High-Performance Hyundai

Just seven months ago Hyundai wowed the crowd at the New York Auto Show with the introduction of the Genesis Sedan concept. The premium rear-wheel-drive sedan was designed to go head to head with the luxury offerings from BMW and Mercedes, and company officials say they'll premiere the production version in January 2008 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

When the rear-wheel-drive architecture was revealed in New York, the rumors began flying about the next Tiburon becoming a rear-wheel-drive sports car. These rumors were recently put to rest at the L.A. show when John Krafcik, the vice president of product development and strategic planning at Hyundai, took the stage. He told the assembled journalists that Tiburon would remain front-wheel drive, and the next generation of the sporty coupe would be introduced soon.

But the rumors of a rear-wheel-drive coupe were true-Krafcik pulled the wraps off an all-new Genesis Coupe Concept. The sleek sports coupe will have the power to back up its good looks with a new 3.8-liter V6 pumping out 300-plus horsepower.

"Concept Genesis Coupe is the most thrilling, most emotional Hyundai yet," said Krafcik. "When it hits the market in early 2009, we aim to deliver a driving experience that challenges cars like Infiniti G37, at prices more like Mitsubishi Eclipse."

While this is most definitely a concept, Krafcik told us that it's about 90 percent of what the final production version will look like when it debuts at the 2008 New York Auto Show.

Hyundai is on a roll, and 2008 may be the Korea-based automaker's most important year yet.