One of the coolest things about being at SEMA before the show officially opens are all the little behind the scenes looks you get before all the riff raff gets here. Today, one of the neatest things I saw was this artist hand painting a graphic on to one of the Genesis sedans in the Hyundai booth. She had a projector set up behind her, and was basically tracing the image on to the car. I’ll make sure to get some pics of the finished product when I write about the Hyundai booth later in the week, but I’ve posted a shot that shows her whole set up after the jump.

When we encountered an unattended Hyundai Sonata prototype we though we had stumbled upon a prototype of Hyundai’s mid-sized Sonata Blue Drive. While it was an educated guess, based on what we already knew of Hyundai’s hybrid plans, we think we were about one week premature as our analysis indicated that from the high level of trim, and the fact that the interior didn’t show any indication of a hybrid-only status gauge, we determined that it was a V6 Limited in very near production specification. But today our initial analysis was proved correct when we encountered two Hyundai Sonata Blue Drive prototypes along with competitive models from Toyota, Nissan, and Ford, along with two dozen engineers who had stopped, en masse, for lunch. Read more at Automotive Traveler.

This Genesis Coupe is owned by the owner of Seoulfulracing/KDMstuff. More pics at HellaFlush

I got a firsthand look at Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Genesis bodykit packages at SEMA last year, and I thought the car was  pretty sweet. From what I can tell, the ride he’s racing in Formula D is sporting the same carbon fiber panels, and in addition to being drift-ready, it’ll be able to handle the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb and run time attack. But while a lot of development has gone into the new machine, Millen hasn’t been having the best season. The former champ is currently running 15th in the standings, and in this clip, he doesn’t sound too happy about the judging. Hopefully, he’ll have some better luck in New Jersey next weekend.

Yeah, I know, I didn’t do a Showroom Showdown this week. But Car and Driver just did a comparo between the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro V-6 LT and the 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe 3.8 V-6. The Camaro won by a hair. Read the article and then tell us what you think!

Man, this week’s Showroom Showdownwas close! The Challenger hung in there to the bitter end. Really, it’s almost too close to call, but I’m gonna call it for the Camaro anyway. But the Mopar guys should feel pretty good (the Mustang and the Genesis Coupe got trounced). Oh, and the discussion was great, too. I really liked the comments by 02sierraWT, StickShiftRick and 95BlckFirebird. Stay tuned for another Showroom Showdown next week!

Let’s settle this right here, right now. Fans of affordable RWD muscle have more choices now than they’ve had in a LONG time. We’ve got a major pony car war from the big three, and I’ve decided to throw in the Genesis Coupe to make it interesting  (and yes, this is our first four-way Showroom Showdown). The Camaro 1SS starts at $31,040. The Challenger R/T starts at $30,945. The Mustang GT Premium starts at $30,995. And the Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track starts at $29,500. Which would you choose?

And Colin’s car looks great in yellow. See the other 2010 Genesis Coupes on CarDomain!

Hyundai has introduced two of the most talked about new cars this year: the Genesis Sedan, and the hot new Genesis Coupe. They are also responsible for a huge marketing coup, the Hyundai Assurance Plan, that has helped grow the brand, while almost everyone else shrank. Within this volatile market, Hyundai has given us a glimpse into their future, with the Nuvis. Continue reading after the jump.

The Nuvis is powered by Hyundai’s 2.4L Theta II 4 Cylinder mated to a six speed automatic, and a 30kW electric motor. Hyundai uses a Lithium Polymer battery pack, which utilizes less space than a standard battery pack. All the common hybrid energy saving technologies have been applied in this package, from regenerative braking systems, to start/stop engine management. Since this is a parallel hybrid system, all four wheel are powered by either the gasoline engine, all electric power, of a both depending upon demand.

The design of the Nuvis is organic, which is in keeping with the current design theme that most of the new concepts are adhering to. The front end has a flowing texture, almost as if the car is cutting through the water. One of the most arresting aspect of the vehicle is the “gullwing” doors, that offer unparalleled ease of entry and exit. The seats are modern architecture sitting on a central pedestal, which gives the interior open and airy feel. Hyundai has made a point to highlight the fact that the seat fabric is made from recycled, post consumer materials.

The one design idiom that is starting to get a bit old (at least to me) is the large wheel and tire combination, and the Nuvis is another one of those concepts that is perched on 22″ rims, which does nothing to the overall design. Will the Nuvis ever reach production? Not in it’s current form, but it could signal the design trend for the Tuscon replacement. However, the Hybrid Blue Drive Technology will show up in a production ready Hyundai shortly.

The Hyundai Genesis Coupe has been labeled as the Nissan Silvia of the 21st Century. A High tech, RWD, low cost, high performance sports coupe with enough power to be labeled a real great car. That’s why I was surprised to find this picture of a G4KC (Genesis Coupe) Engine with a striking similarity to a Redtop Nissan Silvia SR20DET. Seperated at birth? You tell me.

The only visual difference I can see is that the Genesis has the manifold on the other side, where as the Silvia SR motor has a removable top cover for easy access to the spark plugs, etc. It’s astonishing how much they’re alike, and I have to say, it’s quite impressive.