If there’s one model that has single-handedly changed customer perceptions about Korean cars in general, and the Hyundai group specifically, it’s the Genesis mid-size premium sedan, which proved that the company was finally ready to look German and Japanese rivals straight in the eyes.
The fact that the press and consumers have warmly received the Genesis puts a lot more pressure to Hyundai for its replacement, a futuristic glimpse of which we had with the HCD-14 Concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
Hyundai’s goal with the second-generation model is to improve the formula all around, offering the Genesis with a more dashing and sharper-looking exterior loosely inspired by the HCD-14, a better quality interior with more attention to styling details and wider options, which for the first time, will include all-wheel drive.
Carscoops’ Josh Byrnes has already made a drawing of the Genesis Mk2 based on the exterior spy shots if you’d like to see what the premium sedan will look like, and now, our photographers have captured close up pictures of the car’s interior.
The styling of the dashboard is less swoopy and more serious-looking in a European kind of way, compared to the current version. In fact, leaving aside the analogue clock, many details like the controls on the center stack for the audio, navigation and heating systems, and the automatic gearbox lever, bring to mind…certain German creations. The array of buttons set on the left-hand side of the dashboard, though, are clearly influenced by Japanese ergonomics and styling.
Engine-wise we expect the new Genesis to broadly mirror the current model with uprated versions of the 3.8-liter V6 and 5.0-liter V8 units. However, there’s also the possibility Hyundai could add its upcoming 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 to the lineup as well.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
PHOTO GALLERY
