Tidbit about next generation Genesis sedan

[YEH]

All sizzle, no steak?

In February, Hyundai's senior managers were summoned to something akin to a secret chamber in the headquarters complex -- a spacious first-floor corner room that has no obvious door but which opens at the pull of a ring-shaped knob.

Inside, they were asked to evaluate the design of the next-generation Genesis premium sedan due to be unveiled late next year. To help them gauge its merits, it was parked alongside competing BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi models, said one of those taking part.

"The style is so different from what we've seen so far. I've never seen BMW looking so shabby," a Hyundai executive who saw the design said, asking not to be identified as he is not authorized to talk to the media.

Hyundai's investment in design has its rivals talking.

"(Hyundai) gave a lot of power to the design chief and threw resources at it," said Honda's creative director Toshinobu Minami. "Everything was done for design. Hyundai and Kia steered the company with the view that the whole company needed to focus on design with a 10-year view. Until then, it was about cost."

Hyundai poached ex-BMW designer Christopher Chapman to head its U.S. design center, while Kia hired Peter Schreyer, a former Volkswagen/Audi designer.

"To be honest, I don't pay much attention to the Japanese any more. It's the Koreans, and nowadays also General Motors and Ford that we look at," said Nakamura, chief creative officer at Nissan, likely this year to be Japan's most profitable carmaker.

One top executive at a rival carmaker, though, has dubbed Hyundai's costly design drive as "maximum design, minimum investment."

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