Want to hear about real pressure to produce a winner? I spoke to John Krafcik, Executive VP at Hyundai yesterday about the new Genesis sedan. Krafcik told me that it cost a whopping $500,000,000 to bring the car from a white sheet to full production including engine development. With the stakes that high, the pressure is obviously on. 

The V8 iteration of the sedan marks the first homegrown engine that has been built by Hyundai. In addition to the 4.6 liter V8, the Genesis will also be available in a 3.3 and 3.6 liter 6. The 3.3 will have a starting price around 30 grand.  

Although Hyundai, from a marketing prospective, tried to throw around names like BMW and Mercedes as benchmarks, the Genesis will most likely fall into the Maxima, Chrysler 500 set when looking for an audience. 

Standard features on the Genesis will include electronic stability control, eight airbags and electronic active head restraints. It will offer a 17-speaker Lexicon audio system, soft-touch instrument panel with wood-grain accents, Bluetooth hands-free mobile phone interface and rain-sensing wipers. 

Look for it this summer.