Photo: Genesis
The luxury division of Hyundai published the U.S. sales figures for the first six months of 2020 at the beginning of July, and as expected, the G70 leads the way with 4,392 examples of the breed. The bad news? Well, very few of those compact executive sedans were optioned with the six-speed manual transmission.
It pains me to say it as a “save the manuals” guy myself, but there’s simply no demand for the stick shift in the United States. Speaking to Road & Track, a representative confirmed that the manual will be discontinued for the 2022 model year and that “around 100 examples” were sold for the 2020 model year.
That’s approximately 0.8 percent of G70 sales in the United States in 2019, and that doesn’t make a lot of sense for Genesis Motor LLC from a financial standpoint. Offering a manual means additional development and production costs, and more expenses are a big no-no in these troubled times for the automotive industry.
The most saddening news, however, is that “there are now no manual, rear-drive sedans” available stateside, at least not all-new models from the dealership lot. Alas, only an eight-speed automatic tranny will be offered from here on in.
Be it the four- or six-cylinder engine with rear- or all-wheel drive, the G70 is a huge hit with the motoring media as well as customers who are specifically interested in sedans that handle well. It may not challenge the commercial success of the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but it’s more than impressive for a brand as young as Genesis. But should you consider it over a Cadillac CT4, though?
Priced at $32,995 from the get-go and $44,495 for the CT4-V sports sedan, the Caddy may be an interesting alternative to the South Korean interloper given the Alpha underpinnings from the Chevrolet Camaro. However, even the range-topping version relies on a four-cylinder turbo instead of a six-cylinder powerplant.
The 2.7-liter motor in the Cadillac is tuned to developed 310 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. Genesis, on the other hand, offers 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet from 3.3 liters of displacement and a twin-turbo V6 arrangement.
That’s approximately 0.8 percent of G70 sales in the United States in 2019, and that doesn’t make a lot of sense for Genesis Motor LLC from a financial standpoint. Offering a manual means additional development and production costs, and more expenses are a big no-no in these troubled times for the automotive industry.
The most saddening news, however, is that “there are now no manual, rear-drive sedans” available stateside, at least not all-new models from the dealership lot. Alas, only an eight-speed automatic tranny will be offered from here on in.
Be it the four- or six-cylinder engine with rear- or all-wheel drive, the G70 is a huge hit with the motoring media as well as customers who are specifically interested in sedans that handle well. It may not challenge the commercial success of the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but it’s more than impressive for a brand as young as Genesis. But should you consider it over a Cadillac CT4, though?
Priced at $32,995 from the get-go and $44,495 for the CT4-V sports sedan, the Caddy may be an interesting alternative to the South Korean interloper given the Alpha underpinnings from the Chevrolet Camaro. However, even the range-topping version relies on a four-cylinder turbo instead of a six-cylinder powerplant.
The 2.7-liter motor in the Cadillac is tuned to developed 310 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque. Genesis, on the other hand, offers 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet from 3.3 liters of displacement and a twin-turbo V6 arrangement.
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