Coupes shine in Los Angeles

Behind the inevitable talk of environmentally friendly cars at this year’s LA show (with Honda showing the world’s first production fuel-cell car) there were plenty of performance cars to keep enthusiasts happy. Chief amongst these were the Hyundai Concept Genesis Coupe and the Infiniti G37S coupe, both of which promise to combine over 300bhp with affordable prices. And the good news is that at least one of them, possibly both, will be coming to the UK.

As its name suggests, the Hyundai is currently only a concept – the production car gets its first airing at the New York show in April – but insiders told evo that its styling is very close to how the real thing will look.

There will be a choice of two engines at launch: a 3.8-litre V6 with 300bhp (giving a 6sec dash to 60 and a 150mph-plus top speed) or a turbocharged four-cylinder producing 200bhp. But the big news is that the Genesis Coupe will be rear-wheel drive and will come with a limited-slip diff as standard.

Tantalisingly, the Genesis saloon on which the coupe is based is available with a V8 engine, so it’s possible that this unit will eventually be offered in the coupe, too.

While the Genesis is confirmed for the US (to compete directly with the Mustang), there is still debate as to whether it will be available with right-hand drive. Hyundai UK is keen to sell the model here and has already put forward a feasibility case that could see this happen at a proposed list price of £25,000. Even if it does get the go-ahead, don’t expect to see the Genesis on sale until 2009 – around the time when the all-new front-wheel-drive Hyundai Coupe is due to be launched.

Over at Infiniti – Nissan’s luxury brand in the US – the news was that plans to introduce the badge in Europe are well underway, with cars currently undergoing a tougher development programme at Nissan’s Cranfield base to make them more acceptable to European tastes. Changes include tweaking chassis for our more challenging roads and making significant changes to interiors (better leather, thicker carpets, different switchgear) to give them a more prestigious feel. With cars now close to sign-off, work is focusing on setting up a dealer network.

From the Infiniti range, the G37 coupe promises to be the most rewarding to drive – the near-identical G35 saloon (powered by a 306bhp 3.5-litre V6) has been received very favourably in the US, comfortably outselling BMW’s 3-series, and the more powerful G37 coupe, with its 330bhp 3.7-litre V6, looks set to continue that success.

Think of the G37 as the Nissan 350Z’s big brother, with a 2+2 cabin, rear-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering. Its engine features variable valve timing and variable-lift cams, allowing the engine to build horsepower all the way to 7000rpm (with a 7600rpm red line). Torque is strong too, at 270lb ft, while the exhaust note is said to be fabulous, with a very distinctive howl. The only downside is a relatively hefty kerb weight of 1620kg.

The ‘S’ version, as shown in LA, will come with four-wheel steering, a limited-slip diff, larger brakes and 19in wheels as standard.

Infiniti spokesmen say that the G37’s performance is better than that of a BMW 335i, but that the car will cost BMW 330i money, with prices set to start at around £31,000. Expect to be able to order a European-spec G37 from mid 2008, with the first cars arriving at the beginning of ‘09.