2008 Hyundai Tiburon Se Coupe 2-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Hyundai launches crate engine program with 2.0L four and 3.8L V6

With all the commotion about the aftermarket going on at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Hyundai's timing for this announcement is just perfect - the South Korean brand will launch its first crate engine program.
Starting with the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder and the 3.8-liter V6 from the Genesis Coupe, the program should push Hyundai even further in to the performance realm. Two versions of the 2.0-liter will be available at first - a $4,500 version, that's ready for its owner to bolt on a turbo of their choosing, or a $6,000 version, which includes the turbo and all its plumbing. Hyundai claims the cheaper version was designed with the aftermarket specifically in mind, as it allows tuners to easily fit larger turbos while spending less coin for parts that will just be tossed. The 3.8-liter V6 will cost $9,000.
"As more Genesis Coupes have entered the pre-owned enthusiast market since its 2009 launch, we've witnessed strong interest in leveraging the low cost potential of this rear-drive platform and its powertrains for the tuner market and motorsports. Now, with our new crate engine program, Hyundai is making it more affordable for these same enthusiasts to modify their Genesis Coupe, or perhaps inject some high-value horsepower into other platforms," said Hyundai's North American president and CEO, John Krafcik.

Hyundai to launch European performance sub-brand

Hyundai has quickly emerged from the sidelines as one of the biggest players in the industry, outselling rivals left, right and center. Still, a dedicated performance division is still something that separates it from the big boys. Now, according to the latest reports, that's just what it's getting.
After setting up its own Nürburgring test center and gearing up to launch its assault on the World Rally Championship, the next step in the ramping up of Hyundai's performance credentials - in Europe, especially - will reportedly be to set up its own performance division along the lines of what Nissan has done with Nismo.
The first product in Hyundai's new European performance portfolio is expected to be a version of the next i20 hatchback that's set to launch in 2015. That in turn will be used as the basis for the company's next WRC challenger, to replace the upcoming model, pictured above undergoing testing. After that it's anyone's guess, but performance versions of the Veloster, Genesis Coupe and Elantra could be in the cards.

Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

It was just nine months ago that Strategic Vision announced its 2011 Total Value Awards, but you don't have to wait until next year for the 2012 awards. The Volkswagen Group keeps its lead as the number one brand, with seven products taking top category spots: Golf, Jetta Wagon, CC, Eos and Audi A3 Wagon, Q5 and Q7. Strategic Vision says "true innovation" - "rich and impactful, intuitive, motivational, in-depth and is able to trigger description by the user in great specificity" - is the open secret of the brands with the strongest showings. Results are culled from 77,153 owners covering more than 350 new cars bought between September of 2011 and 2012 ranked in the Total Value Index (TVI).
Other notable winners are Hyundai-Kia following VW in the brand category and having the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Sorento among category winners, the BMW Z4 taking the premium roadster category and the highest overall score of any vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt continuing to gather silverware in the Special Category, nabbing the second-highest score of all and representative of "nearly perfect innovation," and Chrysler and Dodge being most improved.
Check out the press release below for your day's dose of jargon and all the winners.