Hyundai will launch two new coupes by 2009. The first will be front wheel drive and will replace the current Coup� SIII. This is be based off the i30 and will look alot like the Veloster. Expect the same radical design, including the shooting brake-style rear end and squat, wide body, although the glass roof may be lost for safety reasons. Engine options will include the 1.6 and 2.0-litre engines also used in the i30, with a diesel model still being considered.
As part of Hyundai�s new brand restructuring, the next Coup� will remain in the same price range as the current model (which starts at �15,700) without compromising the level of quality which has been set by the new �i� cars; it hasn�t yet been decided if that nomenclature will appear on the coup�.
Hyundai is confident that the new, more premium coup�s price won�t rise because it will not come with a V6 engine option � as the current model does.
The second coupe is likely to be the Genesis Coup�. The plan is to introduce an entirely different, more performance-focused coup� based on the rear-wheel-drive, 350bhp V6 Genesis coup� concept that was unveiled at the 2007 Los Angeles show. This would be Hyundai�s answer to the Nissan 350Z, and would be available with the concept�s V6; the V8 from the Genesis saloon concept is also being considered.
The Genesis coup� has not yet been confirmed for the UK, but Tony Whitehorn, MD of Hyundai UK, maintains that Hyundai �must have a sports car as its halo model�.
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