Hyundai Genesis Coupe Coming 2012

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Hyundai Australia granted wish for rear-wheel-drive Genesis Coupe. But Genesis sedan out.

Hyundai will target driving enthusiasts rather than budget buyers for the first time in Australia after confirming it will import the company's rear-wheel-drive Genesis Coupe.

The sporty two-door could go on sale locally as early as 2012 as the brand seeks to attract younger buyers with a more aspirational product.

The boss of Hyundai Motor Company, Steve S Yang, seems to have ruled out the rear-wheel-drive Genesis sedan for Australia, which has V6 and V8 variants and is part of the brand's experiment to see if it can appeal to buyers of luxury cars such as BMWs and Audis.

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"The right-hand-drive [RHD] coupe will be available for Australia and other RHD countries. But at the moment we don't have any plans for the RHD Genesis sedan [for Australia]," he says.

"We are trying our best to meet the customers' needs all over the world but we have to think about profitability. Yes, we know there is a market for the RHD sedan for Australia, and maybe Singapore, Hong, Kong, South Africa. In total, how many of the RHD do you think we can sell? Maybe we can sell 1000 to 2000 to Australia."

He concedes the niche coupe version of the Genesis will probably sell even fewer cars, but emphasised Hyundai's desire to appeal to younger buyers.

"We know there are customers looking for this segment. Total volume will be very small but we are very interested in developing the RHD Coupe."

The Genesis Coupe is the spiritual successor to the Tiburon coupe that sold in Australia until last year, though the Tiburon was smaller and front-wheel drive. The Genesis Coupe sells in the US and Korean markets with a choice of a turbocharged 4-cylinder or 3.3-litre V6 engines.

Drive tested the Coupe in South Korea last year with mixed impressions.

His support for a right-hand-drive version of the Genesis coupe - which could arrive in Australia as early as next year - gives Hyundai's Australian arm an opportunity to install a halo performance car in its range to complement the smaller Veloster coupe that will comes to Australia later this year.

"We've been pushing for a Genesis product for some time, so it's good news that we're going to be getting a Genesis model in Australia," says Hyundai Australia spokesman Ben Hershman.

"It's been a desirable element because Genesis represents the progression of the brand, just like Veloster does. It's not just about building cars that offer great value in large numbers, it's about creating cars that excite people and bring people into Hyundai dealerships who are looking for an aspirational product. And that's something that we need in our mix in Australia."