Hyundai HCD-14 sedan of the future

After years of luxury models that appear to be inspired by Lexus limousines, Hyundai’s premium brand Genesis has moved up a gear, designing a concept car with Audi-like lines.

The coupe-like sedan unveiled at the Detroit motor show overnight has a striking resemblance to the Audi A7, but is powered by a 5.0-litre V8 matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the same as top-end luxury cars.

Hyundai is moving upmarket in North America as it moves from the bargain basement, appealing to richer buyers.

The company says more than 25 per cent of its customers in the US earn more than $100,000 a year. Hyundai’s sports-coupe with a Genesis badge even outsells the equivalent Nissan Infiniti rival. In Australia, Hyundai outsold Ford and is close behind Mazda in the sales race.

The HCD-14 is in fact a design cue to a luxury model the company plans to introduce in North America next year; a right-hand-drive version could follow in Australia in 2015 as Hyundai rolls out more Genesis models.

The rear doors are rear-hinged for show, but the production car would likely have regular doors. The car was designed in Hyundai’s styling studio in California.

“We instilled HCD-14 Genesis with a premium-sport four-door coupe road presence,” Christopher Chapman, chief designer, Hyundai Design North America, said in a statement.

Then the PR people got a little carried away with the colourful quotes: “Its sleek and lightweight silhouette does not punish the wind, but uses fluidic precision with dramatic surfacing that conveys natural restraint.” We think this means it slips through the air more efficiently than regular sedan designs.

“Inside, a driver-centric cockpit prioritizes dramatic sculpture over infotainment button overload. Laminated and milled-wood detailing delivers a fresh, topographical map-like visual interest throughout the cabin-length center console.”

Translation: it has fewer buttons and more big screens. “Inside the cabin, a double-cresting-wave center console design carries from the instrument panel through to the rear seats. This design-wave theme further influences the interior door handles and rear headrest hoods.”

Translation: the interior has clean lines and the air-conditioning vents work really well. Meanwhile, the concept car has “eye-tracking and gesture controls” so yoyu don’t need to take your hands off the wheel for long to adjust the air temperature or audio settings.

Several car makers are working on similar technology with suppliers, but Hyundai could be among the first on sale.

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling