SCOOP: 2011 Hyundai Genesis Sedan Receives Minor Updates, Including BMW-Like Gearshifter

The Genesis sedan has only been out in the market for two years, but Hyundai is getting ready to present the 2011MY with some barely noticeable styling upgrades in its home market.

Scooped here in South Korea completely undisguised, the 2011 Genesis sedan appears to get a reworked front bumper with newly styled air ducts and trim, more prominent side skirts, a chunkier chrome strip above the license plate and a new rear bumper with reshaped exhaust tips.

From what we can tell from these pictures, the only visible change inside concerns the new and, as you can see in the photos after the jump, very BMW-like, gear shifter of the automatic transmission. There's nothing official on the car yet, though there has been talk of a 5.0-liter V8 engine joining the range.

It's unclear if or when the subtly updated Genesis sedan will be headed to the States.

Photos: Bobaedream Forums / Via: Thecarblogger

2011MY Hyundai Genesis

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2010MY Hyundai Genesis

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BMW Gear Shifter

More than 5,000 Suzuki Kizashi Sedans Recalled Over Glove Box Glitch

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Suzuki's U.S. division is recalling a total of 5,701 Kizashi sedans manufactured from October 13, 2009 through May 31, 2010. The reason? The safety agency said that the center-lower glove box on the dashboard may open during a crash and possibly cause injury if it comes in contact with the front passengers.

Suzuki said that it will replace the part on the affected cars free of charge. The company plans to notify owners with the safety recall expected to begin in mid-July. For more information, Kizashi owners can contact Suzuki directly at 1-714-996-7040.

SPY VIDEO: New Audi A7 Sportback Doing Some Fast Laps on the 'Ring

Here's another spy video of the A7 Sportback, Audi's upcoming, low-roofline hatchback [sic]. Based on the architecture of the next-generation of the A6, the A7 will slot into the Audi lineup above the A6 and below the A8, in the same way that the A5 Sportback fits between the A4 and A6 models.

The upscale five-door model will compete with the new Mercedes-Benz CLS, and if the rumors turn out to be true, with the BMW 6-Series GT (or whatever else the Bavarian firm's decided to call the production Gran Coupe) also, when it goes on sale next year.

Tear away the prototype model's swirly camouflage, and we're willing to bet that what you'll see underneath is a toned-down version of the Sportback Concept that premiered at the 2009 Detroit auto show (see gallery below).

The new A7 will share its engines and transmissions with the next A6 offering buyers a choice of petrol and diesel units including Ingolstadt's 3.0-liter supercharged V6 TFSI, while rumor has it that Audi will expand the range in late 2011 with a gasoline-electric hybrid model.

An S7 with either a pumped up version of the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 or a naturally-aspirated 4.2 V8, as well as an even hotter RS7 possibly with the 5.2-liter V10 are also believed to be in development, but details remain scarce for now.

Video: Youtube

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Audi Sportback Concept

Ferrari Readies Bi-Colore California Special for Goodwood Festival

A special version of Ferrari's California will make its first public appearance at this week's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Set to race in the Sunday Times Supercar Run, the California special features a two-tone finish with the body painted in Argento Nurburgring (metallic silver) and the roof and A-pillars in Nero (black), a theme that the company claims echoes its bi-colore berlinettas of the 1950s and 1960s.

The hardtop roadster also features several items from the Genuine Ferrari Accessories range, such as forged 20-inch matte-black wheels with titanium wheel bolts, as well a host of factory-fit options from the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation Programme, including diamond-stitching on the rear seats and Cavallino stitching on the headrests.

The California special will be joined at Goodwood by the 458 Italia and the 599 GTO as well as the Italian firm's 2009 F1 car that will driven by Marc Gené, throughout the weekend.

2011 Hyundai Elantra / Avante Interior Teased with Rendering

At this year's edition of the Busan Motor Show in April, Hyundai gave us our first look at the rakish new Elantra sedan, known as the Avante in its home market. However, the South Korean company only showed us its outer parts as the display model's windows were all blacked out.

Now, Hyundai is teasing us with a conceptual rendering of the Elantra's interior that, like the exterior, promises a dramatic revamp relative to the current model Judging from the sketch, the 2011 Elantra's cabin design will continue the same "sculpted" theme seen on the new Sonata's interior.

The Elantra is expected to go on sale in the automaker's home market as the 2011 Avante with a new 140HP 1.6-liter direct-injection gasoline unit before the end of the year.

While Hyundai has yet to confirm U.S. availability, recent reports from South Korea claim that the new Elantra will be built at the firm's Montgomery, Alabama plant starting from April, 2011.