Hyundai Busts Out With Engine Upgrades

Looking forward to seeing the new models!

Hyundai Motor America already can't keep much of anything on its dealer lots for more than a few days, but the surging South Korean automaker is blasting off with a raft of major engine upgrades for its existing models that not only hike the horsepower game but generally deliver better fuel economy, too. Coupe lovers move to the front of the line, as much of the action (at least that we're allowed to talk about so far) centers on the sporty corner of Hyundai's busy showrooms.

At a media event here last week to detail the power plant upgrades, Hyundai officials said the company isn't letting up on its emphasis on engines that help vehicles achieve a 40-mpg highway rating (Hyundai claims the most in the industry), but said there's still plenty of engineering ability to improve fuel economy — or keep it the same — while squeezing out more power. Case in point is the new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and 3.8-liter V6 for the 2013 Genesis Coupe. At an event in Korea today, Hyundai confirmed a 30-percent power upgrade for the 2.0-liter turbo, taking it to 275 horsepower (or a little less in U.S.-spec rating) from today's 210 horses, while EPA fuel economy ratings are expected to stay the same.

For the Genesis Coupe's 3.8-liter V6, power is leaping from the current 283 hp to 350, largely thanks to the addition of direct fuel injection and other design upgrades, while fuel economy remains effectively unchanged. The Genesis Coupe V6 upgrades effectively mirror those Hyundai's already detailed for the 2012 Genesis sedan, but credit some of the Coupe's efficiency gains to a new eight-speed gearset for autobox cars.

Meanwhile, Hyundai executives also spoke again about the 2012 Veloster three-door coupe offering a turbocharged variant of the car's 1.6-liter "Gamma" four-cylinder. The rip, though, is that the company still won't be specific about exact horsepower and torque ratings. The compression ratio drops from 11:1 to 9.4:1 for the turbo, which uses a twin-scroll turbine to minimize turbo lag, and one Hyundai executive said it's logical to assume the turbo Gamma will be endowed with markedly more than 100 hp per liter. The Veloster's normally aspirated 1.6-liter job makes 138 horses, so our guess for the Veloster turbo is an output in the range of 175-180 hp. Hyundai sources admit the conventional Veloster is a lukewarm performer, so the turbo engine definitely is required equipment to bump the edgy coupe's street cred.

The company also showed a coupe version of the silly-popular Elantra compact car, which seems to emphasize the Elantra's signature sharp body side crease. That car will first be unveiled to the public at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show in February, while president and CEO John Krafcik also said there will be a five-door Elantra variant, too, although it's not decided if the car will carry the previous-generation five-door Elantra's "Touring" name. Don't expect any performance differentiation for the Elantra coupe, Krafcik contends. At least not at first. But given the freedom with which Hyundai's bolting on turbochargers and optimizing other engines for fuel economy, don't rule out some sort of Honda Civic Si-baiting upgrade for the popular Elantra in the near future.

Inside Line says: Hyundai's rise has been meteoric in the everyman market. Now it's setting its sights on becoming more tempting to the performance-oriented buyer.

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