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We visit Hyundai's Nurburgring test center

Understanding the achievement and the message of Hyundai Motor Group having a European Technical Center at the Nurburgring might be easier if we look at what Hyundai has done in the US. In 1985 Hyundai Motor America set up shop in California. The first car sold here was the 1986 Excel, a rebodied Mitsubishi Mirage with a Hyundai interior treatment. This was the first Mirage, which also served as the Chrysler Colt in hatchback form and circled back as the Mitsubishi Precis so Mitsu could get around Japanese automakers' voluntary export quotas of the time. The Excel made such an impression on reviewers and buyers that in Car and Driver's 1986 review they wrote that "'astounding' is not too strong word" to describe the company's progress, and said, "Our guess is that Hyundai will be a major force in the US car market almost from the moment it opens its doors." Hyundai sold 168,882 Excels in the US in its first year, back when the Ford F-Series led all comers with 544,969 sales. That's what happened. The company sold 168,882 Excels in the US in its first year, back when the Ford F-Series led all comers with 544,969 sales, the Chevrolet Celebrity came second of all vehicles with 408,946 sales, the Honda Accord seventh with 325,004 sales. The Excel sold even better the following year, and the year after that. Three years on, buyers began to discover that one of the things the Excel did best was disintegrate. It's been called "fantastically crappy," Popular Mechanics would later say the Excel "deserved to fail," and they decomposed so thoroughly that you'll have a hard time finding one in any junkyard. Buyers got so allergic to the Flying H badge that sales declined for ten consecutive years. By 1999, when Hyundai's model range was four times larger than it had been in 1986 – Accent, Elantra, Sonata, Tiburon – the brand sold just 90,217 cars in the US. Two important things happened around that nadir. In 1998, as a way of reassuring potential customers, Hyundai became the first automaker to introduce a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. In 1999, Mong-Koo Chung became the CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, promoted from 11 years as CEO of Hyundai Motor Service, a role that put him in charge of global warranty claims. Having spent all those years of his life wading through that carnage, he swore when he took the top spot that he'd get the situation fixed. In 2014 the JD Power Initial Quality Survey ranked Hyundai the leading non-premium brand.

Where is Hyundai's upscale Genesis brand going, and what is it, anyway?

"Genesis is the beginning, where everything sprung from. That's where the light is, and that's where we see ourselves." Manfred Fitzgerald. A genesis is an origin story, a new start. So when Hyundai had accomplished its original mission of achieving near parity with the top Japanese marques in the middle-class car market and decided to attempt to move upscale into the profitable luxury automotive sector a few years ago, it made some sense that this was the moniker it bestowed to its spinoff brand. "Genesis is the beginning, where everything sprung from," says Manfred Fitzgerald, the global brand chief. "That's where the light is, and that's where we see ourselves." But now that genesis has turned to germination. A pair of production sedans have been launched, the G80 and G90 luxo-barges. A smaller, 3 Series-fighting sedan, the G70, was previewed as a concept in last year's New York Auto Show. And now, last week in New York, the brand showed something in the all-important crossover category, the GV80. Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, it's a look ahead at what Genesis' SUV line could be like, though the fuel-cell element faces hurdles. View 2 Photos "We have great resources with our brand partners in fuel-cell technology, so when it came to alternative propulsion, this was a natural," says Fitzgerald. "Not just for the US market, but looking at this globally, this is the best technology, but there are a lot of pain points to overcome, especially in terms of infrastructure." Genesis has promised us a handful more cars by 2020, including a coupe and another crossover. Expansion into additional vehicle realms ought to help flesh things out a bit. Though the brand can't really flesh things out any less. Only Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Smart, and Bentley sold fewer cars so far this year, and two of those brands are a century old and Italian, one is a century old and extremely exclusive, and the other is irrelevant in the United States. Given that company, where does that place Genesis? After a recent test drive in a G90, we have to say that we're not sure. The styling is acceptable, if a bit derivative and anodyne. The level of delight is quite lackluster. And the ride is cushy, quiet, and competent, but no better than a contemporary Buick. In a category in which excellence and exquisiteness are the point of entry, what does Genesis represent, what is its category-killing feature or component or capability? "We are known for being audacious.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe joins the SEMA fray

With several tuned rides already headed to the show, Hyundai finishes off this year's slate with a mean-looking Genesis Coupe from Tjin Edition painted in a searing shade of green. The coupe's 3.8-liter V6 gets a Vortech supercharger and front-mounted intercooler to help push the claimed output to over 500 horsepower. A set of KW coilovers and Baer brakes also make sure the coupe handles and stops just as well as it accelerates. Tjin's custom shade of lime green paint will draw attention to this Genesis Coupe at Hyundai's booth. Once attendees get closer, they can check out the car's tweaked front lip, trunk lid, and rear spoiler from Unique Fabrication. Meanwhile, the interior mixes performance and comfort by combining a roll cage and Alea leather upholstery. The Tijn Edition Genesis Coupe will join Hyundai's other offerings at this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas on November 3. TJIN EDITION ROUNDS OUT HYUNDAI'S SEMA LINEUP WITH EXTREME GENESIS COUPE FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Oct. 26, 2015 – Rounding out Hyundai's 2015 SEMA lineup, TJIN Edition RoadShow has revealed details on its convention-defying Genesis Coupe. For Neil Tjin's first official Hyundai vehicle built for SEMA, the builder turned to underground racing for inspiration to create this mad, 500 horsepower racer. The vehicle will be revealed at Hyundai's SEMA press conference on November 3 at 11:30 a.m. PT. At the heart of TJIN's Genesis Coupe is Hyundai's 3.8-liter "Lambda" V6 engine, which has been boosted via a Vortech supercharger kit built by the power gurus from Bisimoto Engineering. With the addition of a free-flowing exhaust system, Vortech front mount intercooler and blow-off valve, the vehicle now produces more than 500 horsepower. With the addition of Rotiform 19-in. 3-piece HUR wheels, custom Baer x CBA Extreme Plus brake calipers and Falklen FK345 tires, the vehicle's stopping power is now on par with its go-fast performance. The vehicle now sits lower on KW coilovers to give a more aggressive stance. Unique Fabrication supplied a custom front lip, rear spoiler and custom trunk lid, and the exterior was finished in a custom Kylie Tjin Axalta green paint job. "The Tjin Edition Hyundai Genesis is the perfect mix of speed and style," said Neil Tjin, president, TJIN Edition RoadShow.