The redesigned 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan will be unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai confirmed for Edmunds.
"You will see the Genesis at the Detroit auto show," Hyundai Motor America's Brandon Ramirez told Edmunds during a drive program here.
Ramirez is senior group manager of product planning.
While Ramirez did not provide details about the new Genesis, other sources say the car will receive new exterior styling based on an evolution of Hyundai's fluidic sculpture design language.
Additionally, the new Genesis sedan will have a richer-looking interior, sportier ride, and for the first time, an all-wheel-drive option. The strategy is an overall effort to woo buyers from German brands.
The Korean automaker aimed the current generation Genesis sedan at BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class buyers, but few of those buyers came on board. The redesigned Genesis sedan is expected to address shortcomings in terms of handling and ride performance. The all-wheel-drive option will be aimed at buyers residing in cold climates who shunned the current car because of the rear-drive configuration.
All-wheel drive has caught on with BMW owners, especially those dealing with snow and ice. Earlier this month, BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch told Edmunds that about 50 percent of the BMWs sold in the United States are equipped with all-wheel drive and that the number is expected to grow.
In terms of styling, Hyundai spokesman Derek Joyce told Edmunds that despite the name, the HCD-14 Genesis concept unveiled at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show "is not the next Genesis. (But) you will see hints of that design in future products." He did not elaborate.
The HCD-14 Genesis is a large concept, in fact, slightly larger than Hyundai's biggest and most expensive sedan, the Equus. A comparison of dimensions between the Equus and HCD-14 Genesis shows that the concept is 1.6 inches longer than the Equus and 3.3 inches wider.
The HCD-14's styling suggests that Hyundai will tone down the exterior styling of its future vehicles, such as the 2015 Genesis sedan, adopting a conservative stance compared to the 2011 Sonata. That Sonata debuted the automaker's dramatic fluidic sculpture design language that has been adopted for the Elantra, Accent, Santa Fe and other Hyundai models. According to Hyundai, that design language mixes the interplay of natural, fluid elements with more rigid surfaces and structures to create the illusion of constant motion.
Hyundai is not abandoning its fluidic sculpture design language, Joyce said.
"Design is constantly evolving, all design is," he said. "The desire is to always look to enhance and provide freshness to design, but it is not a change from our general overall theme of fluidic sculpture."
--Courtesy of Edmunds
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