We like to think of the Hyundai Genesis as the Sarah Palin of luxury cars. On the surface, it's the anti-establishment establishment candidate, a luxury car with humble roots but big performance claims. Like the vice presidential candidate, the Genesis wants to outperform the old boys' club but also wouldn't mind joining it. The RIDES Genesis is kind of like Palin after her trip to Neiman Marcus, except the Hyundai stopped at the Apple Store instead.
RIDES took a break from installing hydraulics on Impalas and iPimped a stock Genesis with in-car WiFi, custom paint, Morel Hybrid Ovation speakers, and more Macs than a San Francisco-based Web 2.0 company. The two rear passengers have access to a MacBook Air, two Mac Minis, an iPod Touch, iPhone 3G, and two 8.4" VGA displays in the headrests -- all of which will be ripped out of the car by an unemployed mortgage broker desperate to sell the laptops to pay off his Pottery Barn credit card. More pics after the jump.
Though the concept is ostensibly aimed at business travelers, we question just how much technology a legitimate entrepreneur can use. When RIDES says the 20" Apple Cinema Display in the trunk is perfect for "impromptu parking lot meetings," we wonder just how much technology is necessary to sling dime bags behind a burned-out Shoney's.
Why the Genesis? Not only is it the "it car" of the current economic downturn, but it's a smart choice for executives concerned more with a well-made product than a well-made image. The Macs offer an understated elegance, and we'd bet that's why there's no Vista or PS3 in this Mac Daddy. "Genesis' spacious and ultra-quiet cabin offers an ideal environment to experiment with new in-vehicle information and entertainment systems," Michael Deitz, Hyundai Motor America product development manager said in a press release. Aside from the 22" rims, DVD player, and body kit, we think it's a perfect matchup of sensibility and technology.
According to RIDES associate publisher Ben Harris, their customized Genesis "perfectly suits the mobile executive, with multiple Mac computers and its own mobile Wi-Fi network." In fact, the computers and WiFi network add about the only technology that a stock Genesis lacks. With XM NavTraffic, iPod connectivity, adaptive headlights, smart cruise control, and electronic active head restraints, the Genesis already appeals to the connected commuter.
Best yet: SEMA attendees who log onto the Genesis' WiFi network will be treated to five free downloads of T-Pain's lilting tenor Vocoder. Now that's money in the bank.
Photos courtesy Hyundai.
