Despite the technical achievement of the standard 4.6L Tau V8 already featured in the Hyundai Genesis sedan, the engine's debut has been somewhat overshadowed by the out of control oil market, which has quickly turned V8s from essential to unfashionable at best. Undeterred, however, Hyundai is still exploring ways to improve torque while maintaining fuel economy, reports MotorTrend. Part of the equation will be solved with the addition of direct injection technology, but to overcome the relatively low 333lb-ft (451Nm) of torque to a more competitive figure, engineers are also looking at increase the bore and/or the stroke to bring displacement up by 0.4L to 5.0L.
Currently rated at 368hp (274kW) the 4.6L Tau V8 is rated at 17mpg city and 24mpg highway. Unless engineers can maintain, or ideally, improve, those figures, however, the bigger Tau will not see production. Given the Korean automaker's massive resources and proven ability to quickly upgrade its product lineup, however, the introduction of direct injection across its entire lineup could by itself improve the power and torque figures to a more competitive level.
The engine is already expected to feature in the upcoming long-wheelbase version of the 'VI' flagship glimpsed yesterday in official teasers. This application may not face the same fuel economy requirements the higher-volume Genesis sedan must deal with, and could see application of the engine even in the unlikely event that engineers are unable to maintain fuel economy with the larger 5.0L V8.
