Much has been made of the Kia Stinger and Hyundai i30 N — two Korean cars that have given their respective (largely Europe-dominated) segments a hell of a shake-up.
And it looks like the theme of giant-killing Korean machinery is set to continue, with the Kiwi arrival of a pair of pre-production models; a Genesis G70 and a Veloster Turbo.
The two cars were featured on public display at West Auckland Hyundai late last week, with the Genesis staying for the balance of the weekend as part of the dealership's first birthday celebrations alongside the country's only i30 N. We had hoped to take a flash full pictorial tour of each model, similar to when the new Honda Civic Type R and Bentley Continental GT first landed in New Zealand, but the request was sadly denied.
This next-gen Veloster continues much of the 'weird' from the last one, with the asymmetrical door layout returning alongside a revised quirky design punctuated by a central exhaust and curious lines.
The Turbo is powered by Hyundai's turbocharged 'Gamma' 1.6-litre four-pot, which develops 150kW and 265Nm. It's the same engine you'll find under the bonnet of the 'warm hatch' Hyundai i30 SR that's sold over the ditch, and it's complimented by torque-vectoring control and a combination of McPherson strut (front) and independent multi-link (rear) suspension.
But, the G70 is arguably the more curious proposition.
It's built on the same platform as the lauded Stinger, and also comes powered with the same 272kW, 510Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 capable of hurling it to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 270km/h. Add to that a swish design whipped up by former Audi scribbler Peter Schreyer, and you've got a competitive all-round package.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Genesis G70 is that name — Genesis. This is Hyundai's luxury arm, much like the relationship between Lexus and Toyota. The G70 will be only the second Genesis luxury model to be offered in New Zealand, behind the self-titled Hyundai Genesis (a BMW 7-Series rival).
Yes, the G70 is set to hit New Zealand sometime later this year. Driven had been told that the luxury model was merely in evaluation, but Hyundai New Zealand's own website openly says that the G70 is "arriving in dealerships in 2018", with interested parties able to pre-register their interest.
As for the Veloster? We understand that it is also here on evaluation, but is most likely to be confirmed for the Kiwi market by September.