Hyundai’s successful Genesis Coupe is entering the 2011 model year in the U.S. with some minor interior refinements, but most importantly, a new hotter model called the “3.8 R-Spec”.

Previously available only in conjunction with the 210HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the R-Spec trim level can now be ordered with the 3.8-liter V6 engine that delivers 306-horsepower and 266 lb.-ft. of torque on regular unleaded, hooked up exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox.

The R-Spec treatment does away with some non-essential comfort features such as automatic headlights, cruise control and certain trim bits adding a track-tuned, stiffer suspension, 19-inch alloys shod in Bridgestone Potenza tires, limited slip differential and Brembo brakes with 13.4-inch front discs and 13.0-inch rear discs. Sportier seats and special badging are also part of the package.

New 3.8 R-Spec model aside, all 2011 Genesis Coupe models benefit from interior improvements including new soft-touch materials on the door panels, center speaker grille, glove box, and lower instrument panel as well as on the steering wheel, cloth-wrapped A-pillars, different finishes on the shift bezel, dashboard knobs and instrument gauge cluster rings.

Hyundai has not yet announced pricing for the 2011 Genesis Coupe.

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Hyundai’s big reveal for the New York Auto Show was the all-new 2011 Sonata Hybrid that will compete head-on with the likes of the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid when it arrives in U.S. showrooms later this year.

The newest member of the Sonata family features a series of unique styling cues that set it apart from its conventional brethren. These include a new fascia with a small upper grille and a gaping-mouth (Peugeot-like) lower grille, revised headlamps and a redesigned bumper.

At the back, there’s a reshaped bumper with sharp creases at the corners and revised tail lights. The so-called ‘eco-spoke’ alloys and beefier rocker panels round off the exterior tweaks that are said to help reduce the drag coefficient from the standard Sonata’s 0.28 to 0.25.

Interior changes are limited to the unique trim and color choices, and the Hybrid Technology Display featured on a 4.2-inch LCD screen located between the odometer and tachometer.

Hyundai’s first hybrid in the U.S. market features a proprietary parallel hybrid drive system called “Hybrid Blue Drive” that utilizes a 169HP 2.4-liter Theta II (operating on an Atkinson Cycle) linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission (and not a CVT as most Hybrids), a 30kW (151 lb-ft) electric motor and a lithium polymer battery pack located in the forward portion of the trunk.

Its two propulsion units develop a total output of 209 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, and 195 lb-ft of torque.

The car’s front wheels are turned by power coming directly from the gasoline engine, or the electric motor, or both together. Hyundai said that in all-electric mode, the Sonata Hybrid can reach speeds of up to 62mph (100km/h) which is significantly higher than the Ford Fusion Hybrid’s 47mph and the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s 42mph.

The South Korean automaker said that the Sonata Hybrid delivers a projected fuel economy of 39mpg highway and 37mpg city, compared to the Camry’s 34/33mpg and the Fusion’s 41/36 mpg.

Pricing and detailed specs are to be announced closer to the Sonata Hybrid’s launch date.

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The much anticipated and talked about 2011 Hyundai Sonata made its North American premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The all-new mid-size sedan (although EPA classifies it as a large sedan) represents a dramatic departure from the previous generation Sonata models both in terms of design and technology.

Despite the fact that the sixth-generation Sonata is aimed price-wise at the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Chevy Malibu, its so-called ‘four-door coupe’ styling with the sleek roofline and sculptured body surfaces brings it closer to the likes of the VW Passat CC.

And even if the design is not to everyone’s taste, few will disagree that it offers the Sonata what the previous models lacked: personality.

The same can be said about the interior that’s distinguished by the swoopy lines of the dashboard and the deeply set gauges of the instrument panel.

At 189.8 in (4,820mm) long, 72.2 in. (1,835mm) wide and 57.9 in. (1,470mm) tall with a wheelbase of 110 in. (2,795mm), the new Sonata is slightly longer and wider but a tad lower than the current model.

Surprisingly, 2011 Sonata is 130 pounds lighter than the existing model thanks to several weight saving measures such as the increased use of aluminum in the four-wheel independent suspension system and the ultra-high-strength steel in the body.

Furthermore, according to Hyundai, the new Sonata is 25 percent stiffer in torsion and 19 percent stiffer in bending rigidity than its predecessor.

When the 2011 Sonata goes on sale in the States in January 2010, it will be offered with Hyundai’s newly developed Theta II GDI 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection that makes 198 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 184 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. In the SE trim, which includes a standard dual exhaust, the engine delivers 200 horsepower.

Power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC manual control.

Hyundai estimates that the automatic version will get 23mpg in the city and 35mpg on the highway, beating all of its four-cylinder competitors in the U.S.the debut of the 2.4-liter version in the States

While there are no current plans for a V6 model in the States, in the second half of 2010, Hyundai will add a 2.0-liter Theta II turbocharged GDI four-cylinder engine and a 2.4-liter Hybrid Blue Drive model featuring the firm’s lithium polymer battery pack. The Korean automaker said that more details about these powertrains will be released at the 2010 New York Auto Show in April.

Depending on the model trim, the new Sonata will be offered with various goodies including a high-end Infinity audio system with a 400-watt amplifier and a touch screen navigation system.

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Either a Hyundai executive in Dubai received an early example of the Korean firm’s all-new flagship limo that was revealed in Korea in mid-February, or the company plans to include the United Arab Emirates among the countries that will receive the new Equus sedan as these pictures from the folks over at “Gulf4Cars” suggest. According to an earlier statement from the company, there are no plans to export the Equus, which is heavily based on the rear-wheel drive Genesis sedan, to North American or European markets.

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