By Drew Johnson
Monday, Aug 13th, 2007 @ 8:50 am

Representatives from Hyundai and its Kia brand have announced that the companies are developing new diesel and hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains that will eventually be used in both brands’ line-ups. However, they also stated that the immediate focus still remains on the introduction of the new rear-wheel drive, V8 platform set to debut in the Hyundai Genesis sedan. The new V8 is also believed to be going into the next generation Hyundai Tiburon, which rides on the Genesis’ platform.
The Kia brand is not expected to produce any rear-wheel drive platforms or use high-performance engines, but will rather focus on high-efficiency turbo engines and new clean diesels. Hyundai released its first diesel in the Veracruz SUV when it went on sale earlier this year in Europe and Korea. The Veracruz uses a 3.0 liter V6 diesel that was ruled out for U.S. models because it would not pass emissions tests. Officials did say they hoped to offer a clean diesel-powered Veracruz in the U.S. by 2010 at the latest. Kia has no plans to offer diesels or hybrids in the short term.

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