Hyundai Genesis : Luxury sedan spied in Australia

CarAdvice snapped the Genesis near Hyundai's Sydney headquarters where engineers are currently tuning it for Australian road conditions and customer preferences.

Hyundai Australia public relations general manager Bill Thomas confirmed the local division planned to fine-tune the large luxury sedan’s suspension and steering set-up over the next few months in what he described as “one of the most detailed and intensive local tuning programs we’ve ever done”.

The localisation program is likely to have a sporting skew to emphasise the luxury model’s performance undertones. CarAdvice understands it will be benchmarked against fellow premium large sedans, such as the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

The Hyundai Genesis will go on sale locally in the third quarter of this year powered by a 248kW/394Nm 3.8-litre V6 and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the rear wheels.

Thomas said Hyundai Australia remained interested in offering a 5.0-litre V8 version, but said the powertrain was still yet to be engineered in right-hand drive and therefore remained off the table at this stage.

The Genesis sedan is likely to be offered initially in just one specification, priced in the low- to mid-$50K bracket. It debuted in Detroit last month equipped with features such as a 9.2-inch infotainment screen and rear-passenger entertainment screens, 17-speaker Lexicon stereo, and driver assist systems including adaptive cruise control, head-up display, blind spot detection and lane keep assist.