FRANKFURT, Germany — Amongst all of the glitzy European and North American concept and production cars launched at the Motor show here, it was a quietly unveiled Korean car quietly that will probably turn up in the most Canadian driveways.
That would be the Hyundai Tiburon, an inexpensive and sporty two-door coupe that's very popular with young female buyers. It's billed as a 2003 model, which means we probably won't see it until some time in 2002.
Hyundai Auto Canada was unable to supply any information about how the car will be equipped or marketed in Canada, but it's easy to imagine that much of what the Americans said will apply.
The new Tiburon is longer and wider than the current version with a longer wheelbase, which the company said was done to improve ride and handling, while the new exterior design "incorporates both straight lines and curves to emphasize vitality and strength."
In addition to the 2-liter 4-cylinder engine from the current Tiburon, the 2003 model will also get Hyundai's all-aluminum, DOHC, 2.7-liter V6.
There'll be three transmissions for the V6 — the four-speed automatic with Shiftronic manual shift control, a revised five-speed manual, and a sporty six-speed manual transmission. Again, this is US information, and we can only hope Canadians will get the same shifter choices.
This would certainly fit into Hyundai's stated desire to move the Tiburon away from its current reputation as a competent but compromised sports coupe and make it appealing "to a new family of drivers looking for the very top level of performance."
Hyundai says the new Tiburon's interior design is "simple yet functional," and "in the Hyundai tradition is loaded with value features." The company says the standard equipment list for the new Tiburon "will be filled with features that cost extra on the competition."
