Quote:
Originally Posted by 48Laws
But many will purchase the Ford Focus RS for $45k.
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Ah, but there is no BMW or Audi equivalent of the Focus RS sold in the US either. In fact, as two-box hatchbacks go, the Focus RS is the most powerful one you can get in the states. That fact increases its appeal significantly. If the Stinger were coming into a market landscape similar to that, I suspect the excitement would be amped up commensurately.
As I said earlier, had they come to the table with a turbo V8 - approaching 500hp let's say - that would have made a big impact. And I think this is true even if the price starting price of this hypothetical flagship model was $50k-$53k. Sure, you can get over 500hp from a fastback hatchback, fastback sedan, or traditional sedan today, so this still wouldn't be quite like the Focus RS (and Golf R and Civic Type R) segment. But, you have to really pony up the cash to get there.
The thing is, if Hyundai/Kia want their fledgling Genesis brand to be taken seriously, they need flagship products that compete in the performance category. A turbocharged 500hp V8 - or a V6, for that matter, whatever - makes perfect sense under the hood of the G80, G90, and upcoming GV80 and GV90. It would also make a good fit for a high performance flagship G70 and indeed for our hypothetical high performance Kia Stinger (perhaps detuned slightly from the Genesis models for branding purposes). Or maybe they instead use hybrid assist to make bigger power. Whatever the case, to me, they need something by the end of the decade because the aging 5L naturally aspirated Tau V8 with ~425hp is already outgunned by Mercedes new M256 inline six cylinder and VAG's ~450hp 2.9L twin turbo V6. And when you match it up against the German V8s, the situation goes from bad to worse.
The point is, the Koreans need to get on the ball in this area. They are missing opportunity to offer the complete package and build their credibility.