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TheCarConnection.com's spies caught the new 2010 Hyundai Portico crossover testing in the California desert earlier this year--now, it's becoming clearer that the Portico is headed for a debut at the 2009 Chicago auto show.

It would be the crossover's second Chicago appearance; the original Portico concept first was unveiled at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show.

The production Portico is expected to reach the market as a 2010 model, slotting in above Hyundai's Santa Fe and Veracruz. It could compete with a range of upscale SUVs, from Ford's Flex to the Buick Enclave to the Mercedes R-Class. There's no firm word on mechanicals, but the Portico could be drawn from the Sonata platform--or, possibly, the rear-drive architecture that underpins the new 2009 Hyundai Genesis and in shortened form, the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

The original Portico concept sported staggered middle seats, a big V-6 engine and six-speed automatic, and with rear-mounted electric motors, hybrid adaptability, and all-wheel drive.

Meanwhile, Hyundai product chief John Krafcik says Hyundai's planning to show off its green initiatives at the coming 2008 Los Angeles auto show--and says the company's goal is to meet the new 35-mpg CAFE requirements before any other automaker.

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Hyundai swept into Sin City with seven customized vehicles on its brand-new 2009 Genesis platform. Both coupes and sedans are modded to the max, and it's a look more believable on the sporty coupe than on the sedate Genesis sedan. Nonetheless, the vehicles highlight just how far the Korean automaker has come from its humble beginnings with the lowly Excel.

Here we feature two coupes that highlight both Genesis Coupe powertrains, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four and the Lambda 3.8-liter V-6, specially fortified for Genesis coupe duty.

RHYS MILLEN RACING GENESIS COUPE

Shown above, the Rhys Millen Racing Genesis Coupe is based on the 2.0T Coupe and modified by one of the industry's well-respected tuners. Calling it the "Art of Speed," they wanted to add visual and driving excitement in equal meausure.

Powering the Coupe is a 2.0-liter four force-fed by a Turbonetics turbocharger, wastegate, and blow-off valve. Transmitting the power to the ground is a heavy-duty HKS sequential transmission and a KW coilover suspension manages the stresses of racing duty.

This Coupe features a silver and blue paint scheme, carbon-fiber wide body kit, functional hood scoop, and carbon-fiber wing. Mechanical fitments include SSR Type-F competition wheels, Bridgestone Potenza racing slicks, and a Brembo brake system. Inside, a Sparco steering wheel and seat, an eight-point roll cage, and RMR carbon-fiber dash boost the Genesis Coupe into racing territory.

STREET CONCEPTS GENESIS COUPE

Black camouflage bathes the Street Concepts Genesis Coupe in stealth (picture below). Shawn Williams from Street Concepts designed the concept that features a custom grille, tinted taillights, an APR rear wing, Volk 19-inch racing wheels clinging to Pirelli tires, a modified suspension, and Brembo brakes.

Underhood is the 3.8-liter Lambda V-6 that has been specially tuned for Genesis Coupe duty, in this application also fortified with a Magnaflow cat-back exhaust and a K&N cold air intake system.--Colin Mathews

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All right, rabid Camaro fans--commence drooling. As if the standard-issue 2010 Chevrolet Camaro wasn't tough enough, Chevy teases with four killer Camaro concepts at SEMA, detailed below. And because Chevrolet did such a great job with the production Camaro, the concepts don't seem a stretch at all as does, say, the 2009 Hyundai Genesis blinged-out luxo sedan concepts also on hand at this year's SEMA.

“The new Camaro is a 21st century sports car for the young and young at heart,” said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet. We couldn't agree more, and look forward to this shining star from GM taking its rightful place alongside BMW, Audi, and even Porsche sportscars as a musclecar for the renaissance man.

A bold claim? Perhaps. But with world-class materials, workmanship, ergonomics, and chassis development, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro is a great example of what GM can produce--and needs to produce--as it fights for survival in a nasty market.

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Camaro LS7 Concept

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro LS7 concept features a GM Performance Parts’ LS7 crate engine spitting out roughly 550 hp, special headers and an intake system (the latter two items will both be offered soon after the Camaro's launch). The LS7 Concept, painted Victory Red, is meant to revive the spirit of the legendary COPO Camaros that performed weekend duty as showroom-ready drag racers. Production versions of this setup will also feature dry-sump oiling, and those interested may purchase the separate oil reservoir from GM Performance Parts.

The LS7 Concept also features a Tremec 6060 six-speed manual, Brembo four-wheel discs, lowered suspension, custom 20-inch rims, and a GM Performance Parts exhaust system.

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Camaro Black Concept

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Black Concept shows just how brutal "base" can be. Built around the standard Camaro's 3.6-liter direct-inject 300 hp V-6, visual mods include a ground effects package with rear diffuser, HID headlamps with a unique red halo surrounds, a specialized grille, RS tail lamps with tinted lenses, color-matched badging, SS-model spoiler, a matte black hood, tinted glass, Chevy Accessories 21-inch wheels, and a Brembo four-wheel disc brake package.

The theme continues inside, with red LED instrument lighting and red footwell lighting, black chrome trim, special dark-finished accents on the shift knob, radio face, steering wheel ring, gauge trim and door handles, custom sill plates, and leather-covered seats with gray accent stitching.

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Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept

It's no secret that NASCAR star Dale Jr. is a fan of vintage Camaros, being that he represents in a Pro Touring-style '72 Camaro powered by a GM Performance Parts LS crate engine. The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Dale Earnhardt Jr. Concept draws upon Earnhardt's love for the Camaro with the robust 6.2-liter 'Vette-derived V-8, but ups the compression ratio to take full advantage of E85's higher octane rating, garnering a few extra ponies along the way.

Inside, custom leather and suede are slathered liberally, carbon fiber is splashed on the IP and door panels, aluminum pedals are fitted, custom gauges alert the driver to the car's vitals, and Dale Jr. specified an optional Chevy Accessories audio system for the Camaro, which is matched with a Boston Acoustics speaker system, amps and subwoofers.

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Camaro GS Racecar Concept

The most altered of Chevy's four Concept Camaros at SEMA is the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro GS Racecar Concept, a tribute to Mark Donohue's distinctive blue-and-yellow Camaro TransAm road racer that drove to the series championship in 1969.

But far from serving solely as an pulse-quickening concept, this vehicle is actually an early prototype for the Grand Am Koni Challenge GS racing class. GM and North Carolina-based Riley Technologies worked together to develop this prototype that features a seam-welded production Camaro body in white, carbon fiber hood, trunk lid, doors and fenders, a production LS3 V-8, the Tremec 6060 six-speed manual with close-ratio gearing, a three-inch exhaust system with Coast Fab mufflers, a C&R racing aluminum radiator, and transmission and differential coolers plus an upgraded engine oil cooler.

In a nod to its road-readiness, Chevrolet is displaying the 2010 Camaro GS Racecar Concept as it was last driven with the grime, brake dust and body imperfections commensurate with a day’s worth of racing.--Colin Mathews

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Yet another round of uber-efficient, squeaky-clean new diesel engines is set to hit the European market. This time from Korean automaker Hyundai, the new "R-engine," reports Autocar, will come in two displacements and boast surprising levels of horsepower. Torque is the bigger diesel story and is commensurately impressive in Hyundai's new diesel engine family.

The smaller of the two four-cylinders, at 2.0 liters, produces 181 horsepower and 289 pound-feet of twist. This trounces VW's 2.0-liter unit in its 2009 Jetta TDI, which rings in at 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet. Stepping up to Hyundai's 2.2-liter diesel brings 197 horsepower and a stellar 335 pound-feet to the party underhood, horsepower figures finally competitive with similar-sized gas engines and torque figures that blow them away.

No details have been made public, but it's assumed that the typical diesel efficiency benefits will be realized, and Hyundai sources claim CO2 outputs of close to 120g/km and combined fuel consumption of over 60 mpg with the 2.0-liter unit. These engines are set to debut in Europe in 2010 in the next-gen Tucson and face-lifted Santa Fe as well as in Hyundai's new i40 sedan and station wagon, reports Autocar. No word as to whether we can expect these powerplants for the U.S. market.--Colin Mathews
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The 2010 Pontiac G8 ST is surely one of the less likely new product choices made by General Motors since Bob Lutz took the reins of product development. A truck spun from the Pontiac G8 platform, it's powered by a 361-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 that's good for a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds. A six-speed automatic is the sole gearbox. For truck cred, it gets a pickup bed that can carry about 1,000 pounds of payload and a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.

For its SEMA debut, the G8 ST wears Liquid Hot paint and 20-inch wheels. It's lowered and has a hard tonneau cover that could make its way into production, if enough ST buyers express interest. Inside, there are leather seats with red inserts, a steering wheel with red trim, a shift knob with red detail, and a custom interior trim kit.

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