Hyundai Kills The Genesis Coupe

2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Credit: Hyundai)

Hyundai has decided to kill off one of the few sources of joy in its model lineup, the Genesis Coupe. After the 2016 model year, the fiery rear-wheel-drive sports coupe will ride off to the eternal junkyard in the sky.

Sure, the Genesis Coupe had its flaws, but it also provided some fun for a decent price. It certainly was a huge improvement over the Tiburon, a car that’s about as engaging to drive as a Toyota Corolla. The Genesis Coupe looked good, handled pretty well and was pretty fiery with its 3.8-liter V-6. Hyundai even offered an R-Spec version of the car, which really catered to enthusiasts with only a manual transmission.

Really, this shouldn’t be a big surprise. With the Genesis brand about to launch, Hyundai needs to make a clean break. While it could’ve just renamed the Genesis Coupe something else, preferably not the Tiburon, the fact is the car wasn’t faring well against the Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ, Mazda Miata, Ford Mustang, etc.

So Hyundai’s going to be pretty boring now that the Genesis brand’s about to launch. Expect to see some much more expensive and powerful sport coupe in the Genesis lineup. Meanwhile, Hyundai will have the Veloster, a car people rightfully don’t take seriously. Joy.