Europe and other countries around the world, where it will replace the 7-seat Trajet. Hyundai expects to sell 30,000 units in USA and 70,000 units overseas.

But the Portico is not the only crossover Hyundai has been developing. We got an inside information that Hyundai engineers are working on a smaller CUV, codenamed FS, and it should be released early in 2010. At the moment, there are no spy shots available as the vehicle is still in the early stage of development. The FS will reportedly get many styling cues from HED-2 concept car that Hyundai introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor show. [Source: Leftlane]

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Various automotive websites reported today, that Hyundai Motor Co. might be bringing the i10 model to United States. An inside Hyundai source, who asked not to be identified, told the Automotive News that the company has been seriously considering to bring its small i10 model to the United States, to meet increasing demand for small and fuel efficient cars.

Reportedly, Hyundai has not made a final decision yet as their experts still study logistic costs and various technical issues, but several prototype models that comply the U.S. safety and emission standards have already been developed. [Source: Automotive news]

I just came across this article and I believe that this is the first comparison test of Hyundai Genesis sedan against any other competitive model. The guys at Edmunds were among the first journalists to get behind the wheel of Genesis sedan and have now decided to be among first to run a comparison test between these two highly acclaimed automobiles: Hyundai Genesis 4,6 and Lexus GS 350.

Here is what they say:

It’s almost hard to write: Lexus vs. Hyundai. That’s the New York Yankees taking on the Albuquerque Isotopes — same game, different leagues. It’s pitting an exalted brand name to which millions aspire, up against the bargain brand millions settle for. And yet despite that, putting the 2008 Lexus GS 350 up against Hyundai’s audacious new 2009 Genesis 4.6 in a luxury sedan throw-down has resulted in one of the closest finishes ever in an Inside Line heads-up comparison test.

Yes, the Hyundai Genesis holds its own quite well against the Lexus GS 350 — without all that pesky prestige.

Wonder who won the test? Lets read the full article and find out.

Earlier this week, we mentioned Hyundai has been secretly developing its most powerful and luxurious sedan, code-named VI, that is about to replace its nine-years-old flagship Equus model. Large number of reports and spy shots that you could have seen at the blog lately, indicated that the Equus successor is entering the final stage of testing and it won’t take long before Hyundai shows it to the public for the first time.

It was speculated that Hyundai plans to bring this model to Korean market sometime early in the next year. We can now confirm that the world premiere is scheduled for February 2009. In addition to the timing of release, we can also show you this exclusive preview of the all new Equus super luxury sedan.

When Equus goes on sale, it will first be available with 5,0L Tau engine, producing between 400 and 420 horsepower. But this will not be the only engine offering that Equus gets. It will also be available with larger V8 engine (5,5L), as well as smaller 4,6L engine, and they will both benefit from cylinder deactivation and a possible integrated supercharger. Reportedly, its top speed will be limited to 250km/h. At the end, we should not forget to mention Equus grew in size and now stands at 5160mm of length, 1900mm of width and has a wheelbase of 3045mm.

Do you still remember the Hyundai Portico show car? Its been more than three years since we last heard of it and we already thought Hyundai will never bring it to production.

It was back in 2005, when Hyundai debuted its crossover concept vehicle, named Portico. This vehicle was an example of the new market segment that Hyundai has been exploring for some time. It was created to provide a look at the future of family transportation.

When the Portico goes into production, it will neither be a sedan nor a sport utility vehicle. Production model will combine the benefits of boths body styles while offering a car like ride. There will be enough place for six people to place comfortably and we have been heard that seats inside the flexible and roomy interior are placed in two rows only, similar to Honda FR-V; three seats in front row and three in second row.

The Portico is expected to be the US only vehicle, therefore we can expect production to be located at Hyundais Alabama factory. It is expected to be offered with a V6 engine, as well as with a hybrid powertrain. It will go on sale shortly after its world premiere that is expected to happen at North American International Auto Show in January next year. [Source: Leftlane]

Hyundai Motor America announced today that it has teamed up with Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) to create the “Art of Speed” Genesis Coupe show car. The Hyundai RMR “Art of Speed” Genesis Coupe 2.0t will be on display at the Hyundai booth at the SEMA show in  Las Vegas from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7, 2008.

The RMR Genesis Coupe will only be one of many Genesis Coupes to be modified by some of the best tuner shops in the world. This RMR developed Genesis Coupe will be a fully functional race car capable of putting the driver in the winner’s circle.

The unique part of this project is that it will be moving art, which is why we named it the “Art of Speed” The focus will be on the engine and a radical body design to complement the factory body lines.

The RMR Genesis Coupe will be powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine with RMR turbo kit for maximum horsepower and torque. It will be equipped with a heavy-duty HKS sequential transmission and a K&W coil over suspension to put that additional power to the ground. The are just some of the planned mechanical modifications to turn the Genesis Coupe into a race car capable of running in the Pikes Pike Hill Climb, Formula D or Redline Time Attack series.

We are going to transform the Genesis Coupe into an apex-carving machine with jaw-dropping looks. We think it has the possibility of being one of the coolest cars at the show says Rhys Millen, professional race driver and founder of RMR.

The RMR Genesis Coupe will be outfitted in a silver and black paint scheme and dominated by a RMR wide body kit, functional hood scoop and a carbon fiber wing. Enkei racing wheels and Bridgestone Protenza RE-01 tires surrounding Brembo brake calipers complete the package. Inside will be a racing cockpit with Sparco steering wheel and seats, eight-point roll cage and a RMR carbon fiber dash. [Source: Lethistorylive ]

Most of the spy shots we have seen so far reveal very little about what the actual production car may look like. Beyond its overall size and general proportions Hyundai has not let us see many exterior design details of its upcoming new compact product called i20.

The rendering above is based on spy shots we have seen about a year ago and borrows style from its little i10 and bigger i30 brothers to forecast what the upcoming production car could look like.

i20 Will make its world premiere at Paris Motor Show in October and will go on sale on December 8.