Hyundai Presents First Look at Next-Gen Genesis

SEOUL – Hyundai releases its first official renderings of its redesigned Genesis luxury sedan, due to go on sale during first-quarter 2014. A redesigned Genesis coupe is expected to debut about a year later.

This is the first major redo of the automaker’s flagship, which went on sale in the U.S. in July 2008.

Genesis U.S. sales totaled 21,889 units in the first full calendar year of 2009, rising steadily to 33,973 last year, according to WardsAuto data. So far this year, Hyundai has delivered 25,117 of the cars in the U.S. Those figures include both the sedan, which is offered with a V-8 engine, and the V6-powered coupe.

The new car is the first to use Hyundai's second-generation Fluidic Design language, which translates into a more coupe-like appearance for the 4-door model. Renderings show a much more chiseled exterior, with bolder character lines carved into the hood and fascia and sweeping along the sides in a dramatic arc from front to back.

Fenders bulge at the wheels to provide the sedan with a more menacing road presence. A sharply sloping roofline and slimmer taillamp design transform the rear end into more of a fastback, rather than notchback, design.

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