No Surprise: 2008 Hyundai Tiburon the Last

With the all-new Hyundai Genesis coupe coming down the pipeline in 2009 as a 2010 model, the current Hyundai coupe, the Tiburon, will cease to exist. This isn’t really a shock, since there’s not enough room in the line-up for two coupes. The 2008 model year will be the Tiburon’s last, and it will stop production as the Genesis goes on sale in the spring of 2009, according to the Automotive News.

However, company executives aren’t calling the Genesis coupe a replacement for the Tiburon. There is a chance that a smaller front-wheel-drive two-door coupe could be sold right next to the larger, rear-wheel drive Genesis coupe.

We can’t say we’ll miss the Tiburon — its time has come. During the first quarter of 2008 its sales were down 28.7%.

What do you think? Should Hyundai produce a small coupe like the Veloster concept we saw in Los Angeles last year? That’s the one the company is hinting at. Or do you think it should stick to the Genesis coupe as its sole sporty car?

Comments

[Motely]

The car is a good replacement, but the name is not so good. The more small sporty cars the better!

[ShockMyMonkey]

Ignoring the FWD small coupe market would be big mistake. Look at the success Honda had with the Civic coupes and Toyota with the Scion SCs. Not all teens/young adults need to (or want to) be driving RWD coupes. Hyundai may just leave it up to Kia however to fill the void (with the Kia Koup concept).

[Chris]

I really wish people would stop thinking these "hatchback" cars are sporty. They are mini station wagons and station wagons are not cool. What happened to two door cars with a real trunk? You know the kind that look good and sporty...

[Chris]

I really wish people would stop thinking these "hatchback" cars are sporty. They are mini station wagons and station wagons are not cool. What happened to two door cars with a real trunk? You know the kind that look good and sporty...

[sczech]

I wish more people would think hatchbacks are sporty. I don't see how a hatchback like the one pictured resembles a wagon. The profile might be close but that is about it. The utility is great and I think they look better than those cars that look like they should be built like a hatchback but are struggling with the shape of the trunk. An example of this I would say is the Mazda3.

[Chris]

I love the Mazda 3 sedan. In fact I was close to buying one about a year ago. I really dislike the "hatchback" because it looks like a short station wagon to me.