The latest Hyundai concept car, set to bow March 28 at the Seoul Motor Show, hints that the Korean automaker may want to enter the premium coupe segment. As proof, witness Hyundai’s grandiose description of the HND-9 concept as, “a modern reinterpretation of the elegant image of a classic premium sports coupe.”
Unlike the Hyundai HCD-14 sedan concept shown in Detroit, the HND-9 has but two upward-opening doors. The cars nose and tail are narrow and sloped, while a cantilevered roof descends dramatically into a small rear windshield. Massively flared fenders accommodate enormous turbine-look wheels. The rounded-bracket shapes of the headlights and running lights are echoed by the taillights. Inside, Hyundai looks to have sculpted a wrap-around dashboard with a center stack canted toward the driver.
The concept uses a direct-injection, turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6 engine good for 365 hp. An eight-speed automatic transmission directs power to the rear wheels. The HND-9 was designed at Hyundai’s R&D center in Namyang, South Korea.
Although the HND-9 is merely a concept, it shows Hyundai is interested in developing a luxury coupe. Such a model could potentially be derived from the next-generation Genesis sedan. We’ll learn more next when the Hyundai HND-9 concept is fully revealed in Seoul.
Source: Hyundai
