Hyundai Puts the Genesis Touch on a Surprising Vehicle

There have been images of a new Hyundai caught testing in South Korea with looks inspired by the 2015 Genesis – and it needs to come to the U.S. for the automaker to be considered a full line brand along the line of Mercedes-Benz.

Dubbed the Hyundai Transporter by AutoEvolution.com, the vehicle is a multi-passenger van along the lines of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Heads spin at what adding this vehicle to the U.S. lineup could do to launch a Genesis brand in the United States.

Hyundai has long proclaimed that it's not going to be a full-line manufacturer in the U.S. because it doesn't have pickups – but it's never vocally denied it might get into the passenger van and cargo van business. After all, there is increasing demand for right-sized cargo vehicles and it would be easy enough to convert it into a passenger van.

What better way to build brand awareness than to slap it on the front of vans that prowl the countryside? Plus, it opens up Hyundai to develop the second marquee that some think it needs to succeed (like Toyota did by creating Lexus).

According to AutoEvolution, "As a touch of class, the Hyundai Transporter will feature plenty of chromed trim, optional LED daytime running lights and indicators relocated to either the mirrors or the headlights. Once it enters production, probably within a year, the Korean van will go up against popular models like the Mercedes Sprinter or the Renault Master. Power should come from an EU6-compliant 2.5-liter CRDi, similar to the one in the H1 and producing 170 hp."

There's not too much detail available on the Hyundai Transporter now (maybe I'll just call it the Genesis Transporter) but it should be an expanded version of the Hyundai iMax that has won "Best People Mover" for five years in a row by the Australian equivalent of AAA. The Transporter has the same powerplant as the iMax.