Wow, I can't believe Hyundai is going to produce a rear wheel drive V8 car!


Edit: Opps, I may have posted this under an incorrect thread! :) Sorry guys!

 

I bet i wont sell to well..If your in the market for a V8 powered rear wheel drive car, i dont think you will look to Hyundai.

Is it going to tyry to compete with like a Dodge Charger(the one with the Hemi of course), or like a Lexus LS460?? Hmm it will be intresting to see how it does, if they even produce it.

 

looks like a crossfire in the front.

 

Yes, they are making it...my neighbor works for Hyundai corporate and brought one home last Weekend...it's all covered up under those nose, tail everything masks...said he had 3 people take pictures on his way home. The inside was very upmarket. He said this one was a V-6, but the V-8 would be available..he wouldn't lift the covers for me, but the overall shape/size is BMW 5 series-ish. Said the back has more of an Infiniti look. I remember the first gen. Hyundais and they were absolute underpowered beer can crap! This was pretty impresive, but then it's been 25 years.......remember how Honda/Toyota started....

 

Its supposed to be a very fuel efficient V8 (? think about that for a second), so don't assume it can drag against a GT or something. Its for Hyundia commercials, to say "it has a V8 too, just like lexus and BMW".

Just remember, every car Hyundia will make for the next decade or so, will be an attempt at putting their name on the map with the big dogs while slowly improving there cars to the level of competition. Look how long it has taken them to produce a car like the sonata, their first normal car with decent quality. Its all about PR.

 

Yeah when I think of a V8 Musclecar.... I just don't see a Hyundai :D They better get it right the first time or they are going to get laughed right out of North America :p

 

Honda and Toyota both had 4/6 cylinder cars with mostly front wheel drive and they still stick to that. Now, 25 years later their cars are getting much nicer than the economy cars they originally brought over but they aren't doing a 180 from their normal cars. When I think Hyundai I think crappy quality 4cylinders FWD cars not luxury 8cyl RWD cars. They have a huge mindset to change.

 

You guys are too young to remember in the late 1980s when Toyota and Nissan announced that they were respectively bringing out a car to beat the Merc W126/S class........and the Infinity Q and Lexus LS were born.

Guess who had the last laugh when they were not hit with the gas guzzler tax and were less than 2/3 the cost of a Merc S, Jag XJ, BMW 7, etc.

And in 1989 or so, C/D had a mass review of these cars compared to the European cars listed above and even the Cadillac Seville. As much as C/D hated to do it, guess which cars came out on top, and the Caddy was last.

 

i hoper hyundai goes out of business, some gross ass cars

 

Yea, but Honda, Toyota, and Nissan had the good sense to come up with a new brand name (Acura, Lexus, Infinty). People (espeically Americans) don't want to but a $50k car that has the same hood ornament as a $12k car. It's a painfull lesson that VW learned with the Phaeton a couple of years back. I'm afriad Hyundai is making the same mistake.

 

Maybe, but the Phaeton was priced like a high end Porsche. If there is one thing Hyundai has proven, people will sell out like sheep if you underprice the competition.

 

I don't know. My buddy bought a Hyundai Azera. 2007 model. I LOVE IT! This thing is a super car albeit has a Hyundai name. What's in a name anyway? I used to worry about going to big places to shop for clothes but if they all look the same and fit well, then I got to Target!

The Azera has automatically folding mirrors when he parks, a rear shade like BMW, leather interior with heated seats, dual climate, great looking wood dash. The thing looks like an upscale car. Even the wheels are 17" alloys. He paid total $27K for something that other companies would charge $10K-$15K more for.

I understand that for most, a car's name is a status symbol. While it shouldn't be that way, it is. If I didn't like to mod cars so much, I would choose a brand like Hyundai or even Kia. Their "Higher end" cars are coming up in the world while costing $30K or under. But it is like most people are saying...Who wants to buy a Hyundai? Between the standard warranty and the features of the Azera...I would!

Kris

 

I drove an 03 Hyundai Tiburon GT before my new red Fit Sport and I must say it was a really fun car to drive. I never had any problems with it, either.

My wife drives an 02 Santa Fe and it's been a superb vehicle. It's at just over 70k miles and had no major problems. In fact, it's run just fine with basic maintenance. It came with a whole slew of features, like heated leather seats, 4 wheel ABS, traction control and has a great ride. It also cost us thousands less than competing brands.

Hyundai's big problem is that it's still trying to overcome the cheap cars of their past.

They're not a name that people associate with high-end cars, however. Maybe we'll see them come out with their own luxury name, like Acura or Lexus. I agree with sortanew...some people just don't want a luxury car that has the same logo as an Accent.

 

I'm definately not bashing Hyundai... they build some great cars. The current Sonata and Azera are both great cars (no fun, but neither are their competitors...Accord and Camry), and I'de take a Tiburon over an Eclipse any day. There are even a couple of things I prefer about the Accent over my Fit.
I just think that if this thing is supposed to be a high end luxury car (like an LS, S class, 7 series, etc), they're gona have a hard time selling it. There is NOTHING that makes a 745Li worth its price tag. It's bigger, smoother, faster... better than my Fit in every way (except fuel economy), but it's not 500% better, only 500% more expensive. People buy those cars as status symbols, not because they have any practical need for them. And a Hyundai grill just doesn't fit with the status symbol image.

 

Also, if they are targeting a sportier, more downscale market... like the Charger, '09 Camaro, etc; I think they are missing the boat there too (so are GM and Chrysler). The original Camaro, Mustang, Charger were not huge successes because they were the most powerful cars on the market (they were actually the econo-cars of the day). They were successful because they were AFFORDABLE by the masses, light (by standards of the day), and fun to drive. That's a bit over-simplistic, but mostly accurate.
If Hyundai is after that market, they should be giving us a light weight, RWD, i4 powered car in the $20k neighborhood.
I suppose American crash test requirements make that nearly impossible...

 

I don't know if GM and Chrysler are really missing the point. While the cars may have started out as the econo-cars, now they have grown into status symbols and part of nostalgia. People now think of the Camaro and Charger as powerful fast cars. They would be willing to pay more because most of the people now have the extra money to buy them. I think they will be moderately successful.

As for Hyundai, as sort said, that type of car people buy for the status of buying a BMW or Merc. Buying a Hyundai is more of a stigma these days than a status symbol. They would be much better served as Toyota and Honda did in spinning the car into a new "luxury Hyundai" line. I heard the quote before "Nobody wants to buy a $50,000 Honda but they will gladly buy a $50,000 Acura".

 

I'm not an economist, but basic economics dictates that if you build a car that is priced out of reach of the "Average" person, you won't sell many of them. Considering that the average income in America is somewhere around $50k (for a household, not individual) and that the average houshold has 2 working adults and 1 child... $40k is well out of their reach. GM will definately sell some Camaros. The first 3 months will be great, but after that, everyone who wants one AND can afford one will already have one.

Look back at the sports cars that have really become iconic.
The early 240-280 Z's.. not the bloated $30k 300Z tt, or even worse, the 350Z
1st gen RX7, not the RX8 terd
Mustang and Camaro (not really sports cars' but I'll give them the benefit of doubt), not the 80's and 90's models when they were practically the only V8's on the market
1st and 2nd gen Eclipse (not the 2 door gallant that they call an eclipse now)
CRX (again, not a sports car, but definately sporty), not the s2k (which is a truely magnificent sportscar)
1st and 2 gen GTI's, but not the R32

All of these cars were priced so that a 20something with a decent job could (with a few sacrifices) afford to buy one.
The M3's, S4's, NSX's, GTO's get a lot of magazine cover time, but they don't sell very many of them.

 

they're hoping it'll be a lexus fighter for them that's all, not saying it won't sell or anything who knows. what i do know is that whenever i see a hyundai commercial comparing one of their cars to a lexus or whatever and their car has the "better value" or whatnot i'm always thinking and which one would i still rather drive? the lexus...

 

I had a friend buy a 2000 Hyundai Accent GS (back in 2000) and it was gutless and the interior was crap! I really have to admit after taking a look at a few newer models the one thing that strikes me is how much attention to detail has been put into them lately.

I would say if they do this car right and it really is 300hp with a lighter body and a decent suspension setup they are going to sell them like hot cakes. Then again I am sure because their target is mass-market-north-america you won't be seeing a manual tranny in this car! lol, throw it into the useless pile with the rest of the slushbox only "sports/muscle" sedans :D (jk)

 

Who's your neighbor? I work for hyundai corporate, in IT, i've probably talked to him on the phone countless times...regardless, yeah they're making it, should a beast of a car