Call It Anything, Hyundai Says, but Not Genesis

Introduced on Monday, Jan. 14 Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis Concept

What is it? “A spiritual guide for a future lineup of premium products” said John Krafcik, chief executive of Hyundai Motor America. It also hints at future eye-tracking and interactive 3-D gesture recognition technology.

Is it real? No and no. Or doth they protest too much? Perhaps we could be forgiven for thinking this was a glimpse at the next-generation Genesis sedan given its name, the HCD-14 Genesis Concept.

What they said: Early in the news conference, Mr. Krafcik called the concept “a look at the future as we see it, in the early creative stages, for a concept car. I want to make it really clear to you guys. This is not the next Genesis production sedan.” Near the end of the event he posed and answered his own question: “Is this a thinly disguised Genesis sedan? And I am saying this twice, because it’s really important. It is not the next-generation.”

What they didn’t say: As in many segments, competition is getting stiffer and Hyundai wants to send a signal that the company is committed to its premium products.

What makes it tick? The concept car has what Hyundai calls the 5-liter Tau V-8 direct injection engine that is in the current Genesis. What does not make it tick are buttons and knobs. It uses optical recognition to identify the driver and start the ignition, and it has 3-D hand-gesture recognition to work controls, similar to gesture-based video games. Hyundai did not disclose exactly which hand gestures the technology would recognize, should it prove as frustrating as MyFord Touch.

How much, how soon? No way to know. Remember — this is not the next-generation Genesis. But Hyundai did say that it would show the production version of the next Genesis next year in Detroit. And Mr. Krafcik said a vehicle that would have a strong dose of the HCD-14 would be coming in another premium model.

How’s it look? The HCD stands for Hyundai California Design, as it was styled at Hyundai’s Irvine, Calif., studio and is the first Hyundai from the company’s new designer, Christopher Chapman. In profile, it is elegant and simple; don’t know about that upright grille, however, which is anything but simple. The new design theme, fluidic precision, is an evolution of Hyundai’s current design language of fluidic sculpture.