What the Coming 2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Must Have

There's been a lot of attention on the 2015 Hyundai Genesis that debuts in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show on Jan. 6 but what about the coupe version? If a 2015 Hyundai Genesis coupe is coming - and appears it will in the next five months - it better be packed with the right things.

Most surprisingly, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is not going to need everything the sedan does but there are some touches that are going to be an absolute must. Not having them would render the coupe totally ineffective.

By the way, my informed guess is the 2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is going to be introduced at the New York Auto Show. That's based on the original Hyundai Genesis sedan being introduced at the Detroit Auto Show in 2008 followed three months later by the Genesis Coupe. Just to bring you up to speed, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis is being introduced on Jan. 6 in Las Vegas and again on Jan. 13 in Detroit.

At the top of the list is going to be a powertrain that rocks your socks right off. There will be a choice of two engines in the 2015 Hyundai Genesis sedan: the 3.8-liter DOHC V-6 or the 5.0-liter DOHC V-8. The former produces 333 horsepower @ 6400 rpm and 291 lb-ft of torque @ 5100. The V8, according to estimates, will have 429 hp @ 6400 rpm and 376 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm.

The V6 engine is going to be fine for people who lament the fact that there is not currently a Nissan Altima coupe. But it's the V8 that is going to make the Hyundai Genesis Coupe a true world beater.

Using decidedly unscientific estimates (consider them good guesstimates) a 2015 Hyundai Genesis Coupe with the sedan's V8 engine is going to produce about 444 horsepower and still a relatively measly 376 lb. ft. of torque.

If Hyundai finds a way to pump up the torque for the Genesis Coupe, all of a sudden you have a vehicle that competes with the base Corvette Stingray coupe. Don't scoff. The 2014 Corvette Stingray coupe produces 455 horsepower at 6000 rpm. That's only 11 horsepower more than what I project the 2015 Genesis Coupe could put out.

Of course, the Corvette has about 84 lb. ft. more of torque, which means the Genesis Coupe is going to be staring at a lot of Corvette tail lamps (an admittedly beautiful view). However, you would probably be spending about $12,000 less for a fully contented 2015 Hyundai Genesis coupe and that could be something lots of people could consider for a hot performance coupe.

After all, Hyundai has safety cornered. Now it's time to come out with a Nürburgring blistering coupe.

Along those same lines, especially if Hyundai gets optimistic and benchmarks the 2015 Genesis Coupe against the Audi A5, make that Audi S5, it's absolutely going to have to import the all-wheel drive platform of the Genesis sedan. That would make it a much better handling car than the Corvette in my opinion.

Let's look at the HCD-14 Genesis Concept (pictured above) that was introduced at last year's Detroit Auto Show for a real radical idea. How about a three-door version of the Genesis Coupe, along the lines of the Veloster? I think that would be a styling gamble that would pay off immensely. Plus, it would give the coupe proportional doors that are lighter weight.

Of course, I'm not sure what the reception would be for racing. It might affect structural rigidity to have the doors split into that three-door combination.

Here are some of the other features from the Genesis sedan that the Genesis coupe must have if it's going to be a near-luxury, high performance model:

• Advanced Smart Parking Assist, which is a somewhat clunky name, is not just the standard parallel parking system found on Ford and Lexus cars. It's also going to help you perpendicular park, which is how most of park in the real world.
• Standard head up display for the driver with speed, navigation and cruise control combined. Expect it to be configurable in different ways based on how the Genesis sedan is equipped.
• A smart trunk where you approach your trunk with your hands full of packages and the trunk will open for you automatically.
• Around view monitoring. The multi-camera system lets you see what is happening on all sides of the car. It's immensely helpful in a wide variety of situations.