The Blood Type Genesis Sedan bumps the recently redesigned four-door’s Tau V-8 up to an impressive 700 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque.
There’s plenty to keep your interest piqued at the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, whether you’re looking for performance parts, appearance upgrades – even such mundane things as in-car air fresheners. And then there are all the customized cars, including a wide array sponsored by manufacturers like Hyundai.
The Korean carmaker used its SEMA news conference to pull the wraps off six special models, each offering a different take on one of its production vehicles, like the Genesis sedan and coupe, and the latest-generation Hyundai Sonata.
“I like to see cars we build reimagined,” explained Mike O’Brien, Hyundai’s vice president of corporate and product planning.
The Ark Performance Genesis got a supercharger to boost the power of its Tau V-8 to 550 horsepower.
As is fitting for SEMA, Hyundai and partners like Bisimoto Engineering put a premium on performance and added some wild exterior designs. But they also took some time to tweak the interiors of these five custom jobs
The Blood Type Genesis Sedan bumps the recently redesigned four-door’s Tau V-8 up to an impressive 700 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque – thanks, among other things to a turbocharger delivering a massive 45 psi of boost. And that’s before the nitrous oxide injectors kick in, explained Blood Type’s Sam Lee suggesting, “We expect 850 hp with the nitrous system.”
The Toca Signature Edition Genesis interior gets a more cockpit-style layout and the use of carbon fiber details, suede inserts and candy red accents.
To handle all that power, the Genesis Sedan’s chassis has been stiffened, and the shocks switched to a coil-over design. The car now rides on 19-inch, two-piece wheels, which barely conceal the six-piston, high-performance brakes.
The modified body kit “enhances stability and grip,” according to Lee, while also giving the Blood Type Genesis Sedan a more sinister and menacing appearance. The package is completed with a track-ready rollcage.
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A second take on the Genesis comes from the folks at Toca Marketing. While it gets a bit of a performance boost, the focus here was on enhancing the already luxurious cabin of the mid-lux model. The focus was on a true “executive” ride, explained company founder John Toca, who pointed to the more cockpit-style layout and the use of carbon fiber details, suede inserts and candy red accents. The upgrade exterior package is completed with 21-inch wheels.
The JP Edition Hyundai Sonata's exterior was inspired by the colors and designs of Hawaii.
Another Genesis Sedan mode came from Ark Performance, which has done some wild Hyundai customizations at recent SEMA Shows. This year, the car got a supercharger to boost the power of its Tau V-8 to 550 horsepower. And stickier tires help ensure all that power makes it to the pavement.
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But Ark also focused on a different kind of performance, noted marketing chief Lerry Liu, with “an interior packed with technology,” including an integrated computer.
Familiar Hyundai tuner partner Bisimoto returned to SEMA, this time turning to the Sonata. “Our goal was to create the most powerful front-drive Hyundai ever,” explained Bisi Ezerioha, the company’s founder and president.
Familiar Hyundai tuner partner Bisimoto returned to SEMA pumping up a Sonata to a thundering 888 horsepower from the sedan.
The original target was “around 700 hp,” Hyundai’s O’Brien noted, beaming broadly as Ezerioha chimed in to explain, “Not only did we hit that, we exceeded it,” turning out a thundering 888 horsepower from the midsize sedan.
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John Pangilinan Inc. weighed in with the last Hyundai SEMA car, another approach to the Sonata. As with all six of the tuner vehicles, the JP Edition Sonata gets a performance increase, but, “I wanted to change the perception of what a midsize sedan is to young people,” suggested founder John Pangilinan.
Inspired by the colors and designs of Hawaii, he commissioned an artist to pull together a special paint scheme for the Sonata, which also got a wide body kit to give it a more planted and sporty appearance.