A Korean Lexus?

Source: http://www.egmcartech.com/

Can you guess what kind of car is pictured above?

Infiniti, Lexus, BMW you might think, but it's actually the new Hyundai Genesis. The car should be at your local Hyundai dealer and the Korean manufacturer hopes to take a chunk out of the above-named luxury carmakers' sales. Does it have the right features to compete amongst the S-Classes, 750's, and LS's? Wood accents, heated seats, navigation with live traffic updates, and adaptive cruise control (which is coming soon), it's all there and a loaded V-8 example will cost about $42,000.

"A V-8 in a Hyundai?" you ask.

Yes, the new Tau V-8 in which Hyundai spent over 4 years and $260 million developing puts out 368 horsepower and should be plenty of power for the new Genesis. The real question is: Will the Genesis really make waves that Hyundai hopes it will? My prediction is not exactly, at least not on our shores. You see with the weakening dollar, the current state of the economy, and with Hyundai opting to sell the flagship in their own dealerships it will be a tough sell even for cross-shoppers. Sure the styling is unique and tasteful, and the price is perfect to have people make a double-take, but unless Hyundai can get the marketing right, Lexus buyers and Mercedes shoppers wouldn't be caught dead in a Hyundai dealership. That factor alone is why Mazda gave up on trying to compete with Lexus and Infiniti back in the 90's. Good luck Hyundai!